December 7 + Saint Ambrose

Aurelius Ambrosius, known in English as Ambrose, is one of the four original Doctors of the Church and a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was the Roman governor of Liguria and Emilia, headquartered in Milan, before being made bishop of Milan by popular acclamation in 374.

Ambrose is credited with promoting "antiphonal chant," a style of chanting in which one side of the choir responds alternately to the other, as well as with composing Veni Redemptor Gentium, an Advent hymn.

Saint Monica loved Ambrose who uprooted her son Saint Augustine from his former ways and led him to his convictions about Christ. It was Ambrose who placed his hands on the shoulders of Augustine as he descended into the baptismal fountain.

Ambrose exemplifies for us the truly Catholic character of Christianity. He was a man steeped in the learning, law, and culture of the ancients and of his contemporaries. Yet, in the midst of active involvement in this world, this thought runs through Ambrose’s life and preaching: The hidden meaning of the Scriptures calls our spirit to rise to another world.