 |
| eglise-st-irenee-lyon |
Saint of the day: 28th June
Saint Irenaeus of Lyon
Bishop. Born in Smyrna around 140, as a boy he was a friend of St Polycarp who had heard St John the Evangelist preach.
"The things we learn in childhood are part of our soul," he wrote. St Irenaeus cherished Polycarp's teachings, saying they were written "not on paper but in my heart."
St Irenaeus was an important theologian. He fought against false teachings and wrote a systematic presentation of Catholic doctrine.
He died at Lyon in 200 and was buried in the crypt of the church of St John. In 1562 his shrine was destroyed by Calvinists.
