Question about a Saint

[CatholicCajun]

Father has given homework again and I have several customers asking me and I knew the answer to this, but forgot, so can anyone pleas tell me who is the Saint who put marbles in his/her mouth? Thank you so much.

 

[floresco]

I can’t think of a saint. A historical figure famous for overcoming a speech impediment by talking with marbles in his mouth was the ancient Greek orator, Demosthenes. In the movie My Fair Lady Henry Higgins uses this as one of the exercises for improving Eliza’s speech. I tried a google search that did not turn up any saints but I learned that some people still recommend this technique for stutterers.

 

[Shin]

‘It was said about Abba Agathon that for three years he carried a pebble in his mouth until he learned to be silent.’

• the sayings of the Desert Fathers

That would be St. Agathon, a desert monk from Sketis. However, a pebble is not a marble, and the saints tend to do similar things so this is likely not the one.

There’s another incident if I recall correctly of a woman being told to sip water and hold the water in her mouth so she would not interrupt her husband.

But the marbles incident itself I don’t know about. The reason for the marbles was keeping silent however yes? I am curious!