Venerable Thais of Egypt (of the Thebaid)

Venerable Thais of Egypt is one of the most celebrated penitents of early monasticism. In the 4th century she was a famous courtesan in Egypt whose beauty led many men to ruin. Hearing of her, St. Paphnutius the Great came to her disguised as a layman and convinced her that nothing is hidden from God and that true repentance can heal any soul. Moved by his words, Thais publicly burned her ill-gotten wealth and followed him. Paphnutius placed her in a narrow cell of a women's monastery, where she spent three years in strict enclosure, fasting, and tears of repentance, eating only bread and water, deemed unworthy to utter God's name and repeating instead: "Thou who hast made me, have mercy on me." Through a vision granted to Abba Paul the Simple, a disciple of St. Anthony the Great, it was revealed the Lord had forgiven her sins and prepared for her the Kingdom of Heaven; soon after, the saint peacefully reposed.