Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch

Theodosius was born around 423 in Cappadocia. As a young man he went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and placed himself under the guidance of holy hermits. Many disciples soon gathered around him, and he founded a large monastery near Bethlehem, in the Judean desert, where monks of different languages prayed side by side and worked together.

He was so trusted that the Patriarch of Jerusalem made him "cenobiarch," head of all the monks living in community in Palestine, while his friend Saint Sabbas led the hermits. Theodosius's monastery had guesthouses and hospitals for pilgrims, the poor, the elderly and the mentally ill. He courageously defended the Council of Chalcedon against the emperor Anastasius and was exiled for a time. He died around 529, more than a hundred years old.

His monastery, Deir Dosi, still stands in the desert east of Bethlehem and is cared for by Greek Orthodox monks. Eastern Christians honor him as a model of community life and hospitality. The Roman Martyrology commemorates him on January 11.