It’s not officially St. Jerome’s feast day until you’ve read this poem aloud to someone you love.

St. Jerome is one of my favorite characters from all of history. Everything you read in that poem is true. Jerome quarreled with or complained about (or at least growled at) an amazing array of his fellow Fathers: Ambrose, Augustine, Chrysostom, Rufinus, and, of course, Origen (to name just a few).

If you want the proof — and all the gory details — read J.N.D. Kelly’s Jerome: His Life, Writings, and Controversies. It’s a treat. A historian I much admire admitted to me that Kelly’s Jerome is one of the very few books he wishes he had written himself.

Junior posted audio of my KVSS interview, for your listening pleasure. (Scroll to the bottom of the page.)

One of the stops on our May 2007 Rome pilgrimage is the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where Jerome’s relics repose. Consider joining us for the trip!