Saint Cyril of Jerusalem
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
- Feast Day
- March 18
- Life
- 313–386
- Doctor of the Church
- 1883
- Born
- Jerusalem (traditional)
Cyril was born around 313, probably at or near Jerusalem, of Christian parents. He was ordained deacon by Bishop Macarius and priest by Bishop Maximus. About 350 he succeeded Maximus as Bishop of Jerusalem, a see whose dignity had been recognized at the Council of Nicaea in 325.
His episcopate fell during the Arian controversies. He was three times exiled by Arian-leaning emperors and synods (in 357, 360, and 367) over disputes regarding the homoousion and disagreements with Acacius of Caesarea, but each time he returned to his see. He attended the First Council of Constantinople in 381, which confirmed Nicene orthodoxy and the divinity of the Holy Spirit.
His most important surviving work is the Catechetical Lectures, a series of twenty-three instructions delivered during Lent and Easter Week to those preparing for and receiving Christian initiation. These include eighteen pre-baptismal catecheses on the Creed and five mystagogical catecheses on Baptism, Chrismation, and the Eucharist, providing one of the fullest accounts of the rites of Christian initiation in the early Church.
Cyril died at Jerusalem in 386. Pope Leo XIII declared him a Doctor of the Universal Church on July 28, 1883.
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem is the great catechist of the patristic age. The Catechetical Lectures provide the model on which the Church's catechumenal formation has been constructed, including the restored Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. His mystagogical lectures, delivered in the Anastasis basilica on the very site of the Resurrection, remain a primary source for understanding fourth-century baptismal and Eucharistic theology and were drawn upon directly in the composition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Catholic Churches Named After Saint Cyril of Jerusalem
20 parishes on Catholic Church Times share Saint Cyril of Jerusalem's name. Find their Mass times, confession schedules, and adoration hours:
- Saint-Cyrille — Saint-Cyrille-de-Lessard, QC
- Saint Cyril Catholic Church — Geyser, MT
- Saints Cyril and Methodius — Wayland, MI
- St. Cyril — Nashville, MI
- St. Cyril of Alexandria — Tucson, AZ
- St. Cyril of Jerusalem — Encino, CA
- Sts. Cyril and Methodius [Ruthenian] — Spokane Valley, WA
- Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church — Shiner, TX
- St. Cyril — Flatwoods, LA
- Saint Cyrils Roman Catholic Church — Los Angeles, CA
- Saints Cyril and Methodius — Minneapolis, MN
- S.S. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church — Coaldale, PA
- St. Cyril Parish — Wilsonville, OR
- SS Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church — Granger, TX
- Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church — Dubina, TX
- svatý Cyril a Metoděj
- svatý Cyril a Metoděj
- sv. Cyril a Metoděj
- svatý Cyril a Metoděj
- kaple sv, Cyrila a Metoděje
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