St Helen

Helen is remembered above all as the mother of Constantine, but this life is careful not to let that imperial connection swallow her sanctity. Some old chroniclers tried to claim her for Britain, others tied her strongly to Trier, but those patriotic disputes matter less than the Christian woman she became once the faith emerged from persecution. Converted late in life, she gave herself to Christian devotion with the fervor of someone who knew she had no time to waste. She attended the divine offices simply, dressed modestly, poured out alms upon the poor, and treated imperial wealth as something entrusted to her for Christ's needy members rather than as personal grandeur. Her last years are especially linked to the holy places. After Constantine became master of the East, Helen went to Palestine to venerate the sites sanctified by the Lord's life and to support the church-building that followed the uncovering of Golgotha and the Holy Sepulchre.

Her connection with the finding of the Holy Cross is honored with reverence, while the weaker later details are kept in due proportion. Whether or not she personally directed every part of that discovery, her zeal for the holy places, her generosity, and her active piety are beyond real dispute. What makes the life memorable is the union of greatness and humility. Helen stands near power without seeming impressed by it. Even as empress and mother of the emperor, she still is a widow intent on prayer, mercy, and reverence, using high station as a means of service rather than self-exaltation.