Byzantine Saints: Saint Athanasius the Great, Patriarch of Alexandria (2 May)

About this sermon

St. Athanasius the Great, Patriarch of Alexandria, is one of the most powerful defenders of the Catholic faith in history. Known as “Athanasius Contra Mundum” (“Athanasius against the world”), he stood firm against the Arian heresy when much of the Church faltered. Born around 297 in Alexandria, Athanasius showed early signs of holiness and zeal for truth. From a young age, he was recognized by Patriarch Alexander, eventually becoming a deacon and attending the First Council of Nicaea (325), where he boldly defended the divinity of Christ. As Archbishop of Alexandria, St. Athanasius endured persecution, exile, and relentless opposition. He spent over 20 years in exile, yet never compromised the truth. At times, he stood as the only orthodox bishop remaining against widespread heresy. Despite suffering, he wrote extensively in defense of the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Holy Spirit. His works, including Four Orations Against the Arians and The Life of St. Anthony, remain foundational to Christian theology. St. Athanasius died in 373 after faithfully shepherding the Church for 47 years. His life is a powerful witness to courage, truth, and unwavering fidelity to Christ. 👉 May his example strengthen us to stand firm in the truth, no matter the cost. 0:00 Introduction 0:23 Early Life of St. Athanasius 0:50 Childhood Baptism Story 1:09 Recognition by Patriarch Alexander 1:40 Council of Nicaea (325) 1:48 Refuting Arian Heresy 2:03 Becoming Archbishop of Alexandria 2:28 Years of Persecution & Exile 2:47 Standing Alone for Orthodoxy 3:04 Writings Against Heresy 3:11 Persecution Under Julian the Apostate 3:29 Death of Julian 3:36 Final Years & Death (373) 3:47 Major Works of St. Athanasius 4:20 Life of St. Anthony 4:34 Feast Days of St. Athanasius https://www.oca.org/saints/lives 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SensusFidelium.TV - https://sensusfidelium.tv/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StAthanasius #CatholicFaith #ChurchFathers #ChristianHistory #Arianism #NiceneCreed #Saints #Orthodoxy #CatholicYouTube #DefendTheFaith #AthanasiusContraMundum #EarlyChurch #SaintOfTheDay #Patristics #TruthOfChrist