Saint Peter Chrysologus, an Italian bishop who lived in the fifth century and bravely attested to Christ's entire humanity and divinity amid a time of theological uncertainty in the Church, is celebrated on July 30 by the Catholic Church.

In Greek, the saint's title Chrysologus means "golden speech." Known as the “Doctor of Homilies,” he was named a Doctor of the Church in 1729 for his succinct yet theologically dense meditations that he gave while serving as the Bishop of Ravenna.

His extant writings bear powerful witness to the Church's traditional teachings about the sanctity of Mary's perpetual virginity, the importance of Lent as a penitential season, the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and the primacy of St. Peter and his successors in the Church.

The life story of St. Peter Chrysologus is not well known. It is unclear from several sources whether he was born in the Italian town of Imola in the late fourth or early fifth century—possibly as late as 406 or as late as 380.

After studying theology, Peter was consecrated as a deacon by Cornelius, the local bishop of Imola, whom he held in high respect as his spiritual father. In addition to ordination, Cornelius imparted to Peter the virtues of modesty and self-denial.

Peter spent several years living as a monk, adopting an austere, simple, and prayerful lifestyle, thanks to the teachings of his guru. That modest monastic existence ended in 430 with the passing of Archbishop John of Ravenna.

Following John's passing, the clergy and populace of Ravenna selected a new leader and requested Cornelius—who was still the Bishop of Imola—to travel to Rome in order to get the candidate's papal blessing. When Cornelius visited Pope Sixtus III, he brought Peter, who was still a deacon at the time.

According to tradition, the Pope saw a vision of God the night before the conference, telling him to disregard Ravenna's decision to name a new archbishop. The Pope announced that Peter would be anointed as John's heir instead.

The Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III and his mother Galla Placidia gave Peter a cordial welcome when he arrived in Ravenna. It is stated that because of his prowess in preaching, she bestowed upon him the title "Chrysologus."

But all around the archdiocese he came across different abuses and misrepresentations of the Catholic faith, as well as the last vestiges of paganism. During his tenure as the leader of the Church in Ravenna, Peter showed fervor and pastoral concern in suppressing abuses and converting non-Christians.

A prominent heresy of his era, monophysitism, maintained that Christ did not have a separate human essence in addition to his eternal divine nature. Peter worked hard to stop this mistake, which the monk Eutyches had propagated from Constantinople, from spreading westward.

In addition, the city's cathedral was renovated by the Archbishop of Ravenna, who also constructed other additional churches. He wrote a noteworthy letter to Eutyches near the end of his life, highlighting the Pope's authority in the monophysite controversy.

A year before the Church officially condemned monophysitism, in 450, St. Peter Chrysologus passed away in Imola, where he had returned expecting to die. He was later named a Doctor of the Church in part because of the approximately 176 homilies that have survived to this day.

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Saint Rufinus of Assisi
Saint Hatebrand
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