St. Ambrose of Milan

The Roman governor of northern Italy who went into the cathedral of Milan in 374 to keep order at a disputed election and heard the crowd shout for him to be bishop; he was not yet baptised, and was baptised and consecrated within a week. He held the city for the Creed of Nicaea against the Arian empress, occupying a church with his people and teaching them hymns to sing through the siege, which is how the West learned to sing hymns in church. When the emperor Theodosius had thousands massacred at Thessalonica in 390, Ambrose kept him from communion until he did public penance, and he did. He baptised Augustine. Feast: December 7.