Who Was St. Athanasius

By 328 AD, St. Athanasius was about 30 years old, and his life was about to get huge. Bishop Alexander had passed away, and the Christians of Alexandria needed a new leader—their 20th Patriarch. Everyone pointed to Athanasius because he’d been Alexander’s right-hand man and had already done amazing things, like helping at a big meeting in Nicea to fix lies about Jesus. But Athanasius didn’t want the job—he thought he wasn’t good enough! He humbly prayed God would pick someone else. The people wouldn’t give up, though—they shouted, “We want Athanasius!”.

On May 5, 328 AD, Athanasius was made Patriarch, a fancy word for the top bishop. It was a wild day—crowds cheered, and the church bells rang as he took on the role. But being Patriarch wasn’t all fun. Heretics called Arians were spreading lies that Jesus wasn’t really God, and emperors after Constantine didn’t like Athanasius telling the truth. Right away, he started fighting for what was right, even if it meant trouble. One story says that soon after he started, he picked Frumentius to be Ethiopia’s first bishop, sending him off with a staff and a cross to spread the real faith far away.

Becoming Patriarch was just the beginning for Athanasius. He’d spend the next 45 years leading Alexandria’s Church, facing five exiles, and writing books to keep Jesus’ story straight. That day in 328, he stepped into a job bigger than he’d imagined, but God gave him the strength to handle it. From a boy playing by the sea to a leader against the world, Athanasius showed that with faith, you can do anything—even change history for Jesus.