February 6 + Saint Dorothy

Born in 279 AD, Dorothy was a resident of Caesarea, Cappadocia (present day Turkey) who refused to sacrifice to the gods during Emperor Diocletian's persecution of the Christians. She was tortured by the governor and ordered to be executed.

On the way to the place of execution, she met a young lawyer, Theophilus, who mockingly asked her to send him fruits from "the garden" she had joyously announced she would soon be in. When she knelt for her execution, she prayed, and an angel appeared with a basket of three roses and three apples, which she sent to Theophilus, telling him she would meet him in the garden. She was martyred in the year 311 at the age of 32. Theophilus converted to Christianity and later was also martyred.

If you have been following along with us and reading about the saints, then you know that Emperor Diocletian was a very bad guy. He wanted to eliminate all of the Christians and would publicly torture and execute them. But what he didn't expect is that even more Christian conversions occurred because of their martyrdoms. And we gained many incredible saints during that period of time because of his persecutions. Proof that God doesn't always put people in our lives to make us happy but rather to make us holy.