St. Nonna, the mother of St. Gregory the Theologian, was the daughter of Christians named Philotatos and Gorgonia, who raised her in Christian piety. St. Nonna was also an aunt of St. Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium.
St. Nonna entered into marriage with Gregory of Arianzus, who was the rich landowner of an estate in the Arianzus and Nazianzos districts. Unfortunately, the marriage caused great misery for the holy soul of St. Nonna. Her husband was a pagan, a follower of the sect of the Supremists (Hypsistarii), who venerated a supreme god and observed certain Jewish rituals, while at the same time worshiping fire.
St. Nonna prayed that her husband would turn to the One True God. Their son, St. Gregory the Theologian, wrote that his mother “… could not bear this, being half united to God, because he who was part of her remained apart from God. She wanted a spiritual union in addition to the bodily union. Day and night she turned to God with fasting and many tears, entreating Him to grant salvation to her husband.”
Through the prayers of St. Nonna, her husband had a vision in his sleep. “It seemed to my father,” wrote St. Gregory, “as though he was singing the following verse of David: ‘I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord’ (Ps. 121/122: 1). He had never done this before, though his wife had often offered her supplications and prayers for it.”
The Psalm was strange to him, but along with its words, a desire also came to him to go to church. When she heard about this, St.. Nonna told her husband that the vision would bring the greatest pleasure if it were fulfilled.
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Wished I’d known about St. Nonna years ago. My husband had a hiatus from church attendance with the family for about 5 years. It was a poor example for our then teen age sons. It caused me great heartache. Luckily my convert father and mother lived four miles away so there was some exposure for the boys to a practicing Catholic male. Then one day my prayers were answered. He announced that he had started to attend daily Mass near his employment and that the first resident priest at our small congregation was the reason. My husband told me that when he morts I should find that priest wherever he is and ask him to officiate at his funeral. My youngest son in his 30s observed, “At first I though Dad was again practicing to please you, Mom, but I think Dad came back to the Faith on his own. Which is a good thing.” I agree.
I continue to pray for both sons to be sent an active Catholic wife who will lead them back to the Faith. Maybe not in my life time, but I feel my prayers will be answered.