Saint Who?
Saints Who Fostered Vocations to the Priesthood
Saint Eusebius of Vercelli
Bishop († 371)August 2
Eusebius was born in Sardinia around the beginning of the 4th century. His father is said to have been a martyr, dying in prison for his faith. Eusebius was taken by his mother to Rome, where he would become an instituted lector. He became a priest and eventually Bishop of Vercelli in northern Italy.
Eusebius worked hard to evangelize his people, many of whom had succumbed to the Arian heresy, which denied the full divinity of Christ. Eusebius was also the first to unite a monastic and clerical discipline in forming new priests, having them live in community. In Pope Benedict XVI’s words, this “impressed upon the clergy of Northern Italy a significant hallmark of apostolic holiness.” A number of his followers became bishops, several of them venerated as saints.
A staunch defender of orthodox Christology, Eusebius attended a synod in Milan which he feared would be hijacked by Arians. During the proceedings, he placed the Nicene Creed before the assembled bishops and insisted everyone sign it rather than signing a proposed condemnation of the anti-Arian champion Athanasius. He continued to resist Arianism in the face of intense imperial pressure and persecution. Eusebius died in 371.
Eternal Father, through the prayers of Saint Eusebius, may bishops always labor to defend the truth.
