St. Jerome Catholic Church at 2515 Beyer Blvd, San Diego, CA 92154-1502 US - St. Jerome Biography

St. Jerome
Hermit, Presbyter, Doctor of the Church
(C.341-420)

Jerome was born in Dalmatia, along the coast of the Adriatic Sea. His parents were Christians, and they sent him to Rome for a good education. Jerome developed a passion for collecting books (which were very rare and expensive objects in those days).

After his schooling Jerome lived as a hermit in the Syrian desert for five years. Later he was invited to Rome to become the secretary of Pope Damasus (December 11). But only three years later, Damasus died. Jerome's feisty personality had made him many enemies in Rome by then, so he traveled to the Holy Land. He settled in the city of Bethlehem, where he would remain for the rest of his life.

In Rome, he had preached some very outspoken homilies criticizing the wealthy. He had also begun a scripture study group for women of the upper classes. It was the first group of its kind that we know of. He knew that contact with scripture would transform people's lives.

One woman of the group, Paula, became a brilliant scholar in her own right. Like Jerome, she studied Greek and Hebrew so that she could better understand the Bible.

Paula and many other followers of Jerome went with him when he settled in Bethlehem. Paula and Jerome founded two monasteries, one for men and one for women, and a church to be used by both houses.

In Bethlehem Jerome devoted his life to study and meditation. Assisted by Paula and others, he completed the enormous task of translating the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into Latin.  Latin spoken by most people at that time. Jerome's translation was called the Vulgate, from the Latin word for the common people.  There had been no careful Latin translation available before. Jerome's was used for many centuries.

Despite his hot temper, Jerome was always kind to needy persons. When Rome was attacked in the year 410, many refugees came East to the monasteries. Jerome laid aside his studies to serve them, saying, "Today we must translate the words of scripture into deeds, and instead of speaking saintly words we must act them."

When he died, Jerome was buried under the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

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