Gelasius (also known as Genesius) was in name and in life gelasius. Gelasius which in Greek means someone who makes others laugh made everybody laugh and cheer up with his doings. He was a mime, in other words a comedian .

Once, while it was the time of the persecution of the Christians, Gelasius was asked to mock the Christians, acting as if he was one himself. He put on white clothes, and went to a baptismal font and started actings as if he was getting baptized. The idolaters bystanders started laughing. While throwing water on himself, he started saying: “The servent of God Gelasius is getting baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen”.

However, as soon as he finished saying this three times, he became abruptly serious.
“Now I am a Christian!” he said. He felt the grace of God in him right at that time. It seems that his heart was innocent and accepting to the grace of the Holy Spirit.

And he supported this experience of his until the end. Because as soon as the nobles saw that he suddenly became serious and confessed his faith in Jesus Christ, they became surprised. However, they soon became angry because while they were mocking, they found themselves to be mocked instead. And while Gelasius was before mocking the baptism of the Christians, he was now mocking the error of the gentiles. The nobles were so angered by this that they decapitated him immediately. So Gelasius, the former mime and clown, became a witness of Christ and a Saint of the Church.

The Orthodox Church honours his memory on February the 27th.