St. Hilary, bishop of Poitiers and one of the Fathers of the Church had been married in his youth and was the father of one daughter. On the death of his wife he became a priest. When on account of his zeal for the Christian faith he was banished to Asia, he left his daughter under the care of a Christian family. As soon as she had grown up, it was proposed that she marry a Christian youth. This she told her father, who wrote in reply: “I shall soon be returning home and then I will show you the portrait of another suitor, the son of a king; he will come himself later on and ask you to celebrate your nuptials with him. You can then compare the two and take whichever you prefer.” When the bishop returned he showed his daughter a crucifix and counseled her to consecrate herself to Christ by a vow of life-long virginity. She followed his advice and died a holy death shortly after. When she was dying, her father said to her: “See your bridegroom has come to conduct you to the eternal marriage feast.”
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