Saint Marcellus of Apamea

Alexander later came to Constantinople. He founded a monastery near this city, on the side of the Euxine Sea. There were up to three hundred monks under his guidance. This monastery, known as Saint Menas, subsequently became so numerous that he founded another at Gomon on the Euxine Sea, in Bithynia. John, Alexander's successor, gathered all his religious in the monastery o f Gomo Marcel Abbot of the Order of the Acoemetae in the 5th century. n. Marcel, who succeeded John, brought the Order to the highest degree of fame. He was from an illustrious f amily Apamée City of origin of Saint Marcellus. of Apamea, in Syria. His parents left him a considerable fortune upon their death. While in the flower of his youth, he did not allow himself to be seduced by the dangers of the world. He retired to Antioch, where he divided his time between study and exercises of piety. Meditation on the law of the Lord convinced him more and more of the vanity of earthly things, and inflamed him with love for those of heaven. He ceded his rights to his brother, and distributed to the poor the portion of his goods of which he could dispose. Freed from all the ties that held him in the world, he retired to Ephesus, where he placed himself under the guidance of some servants of God who lived in that city. He gave the greater part of the night to prayer, and he spent the day copying books, which provided him with enough to live and to assist the poor. Having heard of the austerities and the solitude of the Acoemetae, he resolved to enter their Order; he took the habit there, and ran with incredible ardor in the career of penance. After the death of Alexander, he was elected to replace him; but he fled and hid himself in such a way that he could not be found. When he returned, the Abbot John, successor of Alexander, wanted him to assist him in the exercise of the functions of his position. However, to test his humility, he had him fill the lowest position in the community for some time. Marcel performed it in the most edifying manner, and even begged the abbot to leave him there for his whole life.

John having died, our Saint was chosen to succeed him, around the year 440. He attended the council which was held eight years later in Constantinople, and he agreed to the request made of him to bring his religious back to their first monastery. He governed his Order with admirable virtue and prudence. As he was obliged to enlarge the buildings of his community, he found help for this purpose in the liberality of Pharetrius. He was a very wealthy lord, who renounced the world with his sons, to live under the guidance of the holy abbot. They all took the habit on the same day. Around the year 465, S tudiu Stade Former consul and founder of the Stoudios Monastery. s, who had been consul, had a considerable monastery built for the Acoemetae in the city, near the Golden Gate. It is said that there were up to a thousand monks there at one time. They were later give n the na Studites Monastery founded by Studius for the Acoemetae. me Studites, because of the monastery that Studius had founded.

Saint Marcel Saint Marcel Abbot of the Order of the Acoemetae in the 5th century. attended the council th at Saint Flav saint Flavien Bishop of Constantinople who presided over a council against Eutyches. ian held in Constantinople aga inst Eut Eutychès Heresiarch whose errors were condemned by the councils. yches, and he condemned the errors of this heresiarch following the Fathers who composed this venerable assembly. He lived for a very long time, and practiced all kinds of good works during the sixty years he spent in the monastic state. He died in 485 or 486. The Greeks and the Latins honored him on this day.

Gudescard.