Marie Guyart
July 19, 2024
Mother Rosalie Rendu
August 9, 2024
The New Testament speaks of the Deacon Philip’s four daughters as prophetesses. One of those daughters, Hermione studied medicine and served as a physical and spiritual healer, founding a free clinic in Ephesus. When the Emperor travelled through on his way to battle the Persians, Hermione’s pagan opposition reported her disruptive Christian faith. While she was being beaten, she prophesied the Emperor’s victory, and he released her. A later Emperor ordered her brutal torture and death.
The first women to found a free clinic were sisters who were taught the faith by their brother Jason, the Bishop of Tarsus and a disciple of their cousin, the Apostle Paul. They studied philosophy and medicine before moving to Thessaly in Greece, renowned for healing hot springs. The sisters evangelized and cared for the poor in opposition to pagan Hippocratic hypocrites who charged huge fees for superstitious treatments. Zeniada, a spiritual councilor, specialized in pediatrics and psychiatrics, while Philonilla trained their followers in medicine based on scientific treatment methods.