‘Forever grateful’: 7 notable mothers of Christian history

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, May 09, 2021

Saint Helena

Saint Helena was the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor of the Roman Empire, with whom she had a strong relationship with.

Although it was her son Constantine that prompted her to convert to Christianity, the Catholic Encyclopedia notes that she readily embraced the new religion in her daily life.

“Helena … had an earnestly Christian life and by her influence and liberality favoured the wider spread of Christianity. Tradition links her name with the building of Christian churches in the cities of the West, where the imperial court resided,” noted the Catholic Encyclopedia.

“The poor and destitute were the special objects of her charity. She visited the churches everywhere with pious zeal and made them rich donations. It was thus that, in fulfilment of the Saviour's precept, she brought forth abundant fruit in word and deed.”