Saint Dionysius of Alexandria, bishop and master of Catholic doctrine, fought heresy and was exiled twice for the unity of the Church.
Editorial Staff (08/04/2026, Gaudium Press) Saint Dionysius of Alexandria, another holy Dionysius, was bishop in the 3rd century. Some affirm that he was the most outstanding bishop of his time.
Several saints called him the Great, or Dionysius Magnus, which is the same. The great Saint Athanasius, a fighter against Arian heresy and also bishop of Alexandria, called him the Master of the Catholic Church: such was his wisdom.
He was a pagan, but one day he had a vision that urged him to study the Bible. From that study came his conversion.
The brilliant student of the Catechetical School of Alexandria
He entered the Catechetical School of Alexandria, the most famous of the Church in those times. His time at the School showed how brilliant he was, and he was then chosen as director—a role he held there for more than 15 years.
He was elected Bishop of Alexandria in the year 247.
A short time later, persecutions began. First those encouraged by zealous pagan priests, but then a more serious one, promoted by the Roman emperor Decius.
At first, the governor of Alexandria seized him in his home, but his devoted followers freed him and sent him to the desert, where he remained for several years until the persecution ended.
When he returns, he faces Novatian, a priest and theologian who was fighting against the Pope, and he tells him: It is necessary to be resolved to suffer any other harm before destroying the unity of the Church. One must be as ready to die for the unity of the Church as one would be ready to die to defend the faith.
Novatian was rigorist; he said that certain very grave faults could not be forgiven. Saint Dionysius takes the position of Pope Saint Cornelius and contradicts the heretic. In his struggles against heretics, he made frequent use of Sacred Scripture.
But in 257 the persecution of Emperor Valerian breaks out, and once again the governor demands that Saint Dionysius and the Catholic priests worship idols. Saint Dionysius answers that they will worship only God the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and for this reason they are exiled to Libya. Two years later, when Valerian falls, Dionysius and his followers return to Alexandria, which had become a city of criminals and was also ravaged by the plague.
In these circumstances, and contrary to what the pagans were doing, Saint Dionysius and his clergy devoted themselves to caring for the sick and burying the dead, which won the people’s esteem.
After reigning for 17 years in the see of Alexandria, Saint Dionysius dies in 265.
Saint Epiphanius relates that the people remembered him as a father and teacher, and that soon they built a temple in his honor. His luminous writings also contributed to his fame.
With information from Catholic.net
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