St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Their story

Cyril was born around 313, probably in or near Jerusalem, and grew up in the years just after the persecutions ended, when Christians were first free to worship openly. He became a priest, and around 350 he was made bishop of Jerusalem, the city where Jesus died and rose again. Cyril is best known as a teacher of people preparing for baptism. During Lent he gave a series of lectures to the catechumens of Jerusalem, explaining the Creed and the meaning of the Christian life. After Easter he taught the newly baptized about the sacraments they had just received: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. Someone wrote these talks down, and they are still read today. They give us a beautiful picture of how the early Church welcomed new Christians, much as OCIA does now. "If you believe, you will not only receive forgiveness of sins," he told them, "but also do things beyond human power." Cyril's years as bishop were stormy. Arguments over the Arian heresy, which denied that Jesus is fully God, divided the Church, and Cyril was driven into exile three times. Once he was accused of selling church treasures, which he had done to feed the poor during a famine. In 381 he took part in the Council of Constantinople, which completed the Creed we pray at Mass each Sunday. He died around 386, and in 1883 he was declared a Doctor of the Church.