Saint Peter Damian, Bishop, Confessor & Doctor
S. Petri Damiani Episcopi Confessoris et Ecclesiae Doctoris
Saint Peter Damian was a Benedictine hermit, cardinal-bishop of Ostia, and Doctor of the Church, a tireless reformer of the eleventh century whose learning and austerity served the renewal of clergy and monastic life.
On the twenty-third of February the Church honours Saint Peter Damian, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church. Born at Ravenna about the year 1007, the youngest of a large and poor family, he was left an orphan and for a time endured great hardship, until an elder brother named Damian — whose name he afterward took in gratitude — received him, educated him, and opened to him a life of learning. Peter became a brilliant teacher, but at the height of his reputation he renounced the world to embrace the solitary life.
He entered the hermitage of Fonte Avellana, a community following the eremitical rule of Saint Romuald, and there gave himself to prayer, study, and severe penance. His holiness and wisdom were such that he was made prior, and under his guidance the hermitage became a centre of fervour and a school of reform whose influence spread through the Church of Italy.
Reformer and Doctor
The eleventh century was an age that cried out for the reform of the clergy, and Peter Damian became one of its boldest and most learned voices. He wrote and laboured against the abuses of his day, urging upon priests and monks alike the holiness their calling demanded, and supporting the great work of renewal carried forward by a succession of reforming popes. Though he longed always for his hermitage, obedience drew him into the wider service of the Church: he was created Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia and was sent as papal legate on difficult missions, which he discharged with courage and prudence before being permitted at last to return to solitude.
His many writings — letters, sermons, treatises, and devout poetry — are marked by ardent love of God, reverence for the Cross and the Blessed Virgin, and an unsparing zeal for discipline. He died at Faenza in 1072, on his way back from a final mission of peace. Long venerated as a saint, he was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1828. His life joins the hidden contemplation of the hermit to the active labour of reform, showing that the renewal of the Church is rooted first in personal holiness.
The Collect
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we may so follow the counsels and example of blessed Peter Damian, Thy Confessor and Bishop, that, despising the things of earth, we may attain to the joys that are eternal. 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.
Concede nos, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, beati Petri Damiani Confessoris tui atque Pontificis monita et exempla sectari: ut, terrena despicientes, ad gaudia perveniamus aeterna. Per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Patronage
Saint Peter Damian is venerated as a patron of the eremitical and reforming life; he is honoured especially at Faenza and Ravenna in Italy.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar Saint Peter Damian is observed on 21 February as an optional memorial.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Peter Damian?
In the 1962 calendar his feast is kept on 23 February as a Third Class feast, in white. In the modern calendar it is observed on 21 February.
Who was Saint Peter Damian?
He was an eleventh-century Benedictine hermit, cardinal-bishop, and Doctor of the Church, born at Ravenna about 1007. A noted teacher who renounced the world for the solitary life, he became one of the leading reformers of the clergy of his age.
Why is he called a Doctor of the Church?
Because of the soundness and influence of his many writings — letters, treatises, sermons, and poetry — on the spiritual and reforming life. He was formally declared a Doctor of the Church in 1828.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
These pages are offered with love for the saints and for all who seek them. If anything here should need correcting, we humbly beg your pardon and ask your help — kindly write to [email protected], and we will mend it as soon as we can.
Receive the coming feasts, Mass times, and reflections from our community — sent with care, never spam.