Commemoration of Saint Alexander, bishop, an elderly man renowned for his zeal for the faith, who was elected to the See of Alexandria as successor of Saint Peter and rejected the pernicious heresy of his presbyter Arius, who had separated himself from the communion of the Church. Together with 318 Fathers, he participated in the First Council of Nicaea, which condemned this error († 326). This is proclaimed in the Roman Martyrology, reflecting the unbroken tradition of the Church, which honors this great shepherd of Alexandria today, February 26.

Born around the year 250 in Alexandria, Alexander was raised within a Christian community that still bore the scars of past persecutions. As a priest under Bishops Peter and Aquilas, he distinguished himself by his gentle and affable nature, his profound charity toward the poor, and his ardent zeal for the glory of God. The ecclesiastical historians Socrates Scholasticus, Sozomen, and Theodoret of Cyrus, along with the direct testimony of Saint Athanasius—whom he himself mentored—convey the image of a man of apostolic life and doctrine, full of faith and fervor, who preferred to admit to holy orders only the most virtuous and devoted candidates.

In 313, upon the death of Saint Aquilas, Alexander was elected Patriarch of Alexandria. His episcopate began in a time of relative peace following the great persecutions, but soon a doctrinal storm would arise that would forever mark the history of the Church. A priest of his clergy, Arius, began to spread the idea that the Son was neither eternal nor consubstantial with the Father, but a superior creature. Alexander, with the patience and charity of a true shepherd, first attempted to correct him privately, calling him and admonishing him gently. Seeing that his paternal warnings had no effect and that the heresy was spreading, he convened a synod in Alexandria around 320 with nearly one hundred bishops. There, unanimously, Arius was condemned and excommunicated.

The heretic then fled to Palestine and Nicomedia, where he continued to spread his error and slander the bishop who had exposed him. Alexander, steadfast as a rock in the faith he had received from the Apostles, wrote two masterful letters, which have been preserved, in which he clearly expounds the divinity of the Word and His equality with the Father. He yielded neither to the political pressures of Emperor Constantine nor to the intrigues of influential bishops. His pastoral zeal was not limited to doctrinal defense: he built the magnificent church of Saint Theonas, the most beautiful in Alexandria up to that time; he favored anchorites by assigning them churches where they could live out their vocation; and he protected with special affection the young Athanasius, whom he had baptized as a child and whom he was preparing as his successor.

In the year 325, already an old man, Alexander attended the Council of Nicaea accompanied by his deacon Athanasius. There, among three hundred and eighteen Fathers, his testimony shone as the first to have exposed the heresy. The council solemnly condemned Arianism and proclaimed the creed that we recite today at Holy Mass. Constantine himself praised the Bishop of Alexandria for his wisdom and firmness.

He returned to his see filled with joy at the victory of orthodoxy, but his health, weakened by labors and age, did not withstand much longer. He died in Alexandria on February 26, 326, having designated Saint Athanasius as his successor. His body was buried in the temple at Bucalis, and very soon his memory was venerated in the East and, from the 9th century onward, also in the West.

Saint Alexander of Alexandria teaches us, by his example, that the true shepherd is not afraid to defend the faith, even if it brings misunderstandings and hardship. His charity toward the poor, his gentleness in fraternal correction, and his ardent zeal for divine truth remain a model for bishops and for every Christian called to safeguard the deposit of faith. In a world where so many voices attempt to dilute the divinity of Christ, this holy elder reminds us that orthodoxy is not rigidity, but fidelity to the Gospel entrusted to us.

May Saint Alexander of Alexandria, tireless defender of the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father, intercede for the whole Church, for our bishops, and for each one of us, so that, like him, we may know how to confess with courage and love with tenderness the Lord who is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.” Amen.