Saint Timothy, Bishop & Martyr
S. Timothei Episcopi et Martyris
Saint Timothy was the beloved disciple and companion of the Apostle Saint Paul, who set him over the Church of Ephesus and addressed to him two of the inspired Epistles. Tradition holds that he died a martyr at Ephesus.
Saint Timothy is known to us chiefly through the inspired writings of the New Testament. A native of Lystra in Asia Minor, he was the son of a Greek father and a devout Jewish mother, Eunice, and had been formed from childhood in the knowledge of the Scriptures by her and by his grandmother Lois. When Saint Paul came to Lystra on his missionary journeys, he found in the young Timothy a disciple of such promise that he took him as his companion, and ever after held him in singular affection.
The companion of Saint Paul
Timothy shared in the labours and sufferings of the Apostle’s journeys and is named with Paul in the greeting of several of his Epistles. Paul calls him his “dearly beloved son” and his “fellow-worker,” and entrusted him with delicate missions to the churches of Thessalonica, Corinth, and elsewhere. In due time the Apostle placed him in charge of the Church of Ephesus. The two Epistles to Timothy, written by Saint Paul to guide him in the governance of that Church, remain in the canon of Sacred Scripture as a lasting treasury of pastoral wisdom, exhorting him to guard the deposit of faith, to preach in season and out of season, and to keep himself pure.
Bishop and martyr of Ephesus
According to ancient tradition, Saint Timothy governed the Church of Ephesus for many years and there ended his life as a martyr. It is related that, seeking to turn the people from a pagan festival and its excesses, he was set upon by the crowd and stoned, dying of his wounds. While the particulars of his death rest on later accounts rather than on the Scriptures, the Church has long honoured him as a martyr and as the first bishop of that ancient and illustrious see. In him the faithful venerate one who received the Faith from an Apostle and handed it on whole and undefiled.
The Collect
Look upon our weakness, almighty God: and because the burden of our own deeds weighs us down, may the glorious intercession of blessed Timothy, Thy Martyr and Bishop, protect us. 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.
Infirmitátem nostram réspice, omnípotens Deus: et, quia pondus própriæ actiónis gravat, beáti Timóthei Mártyris tui atque Pontíficis intercéssio gloriósa nos prótegat. Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.
Patronage
Saint Timothy is invoked against ailments of the stomach, on account of Saint Paul’s counsel to him to take a little wine for his stomach’s sake.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar, Saint Timothy is observed on 26 January, together with Saint Titus, as the memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Timothy?
In the 1962 Roman Missal his feast is kept on 24 January as a Third-Class feast. In the modern calendar he is honoured on 26 January together with Saint Titus.
Who was Saint Timothy?
He was a disciple and close companion of the Apostle Saint Paul, whom Paul set over the Church of Ephesus and to whom he addressed two of the New Testament Epistles. Tradition holds that he died a martyr at Ephesus.
Are the Epistles to Timothy part of the Bible?
Yes. The First and Second Epistles to Timothy, written by Saint Paul, belong to the canon of Sacred Scripture and are read in the Church as guides for the office of a pastor of souls.
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