Saint Ambrose

Ambrose was born around 339 at Trier, where his father was the Roman prefect of Gaul. He was educated in Rome, trained as a lawyer, and by about 370 was governor of the province of Aemilia-Liguria, with his seat at Milan.

In 374 the Arian bishop of Milan died, and the city was bitterly divided over his successor. Ambrose went to the cathedral to keep order. As he was speaking, a voice, said to be a child’s, cried out, “Ambrose for bishop!” and the whole crowd took it up. He was not even baptized yet, only a catechumen. He tried to flee, but the emperor confirmed the choice. Within a week he was baptized, ordained and consecrated bishop, on 7 December 374, the day on which the Church keeps his feast. He gave his wealth to the poor and set himself to study the Scriptures and the Fathers.

He became one of the great bishops of history. He defended the faith of Nicaea against the Arians, and once occupied a basilica with his people for days rather than hand it over to the empress’s Arian party. After the Emperor Theodosius massacred thousands of people at Thessalonica in 390, Ambrose refused him Communion until he had done public penance, and the emperor did so. “The emperor is within the Church, not above it,” he said.

He wrote hymns that the Church still sings in the Divine Office, and he brought the singing of hymns by the people to the West. His preaching drew a young professor of rhetoric named Augustine, whom he baptized at Easter 387. He died on Holy Saturday, 4 April 397, and he is one of the four great Latin Doctors of the Church.