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Today, 5 November, is the feast of ... * Zachary and Elizabeth (first century) - parents of John the Baptist, among the protagonists of Luke, ch. 1 - several Fathers declared Zachary died a martyr; Peter Damian (third sermon on the birth of Mary) said that to inquire about things the evangelists chose not to recount about these two shows an improper and superfluous curiosity * Galation and Episteme (?) - the son of Clitophon and Leucippe (!), Galation was so named due to his milk-white complexion (Galakteon); he eventually married the pagan Episteme (= Knowledge) and convinced her to live with him in chastity and to convert to Christianity - but soon after the conversion, they agreed to live apart in separate religious communities - three years later, Galation was arrested, and Episteme rushed to join him; when her clothes were ripped off her, the 53 officers who were watching became blind; the two were then beheaded * Bertilla, virgin (705?) - born near Soissons, she was appointed the first abbess of Chelles; later, royal women such as the widows Hereswitha and Bathildis joined the nunnery under her leadership * * * * * * * * * George Ferzoco %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%