Hierarch · c. 313–386
Cyril of Jerusalem
Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem
New Calendar March 18 Old Calendar March 31
Why they are a saint
Cyril of Jerusalem was bishop of Jerusalem; his Catechetical Lectures remain a classic instruction of the newly illumined. The years given for this life are c. 313–386. The Church numbers him among its holy bishops. The New Calendar feast is March 18.
Life
Saint Cyril was born in Jerusalem in 315 and raised in strict piety. He became a monk, was ordained presbyter in 346, and in 350 succeeded Archbishop Maximus on the throne of Jerusalem. He fought the heresies of Arius and Macedonius and so roused the enmity of the Arian bishops, who sought to depose and banish him.
In 351, on Pentecost, a radiant Cross appeared in the sky over Jerusalem, stretching from Golgotha to the Mount of Olives, and Cyril reported it to the emperor Constantius. During a famine he spent all his wealth in charity and pawned church vessels to buy wheat for the starving. In his teaching he urged Christians to inscribe the Symbol of Faith on the tablets of the heart. He died in 386.
Sources: OCA Lives of the Saints. Retold in our own words.
Traditional patronage
The cited source names no specific patronage.
Patronage / why chosen as patron
Orthodox Christians usually take Cyril of Jerusalem as a patron when they bear the name Cyril at baptism, or were born or baptized near the feast on March 18. Those who share his calling as a teacher also ask his prayers.
Prayer
O holy Cyril of Jerusalem, pray to God for us.
A short general prayer to a saint, not a liturgical text. No public-domain troparion for this saint is included.
Do not confuse with Cyril of Alexandria; Cyril and Methodius.