Marcella of Rome
Widowed at 17, Marcella (325-410) rejected the suit of the consul Cerealis and converted her home into a proto-monastic community. A friend of Jerome and Paula of Bethlehem, Marcella spent her days in prayer, study, visitation, and alms-giving. Other women joined her, and she is said to have educated Eustochium, the daughter of Paula. Marcella was already schooled in Greek when she met Jerome, and he taught her Hebrew. Jerome praises her interpretative ability and quest for the truth. He sent his work to her for appraisal. She died after being beaten by Goths, who assumed that she had retained some of her worldly fortune.
Karen Rae Keck
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