Mother Superior
Saint Anfusa was the daughter of a pious father who insisted on her marriage, but she refused. After his death, she distributed all her possessions to the poor and to churches, becoming a mother to orphans and a protector of widows. Empress Irene urged her to participate in the governance of the empire, but she declined. In the palace, she wore rich garments, but beneath them, a hair shirt; she ate modestly and always wept while singing church hymns. After receiving the monastic tonsure in the Omoneia Monastery from Saint Tarasius, she became a nun and did not leave the monastery, serving the sisters, cleaning the church, and assisting others. Never missing the divine services, she spent her time in prayer, always with tears in her eyes. She died at the age of 52, leaving behind a wealth of virtues.
On the same day, we commemorate the holy martyrs Mina, David, and John, who were pierced by arrows from the Saracens in Palestine.
