Saint Caesarius of Arles

Saint Caesarius was bishop of Arles in southern Gaul and an important preacher and pastoral reformer. He promoted regular preaching, clerical discipline, care for the poor, and monastic life, and he presided over councils that addressed grace and ecclesiastical practice. His sermons were written in an accessible style for ordinary Christians. He also prepared a rule for women religious, among the earliest such Western rules known to survive.