Theoctista of Paros

Holy Venerable Theoctista of Paros was born on the island of Lesbos, in the city of Methymna. Orphaned in early childhood, she was given by her relatives to be brought up in a monastery. The girl came to love monastic life, far from sin and the temptations of the world, the long services, the monastery obediences, the strict fast and the unceasing prayer. She learned by heart many hymns, prayers and psalms.

Captivity and the island

In the year 846, when she was eighteen, with the blessing of the abbess she went for the feast of Christ's Resurrection to a neighbouring village to visit her own sister and stayed there overnight. In the night Arabs attacked the village, took all the inhabitants captive, put them on a ship and in the morning put out to sea. The raiders landed the prisoners on the deserted island of Paros, to look them over and set a price on each for the slave market. The Lord helped the young woman to escape, and the Arabs did not catch her.

From then on the venerable Theoctista lived on the island for thirty-⁠five years († 881). Her dwelling was an ancient church dedicated to the Most Holy Mother of God, and her food, according to the account, was sunflower seeds. All her time she spent in prayer.

The hunter

Once a party of hunters landed on the island. One of them, pursuing game, went far from the shore into the forest and suddenly saw a church. He went in to offer prayer to the Lord. After the prayer he noticed in a dim corner near the Holy Table, behind a thick cobweb, something like a human figure. He drew near and heard a voice: Stop, man, do not come further, I am ashamed, for I am a naked woman. The hunter gave the woman his outer garment, and she came out of her hiding place. He saw a grey-⁠haired woman with an emaciated face, who gave her name as Theoctista and in a weak voice told him of her life, full of the benefactions of God.

When she had finished her tale, the saint asked the hunter, if he should happen to come to the island again, to bring her a particle of the Presanctified Gifts. In all the time of her desert life she had never been counted worthy to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ. After a year the hunter came again to the island and brought a small vessel with a particle of the Holy Mysteries. Saint Theoctista met the Holy Gifts in the church, fell to the ground and prayed long with tears. Rising, she took the vessel and with reverence and the fear of God partook of the Body and Blood of Christ. The next day the hunter saw in the middle of the church the dead body of the venerable one. He dug a shallow grave, laid the honoured body in it and presumed to cut off her hand, to take with him a part of the relics of the great servant of God. All night the ship sailed over the restless sea, and in the morning it found itself in the same place from which it had set out. Then the man understood that this was not pleasing to God, returned to the grave and set the hand against the body of the venerable one. After that the ship sailed away without hindrance. On the way the hunter told his companions all that had happened on the island. Hearing him, all decided to return at once to Paros to venerate together the relics of the great ascetic, but her holy body was no longer in the grave.

Venerable Theoctista is commemorated on 22 November.