March 26: Saint Peter of Sebaste Saint Peter was the youngest of ten children of his father, Saint Basil the Elder, and mother, Saint Emmelia. You may already know about two of his older brothers: Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nyssa. The whole family was set apart for their love of God. Peter's path, however, was very different from his brothers'. Peter's father died when he was only a few months old and so he was raised by his mother and his older sister, Macrina, who was the eldest of the family. Macrina educated Peter at home and showed him that all of his studies can only be helpful and profitable to him if they help him to attain eternal life. She may have had their brother Basil in mind when she taught him this lesson since Basil had come back from his university studies bursting with self-importance and pride. As he grew, Peter chose to enter the monastery which his brother founded. His brother was later called away from the monastery to become a bishop, the brothers chose Peter to become his successor as ruler of the monastery. Peter dedicated himself in his position to charitable works: during times of plague and destitution, he made the monastery's supplies available for all the townspeople to supply their needs. At the age of 40, Peter was called from the monastery to become Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia. As a bishop, he was known for his sanctity, prudence, and zeal. He died on March 26th, in the year 390. Saint Peter of Sebaste, pray for us!