A Legacy of Unity

For it has been made clear to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.  

1 Corinthians 1:11

St. Chloe is commemorated as a co-worker of the Apostle Paul. The Greek word chloē (χλόη) means a green shoot of grass or grain. What a fitting name for a woman who nurtured the tender shoot of the early Church in Corinth. 

Tradition tells us that Chloe was from Corinth and stood by the Apostle in his missionary ministry. We don’t know exactly who “Chloe’s people” are, but it is possible that as a wealthy patron of the early Church, she hosted a gathering of believers in her home. It is significant that Paul calls her by name, rather than a husband or son - presumably as a way of giving credibility to the report, rather than simply naming it as a rumor. However it came about, when divisions arose in the Church her household or community sent word to Paul, asking his advice and intervention. It was because of this that St. Paul wrote his Epistles to the Corinthians.

Today, this longing for a unified Church remains a living legacy for Orthodox women. Faced with division, her community sought healing and wholeness—and had the courage to act so that reconciliation might take root. Because of their act, we are given one of St. Paul’s most moving epistles, with its enduring vision of love and of what it means to belong to the body of Christ, joined together in fullness. In the ancient Church of Corinth, she was commemorated on the Sunday after February 13. 

In Heather MacKean’s icon of the Women of the New Testament, Chloe is depicted at the upper left. A high-quality 8×10 print of this icon, produced on heavyweight, acid-free cardstock with a matte finish, ready for framing, is our thank you gift to everyone who donates $100 or more—or a monthly commitment of $10 or more–to our Myrrhbearing Women Fundraiser.

Your support directly makes possible gatherings, scholarships, and resources that enable Orthodox women to come together across differences, deepen in faith, and find the encouragement and training they need to live out their callings in the Church. 

Donate Here

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ...that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 1 Corinthians 12:12, 25