Feast: September 30
Titles: Priest, Confessor, Doctor of the Church, Father of Biblical Studies
Early Life
Jerome was born around the year 347 in Stridon, a town on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia (modern-day Croatia/Slovenia region). His parents were Christian, and they ensured he received an excellent education. As a young man, he was sent to Rome, where he studied grammar, rhetoric, and philosophy under some of the finest teachers of the age. Though naturally intelligent and ambitious, Jerome in his youth was also drawn to worldly pleasures, which he later deeply regretted.
Conversion of Heart
While in Rome, Jerome was baptized by Pope Liberius. Yet his conversion was gradual, and he was often torn between the attractions of secular learning and the call of sanctity. After leaving Rome, he traveled extensively, seeking solitude and study. In Antioch, he experienced a severe illness, during which he had a vision of Christ rebuking him for being “a Ciceronian rather than a Christian,” since he prized pagan literature more than Sacred Scripture. From this moment on, Jerome resolved to dedicate his life to the study and service of God’s Word.
Hermit and Scholar
Jerome withdrew into the Syrian desert, living for years as a hermit. There he endured many temptations, mortifications, and austerities, while immersing himself in prayer and the study of Hebrew, guided by a Jewish convert. He became renowned both for his holiness and for his profound learning.
Service to the Church
Jerome was ordained a priest at Antioch, though he never exercised a pastoral charge. Instead, his vocation was to scholarship in service of the Church. Called to Rome by Pope Damasus I, Jerome became the Pope’s secretary and adviser. At Damasus’ command, Jerome undertook the monumental task of revising and translating the Holy Scriptures into Latin, producing what would become the Vulgate, the authoritative text of the Western Church for centuries.
During his years in Rome, Jerome also became a spiritual guide to many noble Roman women, including St. Paula and her daughter St. Eustochium, who embraced lives of asceticism under his direction.
Bethlehem and Final Years
After the death of Pope Damasus, Jerome faced opposition in Rome due to his fiery temper and his sharp critiques of clerical corruption. He left for the Holy Land, eventually settling in Bethlehem. There, with the assistance of St. Paula, he established monasteries for men and women, as well as a hospice for pilgrims.
For the rest of his life, Jerome labored tirelessly in writing, translating, and commenting on Scripture. His vast correspondence includes letters of spiritual direction, treatises against heresies, and defenses of Catholic doctrine. Though at times harsh in tone, his works bear witness to his ardent zeal for the truth.
Death and Legacy
Saint Jerome died in Bethlehem in 420 at the age of about 73. His remains were later translated to Rome and placed in the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
He is honored as one of the four great Latin Fathers of the Church, alongside Saints Augustine, Ambrose, and Gregory the Great. His unmatched devotion to Sacred Scripture earned him the title Doctor of Biblical Studies.
Patronage
- Scholars, translators, librarians, and students
- Against temptations of the flesh
Spiritual Lesson
St. Jerome teaches us that the love of learning must be purified and directed to the service of God. His life of penance and study shows that Scripture is not merely to be read but prayed over, memorized, and lived. His sharp tongue reminds us that zeal without charity can wound, yet his burning passion for the Word of God remains an enduring light for the faithful.