Saint Kyriaki was the daughter of Christian parents, Dorotheus and Eusebia. She was given her name because she was born on Sunday, the day of the Lord (in Greek, Kyriaki).

One day a wealthy magistrate wished to betroth Kyriaki to his son. The magistrate went to her parents to request her hand, but Saint Kyriaki told him that she wished to remain a virgin, for she had dedicated herself to Christ.

The magistrate was angered by her words, so he went to the emperor Diocletian to denounce the saint and her parents as Christians who mocked the idols, and refused to offer sacrifice to them. Diocletian sent soldiers to arrest the family and have them brought before him.

Dorotheus was beaten until the soldiers grew tired and were unable to continue. Saint Kyriaki was sent to be interrogated by Diocletian's son-in-law and co-ruler Maximian at Nicomedia. Maximian failed to convert Kyriaki to Paganism through flattery, and so sent her to Hilarion, the eparch of Bithynia. Hilarion tortured Kyriaki cruelly. The saint was suspended by her hair for several hours, while soldiers burned her body with torches. Not only did she endure all this, she also seemed to become more courageous under torture.

That night Christ appeared to her and healed her wounds. When Hilarion saw her the next day, he declared that she had been healed by the gods because they pitied her. Then Hilarion urged her to go to the temple to give thanks to the gods. She told him that she had been healed by Christ, but agreed to go to the temple. The eparch rejoiced, thinking that he had defeated her.

In the temple, Saint Kyriaki prayed that God would destroy the soulless idols. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake which toppled the idols, shattering them to pieces. Everyone fled the temple in fear, leaving Hilarion behind. Instead of recognizing the power of Christ, the eparch blasphemed the true God as the destroyer of his pagan gods. He was struck by a bolt of lightning and died on the spot.

Saint Kyriaki was tortured again by Apollonius, who succeeded Hilarion as eparch. When she was cast into a fire, the flames were extinguished. When she was thrown to wild beasts, they became tame and gentle. Therefore, Apollonius sentenced her to death by the sword. She was permitted time to pray, so she asked God to receive her soul, and to remember those who honored her martyrdom.

She contested in Nicomedia during the reign of Diocletian, in the year 300. After many bitter torments she was condemned to suffer beheading, but being granted time to pray first, she made her prayer and gave up her holy soul in peace.

Saint Thomas of Mount Maleos was a military commander before becoming a monk. Strong and brave, he participated in many battles, and brought victories to his countrymen, for which he won much glory and honor. But, striving toward God with all his heart, Saint Thomas forsook the world and its vanity, and was tonsured as a monk.

With great humility he visited several Elders, asking for guidance in the spiritual life. After several years, Thomas received a blessing to live a solitary life in the wilderness. According to his biographers, Saint Thomas said that he was led by a pillar of fire to Mount Maleos by the Prophet Elias, while in an ancient Syaxarion of Constantinople it is written that Saint Thomas also appeared as a pillar of fire when the Holy Prophet Elias appeared to him, whose zealous way of life he emulated.

Dwelling in complete seclusion, Saint Thomas fought with invisible enemies with as much courage as he had displayed against the visible foes of his country. Reports of Saint Thomas' holy life could not be concealed from those living in the surrounding area. People began to flock to him seeking spiritual guidance, and those who suffered from sickness recovered, since he received from God a blessing to heal their infirmities.

He was always helping others, because even during his solitude, he prayed for everyone, and he trained himself to become a worthy instrument of God for the benefit of his neighbor.