An Extraordinary Family of Saints and the Secret of Christian Homeschooling

How the True Love of Wisdom (i.e., Vera Philosophia) Can Change Lives

Saint Basil of Caesarea, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Gregorius of Nazianzus: an icon of 17th century from Lipie, Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland (source)

One Family, Eight Saints

Most Catholic believers have undoubtedly heard of the famous Doctor of the Church, Saint Basil the Great (330–378). Some may also be familiar with his brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa (c.335–c.394). Along with a third brilliant theologian of our Church, Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (c.329–390), they form the well-known group of the “Cappadocian Fathers.”

However, far fewer Catholic believers know that Saints Basil and Gregory came from an extraordinary family—one that, across three generations, included no fewer than eight saints recognized in the Church’s calendar. For the past thirty years, I have never ceased to marvel at them, to read their writings, and to wonder how such a thing was possible. Before answering that question, though, I will first present the full list.

Let me begin with two remarkable women who share the same name: Macrina. Both are canonized saints. To avoid confusion, the first is known as Macrina “the Elder” (270–c.340) and was the grandmother of the second, Macrina “the Younger” (c.327–379).

If the sheer number of saints in this Cappadocian family wasn’t surprising enough, an even greater wonder is that the younger Macrina was the one who influenced not only her own mother, Saint Emmelia of Caesarea (?–375), but also her four brothers, all of whom are venerated as saints in the Church: Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Peter of Sebaste (c.340–391), Saint Naucratius (whose birth and death dates are unknown). The father of these grace-filled children was Saint Basil “the Elder” (c.329–379). As you’ve likely noticed, the title “the Elder” was added to distinguish him from his more famous son, Saint Basil “the Great.”

When you read the names of the members of this family, it almost feels unbelievable. To convince you of its reality, I have compiled the full list of saints along with their family connections:

1. - Saint Macrina the Elder (270–c.340): Mother of Basil “the Elder” and mother-in-law of Emmelia; grandmother of Basil, Gregory, Peter, Naucratius, and Macrina “the Younger.”

2. - Saint Basil the Elder (?–350): Son of Macrina the Elder, husband of Emmelia, and father of Basil, Gregory, Peter, Naucratius, and Macrina “the Younger.”

3. - Saint Emmelia of Caesarea (?–375): Wife of Basil the Elder, and mother of Basil, Gregory, Peter, Naucratius, and Macrina “the Younger.”

4. - Saint Macrina the Younger (c.327–379): Daughter of Basil and Emmelia.

5. - Saint Basil the Great (330–378): Son of Basil and Emmelia.

6. - Saint Gregory of Nyssa (c.335–c.394): Son of Basil and Emmelia.

7. - Saint Peter of Sebaste (c.340–391): Son of Basil and Emmelia.

8. - Saint Naucratius (?–?): Son of Basil and Emmelia.

So, eight saints—one of whom, Basil the Great, is a Doctor of the Church—all from the same family. As I said from the beginning, it is impossible to learn about this family of saints without asking what their “secret” was. This question is crucial, especially for those of us who are parents and grandparents. Thankfully, two of the writings left to us by Saint Gregory of Nyssa (The Life of Saint Macrina and On the Soul and the Resurrection) provide the answer to this crucial question.

Apprentices of Divine Wisdom

In the text that Saint Gregory of Nyssa dedicated to his sister, Macrina, whom he described as one “who through philosophy rose to the highest peak of human virtue,” he presents her as a true apostle of the philosophical ideal. If the Cappadocian Fathers were the ones who Christianized key themes of classical Greek philosophy (especially Platonism), integrating them with the discoveries of pre-Christian wisdom, then Saint Macrina was the one who, through her ascetic and sacrificial life, demonstrated that true philosophy (vera philosophia) is a way of life in accordance with the Gospel.

Here, I must emphasize that everything I will say further refers to philosophy (Greek φιλοσοφία) in its original, sapiential sense (from Latin: sapientia = wisdom), meaning the love of that Wisdom which belongs solely to God. This, in short, is also the “secret” of Saint Macrina’s family: Divine Wisdom—as reflected in the sapiential texts of the Old Testament and in the Gospels—was the guiding principle of their pedagogy and way of life.

Concerned with leading her brothers and mother toward what Saint Gregory of Nyssa called “the ideal of a philosophical life,” Saint Macrina used her sanctified life as her primary educational tool, relying more on actions than on eloquent words.

For example, in chapter 6 of the biography that her brother Gregory wrote about her, The Life of Saint Macrina, we learn that in her effort to draw her mother toward philosophy she provided “a living example (...) gradually leading her towards a simple life detached from material things.” Similarly, she influenced her brother Basil, guiding him toward the love of wisdom. She also raised Peter, the youngest in the family, “in such a way that he was captivated by the high ideal of philosophy before reaching adolescence, while still in the tender bloom of childhood.” Episodes from their family life paint before our eyes the astonishing image of an entire household dedicated to philosophy:

Their life, free from all worldly vanities, harmonized through imitation with the blessed life of the angels.

Such a way of living is even compared to the separation of the soul from the body that occurs at death. The way Macrina’s family understood and practiced philosophy gives us much to reflect on when considering the Platonic conception of philosophy. In the dialogue Phaedo, Plato, through his favored character Socrates, teaches that:

The philosopher, more than other men, separates the soul from communion with the body” (64e-65a), and that his only truly important concern is to “study nothing but dying and being dead (64a).

Moreover, Saint Gregory of Nyssa later rewrote Plato’s famous text from a Christian perspective, in his work On the Soul and the Resurrection. Clearly, Macrina’s brother sought to Christianize pagan philosophy, re-examining its great themes of eternal life and the afterlife in light of the Incarnation, death, and Resurrection of our King and Lord, Jesus Christ.

The Best Homeschool Program Ever

Another passage from Saint Gregory of Nyssa’s writings shows us that mother and daughter, Saints Emmelia and Macrina, read together “in particular the Wisdom of Solomon, and those parts of it especially which have an ethical bearing.”

Moreover, at the heart of their prayer life was the reading and meditation on the Psalms of King David:

When she rose from bed, or engaged in household duties, or rested, or partook of food, or retired from table, when she went to bed or rose in the night for prayer, the Psalter was her constant companion, like a good fellow-traveler that never deserted her.

Thus, the two essential “school subjects” of study and practice in Saint Macrina’s family were: first, the reading of the wisdom books and the application of the precepts of Wisdom; second, prayer and meditation on the Psalms of King David. How many Catholic parents today have ever considered such a study and life program? How many actually practice it?

If you’re wondering how this could be done, here’s a practical tip based on what my own family does. Every evening, after reciting the Holy Rosary, we always read the Holy Scripture. The “method” we have followed for at least twenty years is as simple as it gets: we read one chapter daily. Over the years, we have thus read the entire Bible multiple times. However, now we have become more “specialized”: we focus on reading and rereading the wisdom books of the Old Testament—especially the Wisdom of Solomon, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Ecclesiasticus (The Wisdom of Jesus, Son of Sirach). If we also add the Psalms to our reading, we already have a complete “home school” program. (Of course, adults and older children can also read the profound Book of Job and the Song of Songs.)

Without hesitation, I can say that we owe this practice to the influence of Saint Macrina and her family. In this regard, I can only wholeheartedly encourage you to read the two texts by Saint Gregory of Nyssa mentioned here.