Jerome

Saint Jerome was born around 342–347 in Stridon, on the borderlands of the Roman world, of Illyrian ancestry. Sent to Rome for studies, he trained in rhetoric and languages, and though he delayed baptism until adulthood, his restless conscience drew him toward Christ. Seeking a life of penance, he withdrew to the desert of Chalcis near Antioch, where he embraced ascetic discipline and began learning Hebrew, laying the groundwork for his life’s great service to the Church. As a priest and trusted aide to Pope Damasus I, Jerome revised the Latin Gospels and the Psalms, and he became a demanding spiritual guide, especially to women devoted to a consecrated life. After opposition in Rome forced him to depart, he settled in Bethlehem beside the Church of the Nativity. There, supported by the noblewoman Paula, he completed his monumental Latin translation of Scripture, the Vulgate, and wrote commentaries that nourished generations of believers. Venerated as a Doctor of the Church, he is honored as patron in places such as Benferri and the Diocese of Saint-Jérôme-Mont-Laurier. His feast day is June 15.