Saint of the week:

A Saint is often an ordinary person who has lived an extraordinary life of virtue and faith. As Catholics we should use these exemplars to inspire us in our daily lives.

St. Gregory of Nyssa ( 330-395)

His family must have been a great inspiration for this Saint was born the son of two Saints, Saints Basil and Emmilia. He was also raised by his brother, St. Basil the Great. He was a smart boy and excelled at his studies. He became a professor of rhetoric but would pursue theology. He became a priest and was elected Bishop of Nyssa. He was a defender of the faith against the Arianism and other heresies that were spreading through the early church. His work gained him a seat on the Council of Constantinople. He was a universalist and was one of the first theologians to argue for and defend the infinity of God. He taught that spiritual growth had three stages. It began with darkness or ignorance, which was overcome by illumination which lead to a final contemplation of God, who in essence (ousia) cannot be comprehended. St. Gregory of Nyssa, his brother St Basil the Great (Bishop of Caesarea) and Gregory of Nazianzus (Patriarch of Constantinople) are known as the Cappadocian Fathers. Their theological goal was to establish a Christian philosophy superior to ancient Greek philosophy.

This week pray a Rosary in his honor, his feast day is January 10th.