St. Syncletica of Alexandria

Syncletica was a wealthy, beautiful young woman of Alexandria who gave her inheritance to the poor, cut her hair and lived in a family tomb outside the city. Other women came to learn from her, and she became a spiritual mother to them. Her sayings are among the treasures of the desert: “In the beginning there is struggle and much work for those who come to God, but after that, inexpressible joy.”

• Feast: January 5 (New Calendar)
• Lived: c. 270–350
• Place: Alexandria