St. Abraham Kidunaia was born in the third century. His parents were very wealthy, and ensured that their son was well-educated. After he finished school, his family encouraged Abraham to get married, but he had other plans — he told his new wife that he wanted to dedicate himself to God and remain a virgin. Abraham went to live as a hermit near Edessa and Mesopotamia.
Abraham’s parents died after he had been living in solitude for 10 years. They left him a large inheritance, and when he found out, he asked a friend to take the money and distribute it between several charitable causes. His acts of generosity and his devout spirituality gave Abraham the reputation of a man of great holiness, and he was sought out often for his wisdom and advice.
When the city of Edessa fell into great sin, and people there started worshipping idols, the bishop ordained Abraham and asked him to go into the city to save the souls there. Although Abraham didn’t want to give up his life of solitude and prayer, he obeyed.
At first, no one in Edessa wanted to hear Abraham’s words. But through tireless prayer and preaching, he was able to convert them and end the idolatry. After the city was saved, Abraham returned to his hermitage until he died, around the year 360.
