So sudden a conversion from vice to virtue was never before witnessed, nor such rapid attainments in monastical philosophy. Hence God rendered him an object of dread to the demons and he was ordained presbyter over the monks at Scetis. After a life spent in this manner, he died at the age of seventy-five, leaving behind him numerous eminent disciples.

The Moses the Black Scholarship is named in honor of St. Moses the Black. Also known as Moses the Strong or Moses the Robber, St. Moses was a Nubian ascetic hieromonk who lived in Egypt in the fourth century. He is considered a great Desert Father, and his life stands as a profound witness to the transformative power of grace.

Born in Ethiopia in the fourth century, Moses lived a turbulent early life marked by violence and crime. But for all his grievous faults—murder, theft, fornication, idolatry—Moses was still in search of the true God. One day, he heard a voice saying “If you want to know the true God, go to the valley of Sketis.” Following this advice, he discovered a monastery in the Egyptian desert, in the aforementioned valley, where he encountering the Christian faith and eventually entered their monastic community. Through years of repentance, prayer, and disciplined spiritual struggle, he became a man of extraordinary humility, wisdom, and holiness, eventually serving as a spiritual father to many.

His life reminds us that true education, like true conversion, requires perseverance, self-mastery, and openness to transformation—traits that are vital to a successful life as a Wyoming Catholic College student, and traits that are fostered by the vibrant Byzantine chaplaincy present in campus. By honoring St. Moses the Black, this scholarship affirms the College’s conviction that every student possesses the capacity for growth and renewal, and that the pursuit of truth is inseparable from the formation of virtue.

The Moses the Black Scholarship is awarded to a member of the Freshman class who has demonstrated perseverance, humility, and a commitment to personal and intellectual growth throughout the application process.