John Chrysostom
Saint John Chrysostom is the patron of preachers and orators for the plainest of reasons: his very surname, “Chrysostom,” means “Golden Mouth” — a title the people gave him for the dazzling, fearless eloquence of his sermons, which still fill volumes and shaped Christian preaching forever after. As Archbishop of Constantinople he denounced luxury and injustice from the pulpit so boldly that it cost him exile and his life. His patronage of epileptics rests not on his preaching but on a tradition surrounding his relics and intercession against “the falling sickness,” held without a single clear recorded origin. He remains a heavenly patron of the city of Constantinople, which he served and suffered for.
Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, is one of the greatest preachers in Christian history. His surname “Chrysostom” means “Golden Mouth” in Greek, reflecting his extraordinary eloquence. Born around 349, he fearlessly denounced the vices of the powerful, which led to his exile. His liturgy is still used in the Eastern Church.
