Venerable Paisius the Great

Paisius the Great was born in the Egyptian village of Shansha, the youngest of seven brothers, and was dedicated to God by his widowed mother. After serving as a cleric he went to the desert of Scetis, became a disciple of Abba Pambo (Abba Amoi in the Arabic version of his Life) and lived the ascetic life with St John the Dwarf. Obedience and humility marked his early monastic years.

Seeking a stricter life, he settled apart, ate usually once a week and prayed with great fervour; his Life relates that Christ appeared to him and promised to grant his prayers, even for hardened sinners. Disciples gathered around him and formed the community known today as the monastery of Deir Anba Bishoy in Wadi el-Natrun. He taught them to do nothing by their own will but to rely on experienced elders. He died at a great age in the early fifth century; according to the Arabic Life he spent his last years near Antinoe after the Berber raids, while the Greek Life says his relics were translated by St Isidore of Pelusium.