This day commemorates the heroic charity of Christians during an outbreak of plague in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 261. So virulent was the disease that every house in the city was affected. The bodies of the dead and even the dying— a source of general dread—were cast into the streets, contributing to the stench of pestilence.

At this point a wonderful thing happened. Christians of the city, who had been forced by persecution to hide themselves and conduct their meetings in secret, now emerged from their homes to attend to the dead and dying. At great risk to themselves—both from infection and from the possibility of arrest—they nursed the sick, washed the bodies of the dead, and saw to their burial. For many of these Christians, this service literally entailed the laying down of their own lives for their neighbors. Those who died were recognized by the Church as true martyrs of charity, and they were added to the calendar of the saints.

“Many who had healed others fell victims themselves. The best of our brethren have been taken from us in this manner: some were priests, others deacons, and some laity of great worth. This death, with the faith which accompanied it, appeared to be little inferior to martyrdom itself.”

—St. Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria