Today, October 8, is the memorial of Saint Pelagia the Penitent.
The story goes that she was a professional dancer/actress who was known for her beauty, wealth, and immoral state of life. One time she heard the sermon of the bishop Saint Nonnus of Edessa, who was struck by her looks. Saint Nonnus talked about being beautiful on the outside, but doing nothing for the soul and God.
Pelagia was filled with remorse that she immediately converted, confessed, was baptized, and turned away from her sinful life. She turned over her riches to St. Nonnus, who gave it all away to the poor and needy. She left town, dressed in men’s clothing (so that people would leave her alone), and became a hermitess, living in a cave on Mount Olivette, Jerusalem.
For the rest of her life, she lived in austerity and performed extraordinary penances. People knew her as the “beardless hermit” until they discovered, after her death, that she was a woman.