St John the Almsgiver

John the Almsgiver was already a widower of mature age in Cyprus when he was unexpectedly raised to the patriarchate of Alexandria. His famous surname is not ornamental. It describes the center of his life. He counted the poor as his masters, made careful lists of those under his special care, opened church resources freely for hospitals and relief, and insisted on justice in ordinary things like weights, measures, and the hearing of complaints. This became even more important when war and Persian invasion threw the eastern Mediterranean into misery and refugee movement.

But generosity was not the whole of him. He was also a bishop of humility, prayer, practical intelligence, and real personal poverty. Small details make him vivid: he could not rest easily on luxury while Christ's poor were suffering, and he preferred to spend rather than store. In him even administration becomes an act of mercy.