Three Pope-Saints and Fathers of the Church

Introduction

St. Dionysius, St. Damasus I, and St. Celestine I, were popes during the 3rd to the 5th century A.D. They are also listed as Latin Fathers of the Church.

St. Dionysius, Pope: d. ca. 268 A.D.

Dionysius was a Greek and a priest in Rome when he was elected Pope on July 22, 259 A.D. In 260 A.D., he issued an important doctrinal letter that condemned Sabellianism. He also sent large sums of money to the Cappadocian churches that were devastated by the Goths, and to ransom back Christians held captive by the Goths. St. Dionysius was successful in rebuilding the Church. He died in Rome - the first Pope not listed as a martyr. The Church celebrates his feast on December 26.

St. Damasus I, Pope: d. ca. 384 A.D.

Damasus was born in Rome in 306 A.D., and became deacon in the church of his father, who was a priest (priestly celibacy was not yet instituted as Church law at the time). When St. Damasus was elected Pope in 366 A.D., he had to contend with an antipope, Ursinus - who was elected by an opposing minority faction. Although Ursinus was eventually defeated and exiled by Emperor Valentinian, the opponents of St. Damasus remained actively against him.

St. Damasus' opponents charged him with incontinence, but Damasus was cleared by a Roman synod. As Pope, he did the following: (1) forbidding gifts given by widows and orphans to bishops; (2) opposed Arianism; (3) sent legates to the Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D.; (4) and denounced the teaching of Macedonius that the Holy Spirit is not divine.

St. Damasus was a bible scholar. He published the canon of the Holy Scripture as decreed by a council in Rome in 374 A.D. His secretary was St. Jerome, who at St. Damasus' request, began to write the biblical commentaries and the translation of the Bible to Latin - the Vulgate - which also earned for St. Jerome the title, Latin Father of the Church.

St. Damasus was especially known for promoting the cult of the martyrs. He is remembered for his Christian humility, his compassion for the poor, the innocence of his manners, and his holiness. He died in Rome and was buried in a small church along the Ardeatine Way. The Church celebrates his feast on December 11.

St. Celestine I, Pope: d. ca. 432 A.D.

Born in Italy, Celestine became a deacon, and was elected Pope on September 20, 422 A.D. He supported St. Germanus of Auxerre in the fight against Pelagianism and was a friend of St. Augustine whom he corresponded with.

St. Celestine held a council in Rome in 430 A.D. to condemn the Nestorian heresy. It was finally achieved in the General Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. - which formally condemned Nestorianism.

(Nestorianism claimed that there were two distinct persons in Christ - one human, the other divine. The Church, however, held the orthodox claim that Christ was a divine person who assumed a human nature).

Sources of this blog post:

• Dictionary of Saints, by John J. Delaney
• Pocket Catholic Dictionary, by John A. Hardon, SJ
• A Year with the Saints, by Don Bosco Press, Inc.