It’s the Feast of St. Damasus, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: “Jesus, Friend of the Poor”, today’s news from the Church: “Three Nuns Return to Their Convent in Austria”, a preview of the Sermon: “The Immaculate Conception and Sacred Scripture”, and today’s thought from the Archbishop.

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Saint Damasus I was a pope whose leadership helped shape the identity of the Church at a moment when Christianity was moving from persecution into public life. Born in Rome around 305, he grew up serving the Church from childhood. His father was a priest at the basilica of San Lorenzo, and Damasus assisted in the liturgy long before he ever imagined becoming pope. When he was elected in 366, the Church was still healing from the Arian controversies, and Rome itself was divided by political factions. His election was contested, and violence erupted in the city, but Damasus refused to be drawn into rivalry. Once the dispute settled, he focused entirely on strengthening the faith and restoring unity.

He had a clear, steady vision of what the Church needed: doctrinal clarity, beautiful worship, and deep reverence for the martyrs whose blood had nourished the faith. Damasus encouraged the work of Saint Jerome, urging him to produce a clear and accurate Latin translation of Scripture. The result became the Vulgate, the Bible that would form Catholic worship, theology, and culture for more than a thousand years. Damasus also worked tirelessly to affirm the full divinity of Christ against lingering Arian influence and helped establish Rome’s growing role as a center of doctrinal unity.

One of his most distinctive contributions was his devotion to the martyrs. Damasus restored the catacombs, identified forgotten tombs, and inscribed poetry honoring those who had died for Christ. These inscriptions, written in his elegant verse, turned Rome itself into a living museum of the early Church. Pilgrims could walk from shrine to shrine, reading his lines carved into marble, and feel connected to those who had kept the faith in darker days. For Damasus, the martyrs were not distant heroes but spiritual companions who formed the foundation of the Church’s courage.

He died in 384, remembered as a scholar-pope, a lover of Scripture, and a guardian of orthodoxy. His efforts helped solidify the shape of Christian Rome and gave the Church a more unified voice in theology and worship.

Tradition surrounding his feast on December 11 is modest but meaningful. In Rome, pilgrims still visit sites marked by his inscriptions, and scholars of Scripture invoke him as a patron for clarity of mind. Some communities also honor him as a protector of archivists and archaeologists, since his love for the ancient tombs preserved much of what we know about the earliest Christians.

Saint Damasus, faithful pope and lover of the Word, pray for us!

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