St. Paula of Rome

 This evening we had our last Women's Bible Study at our Parish for the Fall semester. I wanted, therefore, to share about a female Saint who had a special relationship with Scripture. St. Paula of Rome was a friend and disciple of St. Jerome, who is best known for his vulgate translation of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. Everything we know about Paula is thanks to what Jerome wrote about her.

Paula was born in Rome in 347. She had led a luxurious life and had a great status. She dressed in silks and was carried about the city by her eunuch slaves. At the age of 32, Paula was widowed. She continued to dedicate herself to her family, but also became more interested in religion. She became a member of a semi-monastic group of women and met and learned from bishops. In 382, she met St. Jerome. While on pilgrimage with him to the Holy Land, she visited monks and other ascetics. She settled in in Bethlehem and established a monastery for men, a convent for women and a hostel for pilgrims. Jerome lived and wrote in one of the cells of the monastery and Paula was the abbess of the convent.

In Jerome's writings, Paula is noted as maintaining her ascetic devotion through the Old and New Testaments, often under his own guidance. She also practiced a strict fasting regimen, abstinence, and a destitute lifestyle "to preserve a singular attachment to God." While maintaining this lifestyle, she still interacted with local clergy and bishops and had first-hand connection with relics of Christ's passion. Through these practices, Paula became a recognized figure in the Christian community. When she died in 404, her funeral was noted as having a significant portion of the Palestine population in attendance. 

St. Paula's patronage includes widows, monks and nuns. Her feast day is January 26. St. Paula, pray for us.