St. Ignatius of Antioch: the early Church Father who longed for union with Christ

[ad_1] St. Ignatius of Antioch with the child Jesus. / Credit: Lorenzo Lotto, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons CNA Staff, Oct 17, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA). On Oct. 17, the Roman Catholic Church remembers the early Church Father, bishop, and martyr St. Ignatius of Antioch, whose writings attest to the sacramental and hierarchical nature of the Church from its earliest days. Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate his memory on Dec. 20.In a 2007 general audience on St.…