St. Mc. Galaction and Epistimiatranslated

Orthodox calendar, November 5

St. Mc. Galaction and Epistimia St. Galaction was the son of Clitophon and Leucipia and died for Christ at the age of 30. Epistimi was only 16 years old when she died for her faith.

Clitophon was a rich man from the Phoenician city of Emesa, and Leukipia was the daughter of a city ruler named Memnon. Being barren, Levkipia had gone to doctors and sorcerers in the hope that she would be able to give birth to a child, but found no solution. One day an old man named Onufrie knocked at the door of the house, who hid the fact that he was a priest and a monk under the clothes of a beggar.

Levkipia called him in and revealed her great displeasure. Then, the old man promised her that if she would believe in the Christian God and be baptized, her request to have a child would be fulfilled. Agreeing to be baptized, Leukipia soon gave birth to a son, thus persuading her husband Clitophon to be baptized as well.

They named the child Galaction and raised him in the Christian faith and gave him a good education. At the age of 24, Galaction is betrothed by his father to the young Epistimia who was a pagan. Because of the persecution of Decius and Secundus,…