Alexius of Rome

Saint Alexius of Rome is traditionally remembered as a fourth-century Christian ascetic, born in Rome to a wealthy and devout family. Drawn by a deep love for Christ, he renounced comfort and status, even fleeing an arranged marriage so that his whole life might become an offering to God. Disguised as a beggar, he lived in poverty and prayer near Edessa in Syria, receiving alms and sharing them with the poor. In time, a miraculous sign associated with an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary revealed him as a “Man of God,” and he quietly fled again to preserve his hidden life with the Lord. Returning to Rome, Alexius was so changed that his own parents did not recognize him. They sheltered him as a stranger, and for seventeen years he lived beneath their stairs in silence, penance, and prayer, teaching the faith to children. Only after his death did a note disclose his identity. He is venerated as a model of humility and self-forgetful charity, and is honored as patron of Miagliano, Sant’Alessio in Aspromonte, and nurses. His feast day is July 17.