<p>St. Helena rose from humble beginnings as an innkeeper, to become the mother of the great Christian Roman Emperor Constantine the Great.&nbsp; While she was born in modern day Turkey in 250, she met a Roman general while he was occupying her homeland.&nbsp; They became the parents of Constantine who became the Emperor.&nbsp;</p> <p>Helena was not accepted in Roman society, so her husband divorced her and married a more socially suitable wife. &nbsp;Her son was proclaimed emperor at York in 306, and Helena moved to Rome where she converted to Christianity &ndash; at the age of 56.&nbsp; The Emperor honored his mother and Constantine bestowed the title of August on Helena.&nbsp; That was the feminine form of the title Augustus and usually given to the wives or relatives of the Roman Emperors.&nbsp; Helena went on her famous pilgrimage to the Holy Land where legend tells that she found three crosses buried under the earth where Christ had died in Jerusalem. Helena built a church on the site where the 'Parts of the True Cross' were found. Following her pilgrimage, Helena died in Trier in Germany at the age of eighty, in 328.&nbsp;</p> <p>There are two categories of saints: martyrs and confessors. A Christian martyr is regarded as one who is put to death for his Christian faith or convictions. Confessors are people who died natural deaths.&nbsp; Saint Helena died in 328 of&nbsp; &ldquo;Natural Causes&rdquo;.&nbsp; Saint Helena is the patron of Archaeologists because according to legend Saint Helena found three crosses buried under the earth where Christ had died in Jerusalem - the &ldquo;Parts of the True Cross&rdquo;, where Rome still has them in possession today.&nbsp; Many Churches were built in Western Europe by Helena after her conversion, as well as many sites in the holy land were discovered by her &ndash; that still remain today for pilgrims visiting the holy land to see.&nbsp;</p> <h1><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Practical Take Away</span></strong></h1> <p>St. Helena shows by her life of late conversion to the faith, that one can still accomplish a lot.&nbsp; Her influence in building up the church in Western Europe is still alive and well today.&nbsp; Once she had her conversion and grew in the faith &ndash; she did all in her power over the next 24 years to build the faith up for others, influencing them in many ways.&nbsp; You and I too, can influence others by the good works we do for others, things that God will share with the ages, just as St. Helena&rsquo;s work has.</p>