Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Ambrose was born about 339 in Trier, the son of a high Roman official, and became governor of the province of Aemilia-Liguria, with his seat at Milan. In 374, when the city was divided over the election of a bishop, he went to keep order in the church; tradition says a child's voice called out “Ambrose, bishop!”, and the whole crowd took it up. Still unbaptized, he was baptized and ordained bishop within a week; his feast, 7 December, is the day of his ordination. He resisted the empress Justina when she demanded a church for the Arian party, introduced hymn singing to the people of Milan, required Emperor Theodosius to do public penance after the massacre at Thessalonica in 390, and baptized Augustine in 387. He died on 4 April 397.