A Saint is often an ordinary person who has lived an extraordinary life of virtue and faith. As Catholics we should use these exemplars to inspire us in our daily lives.
St. Jerome (345-420)
St Jerome was born in the city of Stridon, on the border of Dalmatia near the Adriatic Sea. His parents were affluent so he received a good education. He continued his education in Rome with a pagan scholar, Donatus. He would study Latin, Greek and the classics, which would serve him well later on. As a young man, he wandered from his early Christian roots and it took a sever sickness and a vision to return him to his early beliefs. He spent years in the desert as a hermit to purify himself. Noted as an effective writer and communicator, he again traveled to Rome where his talents were noticed by Pope Demasus. He became secretary to the Pope. After the Pope’s death, and due to his sharp personality and critical sense, he left Rome and traveled with St. Paula and her daughter Eustochium to Jerusalem, Egypt and Palestine. They established monasteries for men and women, a hospice and a free school in Bethlehem. His work included fighting early heresies, defending the Virginity of Mary and his ecclesiastical writings. He is best known for his translation of the Bible from Hebrew into Greek and what would become known as the Latin Vulgate Bible. It would become the scriptural authority of the Church. He was a scholar, defender of the faith and lived a life of simple purity. He was one of the greatest thinkers of the early Church and was named a Doctor of the Church.
This week pray a Rosary in his honor, his feast day is September 30 th
