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Macarius
was born in Egypt in the fourth century. He was a successful
merchant of fruits, candies and pastries in Alexandria until
he converted to Christianity and gave up his business. He became
a hermit and lived for several years in Upper Egypt. He then
travelled to Lower Egypt, was ordained and joined a group of
desert monks. To rid himself of temptations of the flesh he
spent six months naked in the marshes allowing himself to be
eaten alive by blood-thirsty flies and mosquitoes. He became
so disfigured from infected insect bites that he was only recognized
by his voice when he returned. He despised money and when a
fellow monk died, leaving some cash behind for charity, Macarius
buried it with the man rather than donate it to the Church or
the poor. Macarius is also the patron of cooks. His feast day
is January 2. |
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| St.
Macarius
Patron St. of
Pastry Chefs |
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