Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop, Confessor & Doctor
S. Petri Chrysologi Episcopi Confessoris et Ecclesiae Doctoris
Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop of Ravenna and Doctor of the Church, was surnamed “the Golden-worded” for the grace and clarity of his preaching, and is honoured for his brief and luminous sermons on the mysteries of the faith.
Saint Peter Chrysologus was born at Imola in Italy toward the end of the fourth century, and in due time was raised to the See of Ravenna, then a great city and an imperial residence. He governed his flock with diligence and charity in the first half of the fifth century, and won so great a name for his preaching that he came to be called Chrysologus, the “Golden-worded,” a title that has remained with him ever since.
The Golden-worded preacher
The renown of Saint Peter rests above all upon his sermons, of which a considerable number have been preserved. They are remarkable for their brevity, their clarity, and their warmth; he was accustomed to speak briefly, lest the attention of his hearers should be wearied, yet his short discourses are rich in doctrine and devotion. In them he expounds the mysteries of the faith — the Incarnation of the Word, the Blessed Virgin, the meaning of the Gospels, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer — with a simplicity that instructs the humble and a depth that satisfies the learned. A letter of his to the heresiarch Eutyches is also remembered, in which he upheld the true faith and pointed Eutyches to the authority of the See of Rome.
Death and honours of the Church
Saint Peter Chrysologus died at Imola, his native city, about the middle of the fifth century. So highly were his sermons esteemed by later ages that, in the year 1729, Pope Benedict XIII declared him a Doctor of the Universal Church. In him the faithful are given a model of the bishop who feeds his flock with the word of God, and whose teaching, though clothed in few words, shines with the light of Catholic truth.
The Collect
O God, who didst foreordain blessed Peter Chrysologus, Thy eminent Doctor, by Thy divine guidance, to rule and instruct Thy Church: grant, we beseech Thee, that, as we have had him for the teacher of doctrine on earth, so we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
Deus, qui beatum Petrum Chrysologum Doctorem egregium, divinitus praemonstratum, ad regendam et instruendam Ecclesiam tuam eligi voluisti: praesta, quaesumus; ut, quem Doctorem vitae habuimus in terris, intercessorem habere mereamur in caelis. Per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, Filium tuum: qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum.
Patronage
He is venerated as a Doctor of the Church and is honoured at Ravenna and Imola; his preaching has long made him a patron of preachers and homilists.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar this feast is observed on 30 July as an optional memorial.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Peter Chrysologus?
In the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal his feast is kept on 4 December, as a Third Class feast. In the modern calendar it is observed on 30 July.
Who was Saint Peter Chrysologus?
He was a fifth-century Bishop of Ravenna and a Doctor of the Church, famous for his preaching. His surname Chrysologus means “the Golden-worded.”
Why is he called “Chrysologus”?
The name means “Golden-worded” and was given him for the grace and eloquence of his sermons, which were noted for being brief, clear, and rich in doctrine. It was for these sermons that he was later declared a Doctor of the Church.
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