Saint Marcellina, has that fragrance of the greatness of the Church of the earliest times. She is the sister of Saint Ambrose of Milan and Satyrus.
Newsroom (20/07/2026 Gaudium Press ) The life of today’s saint, Saint Marcellina, has that fragrance of the greatness of the Church of the earliest times. She was the sister of two saints: the great Saint Ambrose of Milan, under whose influence Saint Augustine was converted, and Saint Satyrus. We are therefore speaking of the 4th century after Christ.
Marcellina was the elder sister of Saint Ambrose. She was apparently born in Trier, of noble birth, her father being, in all likelihood, prefect of that city in what was then Roman Gaul.
She took charge of the education of her brothers
After the family moved to Rome, Marcellina received a refined education.
She herself became an outstanding educator, being entrusted with the formation of her two brothers, whom she especially sought to imbue with a love of Christian virtue.
In her spirit there gradually crystallized the conviction that the only thing worthy of the labors of this life was striving for the glory of God, and for that reason she wished to renounce the world.
On the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord in the year 353, Pope Liberius bestowed upon her the veil of virgins in Saint Peter’s Church. What the Pope said during that ceremony is known because Saint Ambrose echoed his words: the Pontiff urged her to love Jesus Christ exclusively, to live in the recollection of the interior life, to mortify herself in pleasures, and to live with modesty.
The great Saint Ambrose loved her dearly
He even dedicated to her a treatise on the excellence of virginity. When Saint Ambrose was already bishop in Milan, she visited him several times, assisting her brother in his relations with the consecrated virgins, like herself. However, she continued to live in Rome, together with another lady who assisted her in her exercises of devotion and piety.
Her spiritual life was intense: much prayer, much spiritual reading; nor were penitential practices such as fasting lacking, although Saint Ambrose recommended moderating them as she advanced in age.
While still alive, Saint Ambrose publicly praised her
When her brother Satyrus died, Saint Ambrose delivered the funeral oration, in which he included a beautiful tribute to his sister Marcellina: “…holy sister, admirable for her innocence, her integrity, and her kindness toward her neighbor.” If Saint Ambrose said this, without even fearing that it might inspire pride, it was because Marcellina was great, like him…
Saint Marcellina survived Saint Ambrose, but the exact year of her death is not known.
With information from Catholic.net
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