St. Melany The Younger
Guiding
others with gentleness and love
Saint Melany (or in Latin “Melania”) is known as “Melany The Younger” to distinguish her from her
grandmother, who as a widow left Rome for Jerusalem and there founded a convent for fifty nuns. They belonged to the Valerii
family, who possessed enormous riches and estates throughout the roman empire.
As
a girl, her ambitious family married Melany to a boy called Pinian. She already loved God, and wished to dedicate her virginity
to him, but Pinian would have none of this; and presently she gave birth to their first child, a girl. A second child soon
followed, a boy who lived for only a day; and Melany’s own life was in great danger. Pinian was in agony and vowed to
respect his wife’s wishes if she lived. She did recover, and he kept his promise but this greatly displeased her father,
who, as long as he lived, insisted that in every respect she conduct herself like a rich and fashionable young women.
But
the life of luxury and license with which she was surrounded in Rome was deeply distasteful to her, and at her father’s
death she, her mother, and her husband went to live in retirement in the country. Their villa soon became a center of religious
life, and Melany was able to realize some of her wishes: getting rid of the greater part of her fortune, freeing her hordes
of slaves, and endowing many charities.
The gothic invasions caused
them to leave Italy for north Africa, where Pinian, now as devoted to god’s service as his wife visited saint Augustine
at hippo. From there they went to Jerusalem and were introduced into the pious circle surrounding saint Jerome. After fourteen
years in the holy land, first her mother died, then her husband, whom the Roman Martyrology names together with her as venerated.
Then at last Melany was able to do as she had always wished. She founded two monasteries, and she herself ruled over one of
them.
Her rule was marked, in that age, by its mildness and gentleness;
and what we are told of her holy death testifies to the great love in which she was held, not only by her own nuns, but by
all Jerusalem.
Saint Melany’s feast day is remembered by the Byzantine churches
on new year’s eve (December 31st). In the west she was largely forgotten until modern times, when manuscripts
of Greek and Latin versions of her life began to be studied and edited. Since then she has been adopted as patron by the Latin
Catholics of many places in the east, including Jerusalem.
Melany’s final words
“First
of all, pray for me; and, if you have any love for me, keep my instructions and my rule. And i would wish you to remember
that i have never once rebuked one of you in anger, but always gently, lest i should bring grief to anyone. Never have I allowed
any one of you to hold resentment against a sister of hers for as much as a day or a night, but I have always made peace between
you, for it is love which perfects our heavenly crown.”
