St. Hilary: Heroic Defender of the Faith
Today is the optional memorial of St. Hilary, bishop of Poitiers in the 4th century. Pope Pius IX declared him a "Doctor of the Church," because of his heroic defense of the the Faith against Arians and other heretics. He strongly defended the divinity of Christ, and despite the fact that he was a kind and gentle man, he was viewed as an agitator, a disturber of the peace. Hillary was born in Poitiers in France in 315 and raised as a pagan. Reading the Bible led to his conversion. He also converted his wife and daughter who enthusiastically embraced the faith. Because celibacy was not a requirement at that time for the clergy, at the age of 35, Hillary was elected as the new Bishop of Poitier. He devoted his tongue and pen to fighting the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Jesus Christ, and was exiled for four years in the East for his fidelity to the faith. His writings drew many converts to the faith. Hillary died in 368 A.D. Hilary is sometimes called "th...