St. Anthony, Abbot
St. Anthony Abbot is the founder of modern day monasticism. He sold almost everything he had, leaving enough for his younger sister to live a good life. He went into the desert and became a hermit. After almost 30 years of living in solitude, he came back to provide guidance to a growing community of hermits, thus marking the beginning of modern day monasticism. Many people sought to hear St. Anthony’s spiritual advice, including Emperor Constantine. Most of what we know about St. Anthony comes from the Life of Anthony, written by St. Athanasius shortly after St. Anthony’s death. “Do not be astonished if an emperor writes to us, for he is a man, but rather: wonder that God wrote the Law for men, and has spoken to us through his own Son.” -St. Anthony Abbot