Saint Paulinus of Trier

This last day of August is the liturgical feast of a great German saint, Saint Paulinus of Trier. Trier, previously known Trèves is a city near the border of Luxembourg.

The little information we have about Saint Paulinus tells us that he was a great foe of the Arian heresy. As the history of Christian doctrine puts it, Arianism claimed that Jesus was not really the Son of God, but rather created by God. Hence, he is not divine, but a creature. After being proposed in the early 4th century by the Alexandrian priest Arius, this heresy was widely diffused throughout much of the Eastern and Western Roman empires, thankfully it was condemned in no uncertain terms as heresy at the Council of Nicea in 325.

Within this context emerges the great figure of Saint Paulinus who did all his best to propagate the healthy, consoling and unifying teaching of the Council of Nicea. Saint Paulinus was originally from Gascony, a province in France. He was educated in the cathedral school and immediately became a faithful follower of St Maximinus, accompanying him to Trier. Eventually, Paulinus succeeded Maximinus as bishop of Trier in the year 349.

He was a great friend and supporter of Saint Athanasius and supported wholeheartedly his orthodox doctrine on the divine personhood of Christ. The two first met when Saint Athanasius was exiled by the Arian dissenters to Trier. Upon seeing all this tragic story incredibly unfolding before his very eyes, Saint Paulinus was determined to defend the truth of the faith, particularly at the Synod of Arles in 353. In 355 Paulinus met the same fate as his friend Athanasius, this time being exiled by Emperor Constantius II to Phyrigia, where he died. After his death, his remains were carried to Trier in 395. Today his tomb is found in the crypt of the city’s St Paulinus Church.

Prayer of the day:

Almighty God, you gave St. Paulinus of Trier undaunted courage in his fight against the Arian heresy, so that he did not shy away from banishment.

Teach us to distinguish the true from the false, and help us to stand up for the truth without fear.