SAINT OF THE DAY

JUNE 20: ST. PAULINUS OF NOLA

(354–431)
Anyone looking for a song for a June wedding? The first existing one we know of was written by St. Paulinus (Paolino in Italian) of Nola. He has an interesting story.
He was born near Bordeaux, the son of the Roman prefect of Gaul, he became a distinguished lawyer and even held political positions on behalf of the empire.
He married a woman from Iberia (Spain), and both became Christian.
Retiring early to the estates of his wife. They tried to have children, only succeeding to produce one who died in infancy. This affected the couple profoundly and they began to distribute property and wealth to the less fortunate. This earned him the attention of the bishop of Barcelona who made him a priest.
Later, Paulinus and his wife moved to Nola, a town near Naples. There he devoted himself to promoting the local saint, Felix, and to the objections of his family, divesting himself of what remaining property he had to help the poor, debtors, homeless and needy. He became so popular that he was made bishop of Nola and remained in that role for 21 years.
Adapted by A.J. Valentini from www.franciscanmedia.org