Commemorated on November 24th
The Holy Great Martyr Catherine was the daughter of Constus, the governor of Alexandrian Egypt during the pagan reign of Maximian. Catherine’s mother, a secret Christian, took Catherine to her spiritual Father for instruction and guidance where she was baptized and became a devout Christian. Maximian, captivated by Catherine’s beauty, tried to no avail, to entice her to renounce Christianity with the promise of riches, fame and even marriage. Following her refusal, Catherine was subjected to terrible tortures and sentenced to death. The Empress Augusta, having heard of Catherine’s piety, went with soldiers to see Catherine. The following day as Catherine was taken to court and urged to renounce her faith, an angel appeared and smashed the instruments of death to which Catherine was being lead Having beheld this wonder, the Empress Augusta and 200 soldiers confessed their faith in Christ in front of everyone and were beheaded. Maximian again tried to entice the holy martyr, proposing marriage to her, and again he was refused. With a prayer to Christ she herself laid her head on the block beneath the executioner’s sword and died a martyr’s death.
