Saint Alexis was born into a prosperous Christian family in Mesopotamia in the 5th Century and was raised to be good to the poor. All he wanted to do was humbly serve the Lord even though his parents wished him to marry a wealthy bride. Having secured his wife-to-be’s consent on their wedding day to leave her for God, he left in disguise to live among the poor. After many years, the Blessed Virgin spoke from a picture to the beggars calling Alexis a “Man of God.†This is how he’s venerated today. As a “defender” and “helper” of the poor, his name certainly fits. His feast day is July 17.
