St. Dionysius of Alexandria

St. Dionysius of Alexandria, called "the Great," was a disciple of the famous teacher Origen and became head of the celebrated catechetical school of Alexandria before being made bishop of that great city about 248. He guided the Church of Egypt for some seventeen years through one of the most turbulent periods of the early Church, marked by fierce persecutions, plague, schism, and doctrinal controversy.

During the persecutions of Decius and Valerian he was forced into hiding and exile, yet continued to shepherd his flock through a stream of letters, many of which survive in fragments and are a precious source for the history of the age. A moderate and pastoral churchman, he took part in the great debates of his day, on the treatment of those who had lapsed under persecution, on the rebaptism of heretics, and on the doctrine of the Trinity, corresponding even with the bishops of Rome. Learned, prudent, and charitable, he died about 264. He is venerated as a saint, his memory kept on 17 November.