Saint Cyril of Jerusalem – 18th March

March 18, 2021

1866

Raised a Christian in Jerusalem. Well educated, especially in religion. Priest, ordained by Saint Maximus. A great teacher of catechumens, Cyril’s instructions are still source documents for the Church‘s early teachings. Bishop of Jerusalem in 348. Exiled three times by the Arians, usually on some trumped up charge like selling church furniture, but actually on theological grounds. Attended the Council of Seleucia in 359. Attended the Council of Constantinople in 381. Greek Father of the Church. Doctor of the Church.

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem is one of those figures who quietly shaped the foundations of Christian teaching far more than most people realize.

Who Was Saint Cyril of Jerusalem?

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–386) was a bishop, theologian, and later a Doctor of the Church, best known for his influential catechetical teachings and for guiding Jerusalem through intense theological conflict.

Key Highlights of His Life

Bishop of Jerusalem: He became bishop around AD 350, succeeding Maximus.
Repeated exiles: He was exiled multiple times due to conflicts with Acacius of Caesarea and shifting imperial politics, especially involving Arian controversies.
Catechetical Lectures: His most important surviving work—23 lectures preparing catechumens for baptism and instructing the newly baptized—remains a foundational text for understanding early Christian liturgy and doctrine.
Doctor of the Church: Declared in 1883 by Pope Leo XIII for his theological contributions.
Promoter of Jerusalem as a pilgrimage center: He helped shape Jerusalem’s identity as a holy destination for Christians worldwide.

Why He Matters

Cyril’s writings give us one of the clearest windows into 4th‑century Christian worship, including:

How baptism was performed
How the Eucharist was understood
How new believers were taught the faith

His work is both pastoral and deeply theological—an unusual combination that makes him stand out among early Church Fathers.

Prayer to St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Father through Cyril of Jerusalem
You led Your Church to a deeper understanding
of the mysteries of salvation
Let his prayers help us to know Your Son better
and to have eternal life in all its fullness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit
on God for ever and ever.

Amen.

SEND A PRAYER REQUEST

https://saintmichaelusa.org/prayer-request/

Novena Prayer

Strengthen, O God, your Church in the sacraments of your grace, that we, in union with the teaching and prayers of your servant Cyril of Jerusalem, may enter more fully into your Paschal mystery, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen

(Mention your request here…)

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, pray for us

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who through the Bishop Saint Cyril of Jerusalem led your Church in a wonderful way to a deeper sense of the mysteries of salvation, grant us, through his intercession, that we may so acknowledge your Son as to have life ever more abundantly. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

Amen.

Prayer

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, through your generous dedication to teaching the faith, come to the assistance of all catechists, ordained and lay, to be equally committed to teaching those under their care, in season and out of season, knowing that fidelity to the Lord and His Church is what counts the most.