The Patron Saint of Cooks

Our Lord made it quite clear that we all have different talents and abilities, which should always be used for the greater glory of God. The Saint depicted on this morning's Bulletin cover is a prime example of the unique ways Christ can be served by us.

A simple, but pious young man, ST. EUPHROSYNOS had a greater desire to spend his life on Mt. Athos as a monastic. But what type of work was he best suited for there? He was not a scholar or a liturgicist. He had no administrative skills. A place was found for him, however, in a kitchen of one of the monasteries. While others may have found his labor meaningless and degrading, Euphrosynos joyfully went about his business of preparing meals for his fellow monastics.

One night, the abbot of the monastery had a strange dream. He found himself in Paradise, where he saw Euphrosynos, who gave him three golden apples. When the abbot awoke the next morning, the apples were on his pillow. It is said that the apples had miraculous powers, but Euphrosynos never experienced them. Embarrassed by the attention that this dream brought him, he fled the monastery and sought refuse in a desert cave. Here this 9th century saint would remain for the rest of his life.

The Orthodox Church commemorates Euphrosynos the Cook each year on September 11/24.

The Orthodox Weekly Bulletin