The Saints: St. Helen

Circa 255 - 330 / Feast - Aug. 18

Helen is the mother of Constantine, the Roman emperor who in 313 made Christianity a legal religion throughout the empire. Probably born in what is now Turkey, Helen married a general who later divorced her and remarried for political advantage. Helen converted to Christianity around 312 and promoted it tirelessly thereafter. She visited the Holy Land, built churches on holy sites and gave generously to the poor. But she is most famous for the legend that she found the “true cross” of Calvary. She is patron of converts.