St John Chrysostom

John was born in Antioch, Greece.  His father died was he was very little and his mother devoted all her time to her kids.  She was able to get her son a good education.  John was a very smart boy and was respected by many.  He could speak very gracefully which is how he got the name Chrysostom because it means “golden-mouthed”.
John became a priest and was later made bishop and then Archbishop of Constantinople. John served his people very well.  He stood up for what was right and just.  If people were not behaving well, he was not afraid to speak to them and encourage them to follow Jesus.  He even stood up to the Empress of Constantinople.  She did not like what he had to say and sent he away from the city.
During his exile, he suffered sickness and hunger but he was always joyful and peaceful.  He eventually died. On the day he died, Constantinople was hit with a terrible hailstorm. The Empress ended up dying only 4 days after John.  The Empress’ son had John’s body brought back to Constantinople where it was laid in a place of honor.