The Basics: Born in 1110 in Belarus; died in 1173 in Israel; canonized in 1984 by John Paul II; feast day, May 23. Woman religious, composer.
The Story: Euphrosyne’s sixty-plus years were full of reboots and redirections. The daughter of 
nobility, she rebelled when her parents were making plans for her marriage. (She was only twelve.) The child ran away to a convent where an aunt was abbess and entered religious life, eventually spending time as a hermit.
However, Euphrosyne found she had significant gifts in addition to her devotion to the Lord. She is known for an enameled, jewel-encrusted six-armed golden cross she designed as well as for the music she composed. In addition, she was a noted manuscript copyist, with the fees she received going to help the needy.
A local bishop took note of her, and encouraged her to found a monastery for women when she was twenty or so. She also went on to establish a similar place for men.
The former hermit also was given to pilgrimages. She visited Constantinople (today’s Istanbul) and was in Jerusalem when she died. Her remains were initially returned to a monastery in Kiev, but since have been relocated to her native Belarus, where she is among the country’s patron saints.
What We Can Learn from Euphrosyne: Embrace change! Listen, as Euphrosyne did, to what the Lord desires of you today. It may not be what He asked yesterday, or what you had planned.
To Learn More About Euphrosyne: Visit the site for Savior-Evfrosinievsky Monastery, where her remains are now housed.
To Learn More About Other Women Saints and Blesseds: Come back next week, or consider buying my book, Sisterhood of Saints: Daily Guidance and Inspiration.
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