Saint Serapion

Serapion received a great Christian education and when he grew up he spent some time working for a famous Christian school in Alexandria. Serapion then decided that he wanted to spend more time in prayer and doing penance, so he went into the desert and became a monk. During this time he met St. Anthony of Egypt and tried to be like him because he was so close to God. Serapion then became Bishop of Thmuis in Egypt. He worked very hard to make sure that the teachings of the Church never changed, because during this time there were lots of people that were teaching things that were not true. Bishop Serapion showed a lot of bravery while defending the teaching of the truth against lots of very powerful people who wanted to change what the Church taught. Since Bishop Serapion would not accept these changes he was kicked out of the city of Thmuis by Emperor Constantius II, and he was sent out into the desert. He spent the rest of his life writing letters and books about the true teachings of the Church, working hard to protect the truth. Most of these writings were lost, but some of them have been found and can be read today including a book of prayers called “Euchologion”.