St. Marguerite Faith Community

Saint of the Day

A daily reflection from the calendar of saints.

Open October 21 in the interactive calendar · Browse all Saint profiles


St. Hilarion



Feastday: October 21
Birth: 291
Death: 371

Saint Hilarion was an Abbot, a disciple of St. Anthony the Great, and a companion of St. Hesychius. He was born in Tabatha, Palestine, and was educated in Alexandria, Egypt. He stayed with St. Anthony in the desert there before becoming a hermit at Majuma, near Gaza, Israel.

In 356, Hilarion returned to St. Anthony in the Egyptian desert and found that his fame had Spread there too. He fled to Sicily to escape notice, but Hesychius traced him there. The two went to Dalmatia, Croatia, and then to Cyprus.

Hilarion performed so many miracles that crowds flocked to him when it was discovered he was in any region. He died on Cyprus, and St. Hesychius secretly took his remains back to Palestine. His cult is now confined to local calendars.