St. Timothy and St. Titus were St. Paul's most trusted disciples. both men frequently traveled with Paul and, as the scriptural text in the previous post exemplifies, Paul often mentioned them in his letters to Christian communities.
Born in Lystra in present-day Turkey, Timothy is said to be the son of a pagan Greek father and a Jewish mother. He was converted to Christianity by Paul on one of Paul's visits to Lystra. Paul invited the teenager to join him on his second missionary trip, and Timothy accepted.
Timothy witnessed the establishment of the Church in Corinth, and Paul often sent him to troubleshoot difficulties in other churches Paul had found. For example, Timothy was sent to Thessalonica when the Christians there were arrested in Rome, and later Timothy himself was imprisoned.
Timothy became the first bishop of Ephesus, Turkey. According to St. John Damascene, Timothy and St. John (the beloved disciple) witnessed Mary's assumption into heaven.
According to tradition, Timothy was martyred in 97 A.D. Because of his own health issues, he is the patron saint of people with stomach disorders. His feast day is January 26.
- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw