Died 399
Fabiola was a Roman woman who had an unfaithful husband. She
acquired a divorce under Roman law. Although her husband had numerous
vices, she refused to expose it publicly. St. Jerome knew her
personally and was her teacher and spiritual adviser. St. Jerome
says of her that "Fabiola
put away a vicious husband;
she put away a man who was guilty of this and that crime
"
Clearly against Church teaching, Fabiola remarried while her
husband was still alive. When the second husband died, she realized
her sin and repented. She made public penance, donated money to
churches and Italian communities, and helped found the first Christian
public hospital in the West. She ministered to the sick, the poor,
and the homeless. She traveled and lived in Bethlehem in a hospice
directed by St. Paula. She later moved back to Rome and helped
a former senator, Pammachius, construct a large hospice. She continued
her work until she died in 399. She received much praise from
St. Jerome about her saintly virtues.
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