St. Ambrose
He came to keep the peace at a church election and left as the bishop. He wasn't even baptized yet.
Ambrose was the Roman governor of Milan, and when the city's bishop died, the election turned into a shouting match. He showed up to keep order, because that was his job. Somewhere in the crowd a child's voice called out Ambrose for bishop, the crowd took up the chant, and that was that. He was not a priest. He was not even baptized yet. He tried to get out of it, and failed.
So he was baptized, ordained, and consecrated a bishop within days, and then he did something surprising. He took it seriously. He gave his fortune away, studied like a student half his age, and became one of the great teachers of the Church. When the emperor himself did something terrible, Ambrose stood at the church door and would not let him in until he repented. The emperor repented.
A restless young professor named Augustine came to Milan to hear him speak, mostly to study his technique. He got more than technique. Ambrose baptized him, and Augustine went on to become a saint with a feast day of his own, at the end of August.
St. Ambrose facts for kids
- The legend says bees landed on his mouth when he was a baby and left honey behind, a sign of sweet speech coming
- That's why he's the patron of beekeepers and candlemakers. Church candles are beeswax.
- The advice behind when in Rome, do as the Romans do traces back to him
- He wrote some of the first Latin hymns that whole congregations actually sang together
Feast day: December 7 · Patron of beekeepers and candlemakers
St. Ambrose, when a job I never asked for lands on me, help me do it well.
December, day by day
This feast falls in the most crowded month of the Church's year. Our Advent guide gathers the whole season in one place: the saints of December, shoe night on the 5th, the wreath at dinner, and the small traditions that stick.
Advent with kids: saints, traditions, and simple ways to wait well