Feast day: May 9
Saint Pachomius joined the army when he was a young man. His unit was stationed in Thebes, Egypt. The Christians at Thebes showed the soldiers such great kindness that Saint Pachomius was inspired to convert to Christianity.
After joining the faith, Saint Pachomius became a disciple of Palemon, a hermit. The two men led a life of extreme simplicity, devotion to God, manual labor, and perpetual prayer. After some time, Saint Pachomius felt called to build a monastery. Soon after its construction, several hundred monks joined Saint Pachomius at the monastery, and he established principles of community living.
Saint Pachomius and his fellow monks were so admired by others that he established 10 additional monasteries for men and two nunneries for women. Saint Pachomius was the first monk to form hermits into groups and write out a rule for them.
(Image in public domain-70)