The saint library

Saint John of Galeș

Priest and confessor
Galeș, Transylvania and Kufstein
Feast day: October 21

Group icon: Moses Măcinic of Sibiel at left and John of Galeș at right. Image source: Holy Metropolis of Oropos and Phyle — Iconological Synaxarion

A life of faith

John was ordained a priest in Wallachia when Transylvania had no Orthodox bishop. He defended the Orthodox community amid pressure to enter union with Rome. Arrested in 1756, he was imprisoned at Sibiu, Deva and Graz, and later at Kufstein. Visitors recalled his determination to remain faithful despite confinement. A petition in 1780 described his imprisonment as having lasted twenty-four years.

The Eastern Orthodox Church remembers saints in prayer and commemoration. Their lives offer examples for Christians learning to live their faith.

A reflection

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