St Leucius the Confessor, Bishop of Brundisium (V)
Saint Leucius the Confessor was the son of pious Alexandrians, Eudocius and Euphrosyne. His parents named the newborn Eutropius. The saint was eleven when his mother died. His father became a monk in the monastery of Saint Hermes and took his son with him. Here the boy’s upbringing was guided by the abbot Nicetas and other experienced fathers. Distinguished by wonderful understanding, the child learned Holy Scripture well, and by nature he was meek, humble and obedient. When the abbot Nicetas died, the brethren unanimously chose the eighteen-year-old Eutropius as superior, although he had not yet been tonsured a monk. The future saint, who did not consider himself worthy to guide anyone, firmly refused. The monastery was without an abbot for seven years. During this time Eutropius reached a high degree of spiritual life. Once, on the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Eudocius decided to go with his son to venerate the church of the Dormition near Alexandria. They spent the night in a monastery governed by the abbot Theodore. Here the Lord revealed to Eudocius that he would soon die, and that his son would become a hierarch and would enlighten with the light of Christ the Italian city of Brundisium and its surroundings. The son’s new name was also revealed to the father: Leucius, which means “the Spirit of God shall rest upon him”. At the festal Liturgy Elias, Bishop of Heliopolis, heard a voice from on high blessing Leucius for the labour of a hierarch.
The monks of the monastery of Hermes insistently asked the bishop to appoint the saint abbot of the monastery. The ascetic considered himself unworthy and refused, but he could not oppose the bishop’s will. First he was ordained priest, and then he was also made superior.
From that time on Leucius intensified his labours still more, for which the Lord granted him the gifts of wonderworking and of casting out evil spirits.
Meanwhile Philip, Bishop of Alexandria, died a martyr, and Leucius was chosen in his place. The eparch, seeing that the holy head of the Church would convert many idol-worshippers to Christianity, decided to kill him. The people rallied to defend their beloved hierarch; the holy chief shepherd yielded his throne to a worthy bishop, took with him the deacons Eusebius and Dionysius and five more disciples, and went on board a ship bound for Italy. Soon the priests Leo and Sabinus joined them. On the road to Brundisium the saint met the tribune Armaleon with sixty-seven soldiers and converted them to Christianity. Having entered the city, the father went on preaching the word of the Lord. When the head of the city, Antiochus, learned that the tribune Armaleon had become a Christian, he summoned him and talked with him for a long time. From him he learned of Saint Leucius too, and wished to see him. At their meeting the governor said to the blessed elder: “If thou wishest us to believe in the God whom thou preachest, ask Him to send us rain, which we have not seen for two years.” The saint gathered the clergy and all the newly converted Christians, and together with them offered fervent prayer to the almighty King. God looked with a merciful eye on those who prayed: soon storm clouds appeared in the sky, and rain pouring down in torrents watered the land that had dried and cracked from the drought. Antiochus, a witness of this miracle, and the whole population of Brundisium (27,000 people) were baptised. To mark this event a church dedicated to the Mother of God was built, and on the spot where the inhabitants of the city were baptised a second church was raised as well, dedicated to John the Baptist.
Soon the hierarch fell ill. The Lord revealed to the saint that the illness was mortal. He called his disciple Antiochus and asked to be buried on the spot where the ship from Alexandria had come to the shore. Antiochus carried out his teacher’s testament and built over his grave a church dedicated to Saint Leucius. Many miracles took place at the blessed father’s incorrupt relics.
