Saint Paula of Rome (26 January): Butler's Lives of the Saints

About this sermon

St. Paula of Rome (347–404) was one of the greatest female saints of the early Church — a Roman noblewoman who renounced immense wealth, honor, and maternal comfort to follow Christ in radical poverty, prayer, and penitence. In this reading from The Lives of the Saints by Father Alban Butler, we hear the full account of St. Paula, commemorated on January 26, whose life exemplifies heroic widowhood, maternal sacrifice, and total abandonment to the will of God. Born into one of the most illustrious families of ancient Rome, St. Paula was married young and became the mother of five children. After the death of her husband, her conversion deepened dramatically under the guidance of St. Marcella and later St. Jerome, who became her spiritual director. Moved by divine grace, Paula renounced the world: She gave her wealth to the poor Practiced severe fasting and asceticism Devoted herself to prayer, Scripture, and almsgiving Left Rome for the Holy Land despite immense maternal suffering In Bethlehem, St. Paula founded monasteries for men and women, a hospital for pilgrims, and lived in profound humility near the Cave of the Nativity, where she would later be buried beside St. Jerome. This reading preserves the classical Catholic understanding of sanctity, motherhood, grief, detachment, and heavenly hope — untouched by modern reinterpretation. 📖 Source: The Lives of the Saints, Fr. Alban Butler 📅 Feast Day: January 26 (January 27 in some local calendars) 00:00 Introduction – St. Paula of Rome 00:24 Noble birth and Roman lineage 01:00 Married life and early virtue 01:31 Death of her husband and grief 01:43 Influence of St. Marcella 01:54 Radical conversion and penance 02:17 Charity, fasting, and prayer 02:56 St. Jerome as her spiritual director 03:04 Death of her daughter Blesilla 03:26 St. Jerome’s letter of correction 04:46 Triumph over natural grief 05:04 Desire for solitude and the desert 05:27 Agony of leaving her children 06:15 Departure from Rome 06:40 Pilgrimage through Cyprus and Syria 07:09 Jerusalem and the Holy Places 07:50 Arrival in Bethlehem 08:17 Foundations of monasteries and hospital 09:16 Life of monastic discipline 10:21 Perseverance through suffering 11:08 Final illness and holy death 11:28 Burial near the Holy Manger 12:06 Feast day and legacy https://sensusfidelium.com/the-lives-of-the-fathers-martyrs-and-other-principal-saints/january/st-paula-widow/ Get Butler's Lives of the Saints here: https://loretopublications.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=102&url=1 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 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 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@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" = 🔔 ▶ 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 🔴 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 #StPaulaOfRome #LivesOfTheSaints #CatholicSaints #January26 #TraditionalCatholic #SaintsOfTheChurch #CatholicHistory #StJerome #HolyWidows