St. Peter Damian

Their story

Peter Damian was born in Ravenna, Italy, in 1007, the youngest of a large and poor family. His parents died when he was very young, and an older brother who took him in treated him harshly and sent him out to tend pigs. Another brother, Damian, a priest in Ravenna, rescued him, treated him like a son and paid for his education. In gratitude Peter took his brother's name. He became an excellent student and a respected teacher. Peter felt called to a life of prayer, and around 1035 he joined a community of hermits at Fonte Avellana, in the Apennine mountains. He lived there in great simplicity and penance, and before long he was chosen to lead the community. He wrote widely on the spiritual life, and his letters and sermons were treasured by many. At the same time he was deeply troubled by corruption in the Church, especially the buying and selling of Church offices and the worldly lives of some clergy. He wrote and preached boldly for reform. The popes valued his wisdom and sent him on difficult missions. In 1057, much against his will, he was made a cardinal and bishop of Ostia. He served faithfully as a peacemaker and reformer, but he longed to return to his hermitage, and eventually he was allowed to go back. He died in Faenza on February 22, 1072, returning from a mission for the pope. In 1828 he was declared a Doctor of the Church. Peter Damian reminds us that loving the Church sometimes means calling it to be holier.