History Of St. Jerome
Doctor of the Church b.347 d. 419
Feastday: September 30
Patron of Librarians
St. Jerome was baptized when he was 18 by Pope Liberius. An ambitious and hard worker, St. Jerome began building a library that became one of the most famous in the world, copying most of the books himself. He continued this practice while living as a hermit, learning several languages in order to translate the works. His nights were spent writing letters and suffering the usual austerities of Living in the desert. In only a few years, he left after growing tired of the laxidity of the other hermits. While living in Rome as a secretary to Pope Damasus, and under his direction, St. Jerome completed copying the New Testament into Latin. He was only 40 years old at the time. He then continued with the Old Testament, having the assistance of several learned companions. During his life he made numerous enemies because of his fierce attacks on pagan Life, his denouncement of several heresies, and his sometimes-abrupt demeanor. On the death of Pope Damasus, who was his supporter and protector, he decided to return to the East, and eventually settled in Bethlehem with a small community he had formed. St. Jerome died in Bethlehem, with his head resting in the manger where Our Lord was born.
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