Christian feast day: Macrina the Younger, Sister of St. Basil the Great

Macrina the Younger was a 4th-century early Christian consecrated virgin, ascetic, and influential figure in the development of Christian theology and monasticism. She belonged to a devout Christian family associated with the Cappadocian Fathers. Her brother Gregory of Nyssa documented her life and teachings in Life of Macrina and the philosophical dialogue On the Soul and Resurrection, portraying her as a model of piety and wisdom. Macrina founded a proto-monastic community at Annisa in Pontus, influencing her brother Basil the Great's monastic rules. She is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, and Lutheranism, with her feast day celebrated on 19 July. Macrina lived a chaste and humble life, dedicating herself to prayer, scriptural study, and mentoring her younger brother Peter of Sebaste in his spiritual and ecclesiastical development.

Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great was an early Roman Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia from 370 until his death in 379. He was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and opposed heresies within the early Christian church such as Arianism and Apollinarianism.