Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop, Confessor & Doctor
S. Ioannis Chrysostomi Episcopi Confessoris et Ecclesiae Doctoris
Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople and Doctor of the Church, was the most celebrated preacher of the Christian East. His surname, meaning “golden-mouthed,” bears witness to the eloquence with which he expounded the Scriptures and called souls to holiness. He died in exile in the year 407.
Saint John Chrysostom was born at Antioch about the year 347 and trained in the schools of rhetoric under the famous teacher Libanius. Drawn to the things of God, he withdrew for a time to the ascetic life among the monks of the mountains near his city, until failing health obliged him to return. Ordained deacon and then priest at Antioch, he soon revealed the gift that would make his name immortal: a power of preaching the word of God that moved and converted the multitudes who crowded to hear him.
The golden-mouthed preacher
For some twelve years at Antioch, John preached almost daily, expounding the books of Holy Scripture with a clarity, warmth, and moral force that have rarely been equalled. His homilies on the Gospels and on the Epistles of Saint Paul, taken down as he spoke, remain among the great treasures of Christian literature, prized to this day for their insight into the sacred text and their tender care for souls. He spared no eloquence in urging mercy to the poor, repentance from sin, and frequent and worthy reception of the Holy Mysteries.
Archbishop and exile
In the year 397 John was taken, almost against his will, to become Archbishop of Constantinople, the imperial city. There he laboured to reform the clergy, to relieve the poor, and to recall the great and the lowly alike to the Gospel. His plain speaking and his zeal for discipline made him enemies in the court and among the worldly, and he was twice driven into exile. Worn out by hardship on a forced journey, he died on the way at Comana in Pontus in the year 407, his last words being, “Glory be to God for all things.” The Church venerates him as one of the great Doctors and, with Saint Basil and Saint Gregory Nazianzen, as one of the holy Hierarchs of the East.
The Collect
May the grace of heaven, we beseech Thee, O Lord, increase Thy Church, which Thou wast pleased to make illustrious by the glorious merits and teaching of blessed John Chrysostom, Thy Confessor and Bishop. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Ecclésiam tuam, quǽsumus, Dómine, grátia cæléstis amplíficet: quam beáti Ioánnis Chrysóstomi Confessóris tui atque Pontíficis illustráre voluísti gloriósis méritis et doctrínis. Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.
Patronage
Saint John Chrysostom is venerated as a patron of preachers and of orators, on account of his surpassing gift of sacred eloquence.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar, this feast is observed on 13 September, near the day of his death.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint John Chrysostom?
In the 1962 Roman Missal his feast is kept on 27 January, the anniversary of the translation of his relics to Constantinople. In the modern calendar it is observed on 13 September, near the day of his death.
Why is he called “Chrysostom”?
The name Chrysostom means “golden-mouthed” in Greek; it was given to him because of the extraordinary eloquence of his preaching of the word of God.
What is Saint John Chrysostom known for?
He is honoured as one of the great Doctors of the Church and the foremost preacher of the Christian East, leaving behind a wealth of homilies on Holy Scripture. He served as Archbishop of Constantinople and died in exile in 407.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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