Day 104 -- Saint Olympias

Today's saint, Saint Olympias, I believe was a pioneer for women religious communities. She was born to a wealthy and noble family in Constantinople in the 4th century. She was orphaned as a child. She married Nebridius, but was widowed and then refused the several other offers she had for marriage and she devoted her life to the Church. She was a deaconess and led a non-cloistered group of prayerful women in her home. She devoted herself to charity and built a hospital and orphanage. She was close friends with Saint John Chrysostom and he even told her she was over doing it with so much charity. In 404, because she supported Saint John, she was persecuted, her community disbanded and her house was seized and sold. She spent the rest of her days in exile in Nicomedia. She died less than a year after Saint John died on July 25, 408 after a long illness.