June 27th. St. Cyril of Alexandria.

This outstanding theologian and Bishop was born in Alexandria in 376 and died in 444. He gathered together and refined, with many insights of his own, the earlier teachings of St. Athanasius, St. Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen on the Holy Trinity and the Person of Christ. He attracted many opponents, including the Imperial Governor of Alexandria, and it is impossible to deny an impulsive streak in his character. As a debater he has been described as "vigorous", which is something of an understatement. Cyril opposed the teachings of Nestorius, who held that in Christ humanity and divinity were not truly united, and thus Mary could not properly be called ‘Mother of God’. In 431 the Council of Ephesus was convened and, after first agreeing with Nestorius, was then swayed in the opposite direction by Cyril’s pleading and duly defined Mary with the title by which she has been known ever since: ‘Mother of God’ [Theotokos]. Despite his impulsive nature, and tendency not to listen to what others were really saying, Cyril is a real champion of orthodox Christianity and the true inspiration of the third Great Council of the Church (after Nicaea and Constantinople). His sermons contain important contributions to the understanding of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and the role of Mary in the Incarnation. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1882.