St. Jerome (347 AD - 420 AD)

Feast Day: September 30
Canonization: Pre-congregation patron of patron of archaeologists, biblical scholars, librarians, translators, and students
 

“What Jerome is ignorant of, no mortal has ever known,” said St. Augustine of his contemporary.

St. Jerome, an avid student, scholar, letter-writer, and consultor to bishops and popes, was born in the 4th century in Stridon, Dalmatia. At age 12, he eagerly traveled to Rome to study grammar, philosophy, and rhetoric.

In 366 AD, Jerome was baptized a Christian, and prioritized learning the faith. Traveling extensively, he studied theology with the greatest minds in Christendom. He became a skilled translator, following his interpretations of inscriptions in the Roman catacombs. He was later ordained a priest at Antioch.

Under Pope Damasus I, Jerome began his famous work of translating Hebrew Scriptures into Latin. He spent decades producing the Vulgate (or “common version”) — the Catholic Church’s officially promulgated Bible for centuries.

Jerome died on Sept. 30, 420. An honored Father and Doctor of the Church, his esteemed Vulgate has enabled centuries of Catholics to readily understand God’s Word.