St Spiridion

Spiridion is the memorable Cypriot saint who was at once shepherd, married man, and bishop. The old stories preserved around him are affectionate and earthy: thieves unable to escape with his sheep, a hungry traveler served with salt pork despite the fast, straightforward dealings with peasants and strangers, confession in the persecution, and a place at Nicaea among the defenders of the faith. The real point is not to polish Spiridion into a learned ecclesiastic.

He remains rough, direct, scriptural, charitable, and practical. Governing a poor little see, he impressed the ancient Church not by education or rhetoric but by the visible union of holiness and common sense.