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. Serapion the Scholastic

Little is known of the early life of St. Serapion. He lived in the fourth century. He was a Monk who spent much time in the Egyptian desert as a disciple of St. Anthony. He focused on prayer and performing penance. His intellectual powers were great and he was selected to direct the catechetical school which was located in Alexandria, Egypt. He would resign this post to return to his more humble life. He was later consecrated the Bishop of Thmuis, an important city in lower Egypt located on a canal of the NileRiver delta. He was an important defender of Church Doctrine and attacked the heresy of Arianism, which taught that Jesus was not consubstantial with the Father. He was banished by the Emperor Constantius, an avid believer in Arianism. He also opposed the Macedonianism Heresy which denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit and thus the Holy Trinity. He was a brilliant scholar and theologian, wrote a sacramentary called the Euchologion, several important letters and a lengthy discourse on the titles of the Psalms. Some of his writings may be found in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Apothegmata)

This week pray a Rosary in his honor, his feast day is March 21st