Euthalia

Holy Martyr Euthalia was a virgin and martyr of Leontini in Sicily in the third century. The Orthodox Church commemorates her on 2 March (15 March by the new calendar in the Serbian Church), and the Roman Catholic Church on 27 August.

She became a Christian after her mother, Saint Eutropia, who had suffered for many years from an issue of blood and was healed after she was baptized. The Serbian source calls the mother Euthalia as well, and the brother Sermilian, while the Russian and English sources call him Sirmianus. According to the Serbian source, the holy martyrs Alphius, Philadelphus and Cyrinus appeared to the mother in a dream and told her that she would be healed only if she were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. She believed, was baptized and was healed, and seeing the miracle, her daughter was baptized too.

Although their turning to the Lord was a great joy, one of the sons, Sirmianus, took it as a great affront. He began to mock his mother and sister for their faith in Christ, then to threaten them, demanding that they renounce it. The two refused. The mother grew afraid and fled the house, and the brother began to pursue his sister. Euthalia was not afraid, for Christ was dearer to her than her brother, and she said to him: I am a Christian and I am not afraid to die. According to the Serbian source, the brother sent a servant to dishonour her, but when he fell upon her, he lost his sight. The brother seized her and cut off her head. She remained fearless in the face of torment and suffering, and was killed by her own brother.