The Great Martyr St. Katherine

November 24

Katherine lived with her mother in Alexandra after the death of her father, King Constus. Her mother was secretly a Christian and brought Katherine to Christ through her spiritual father. In a vision, the Lord Jesus gave Katherine a ring as a sign of betrothal to Him, which remains on her finger to this day.

When the Emperor Maxentius ordered everyone to offer sacrifice to idols, Katherine stood before him and denounced his idolatry. The emperor summoned fifty of his greatest philosophers to dispute her faith, but were put to shame by Katherine. The emperor was furious and commanded the philosophers be put to death. At the moment of their burning, the philosophers all proclaimed the name of Christ and converted to Christianity.

Katherine was jailed, and while in prison, she converted the Emperor’s wife, his general and two hundred of his soldiers, all of whom were martyred. She was sentenced to death by spiked wheel, but just before she was to be killed, an angel of the Lord appeared and destroyed the wheel.

After much torture, St. Katherine was beheaded and died in the year 310 at the age of eighteen. Her relics are preserved in her monastery on Mount Sinai in Egypt.

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