On this 28th day of May, the Church calls us to celebrate the Holy life and work of St. Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr, who grew up under the discipleship of St. Polycarp, who had been a disciple of St. John the Evangelist. This St. Irenaeus was a powerful defender of the orthodox Christian faith against the many attacks of the Gnostics, Montanists, and the other deviations from the faith that had grown up in the 2nd century, as well as a bringer of peace among those that had been divided by schism and envy.