St. Arsenios the Great

A Roman of senatorial rank, by tradition tutor to the sons of the emperor Theodosius, who left the palace secretly around 394 and went to the monks of Scetis. The Sayings keep the voice he heard: Arsenios, flee from men and you will be saved; and again: flee, keep silence, be still, for these are the roots of sinlessness. He lived fifty-five years in the desert, so silent that visitors went away without a word from him, and remembered for the tears he shed at his work all his life. He died around 449 near Memphis, saying that the fear he felt at that hour had been with him since the day he became a monk. Feast: May 8.