--- title: "St. Ignatius of Antioch: Feast Day October 17, Life & Quotes" url: https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/ description: "St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr. Feast day October 17, died c. 108. Read their life and their own words, with sources." --- Bishop and Martyr · Feast day October 17 # St. Ignatius of Antioch The feast day of St. Ignatius of Antioch is October 17, a memorial in the US Catholic calendar. Below: a short life and 4 sourced quotations in their own words. | | | |---|---| | Feast day | [October 17](https://blessbible.app/saints/october/#17) | | In the US calendar | Memorial | | Title | Bishop and Martyr | | Died | c. 108 | | In their own words | [4 sourced quotations](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#words) | | Next on Bless’s Today screen | [Sunday, October 17, 2027](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#calendar) | ## Life Bishop of Antioch in the generation after the apostles, arrested and marched across Asia Minor to be killed at Rome. Along the road he wrote seven letters to the churches that remain among the most precious documents of early Christianity. He begged the Roman Christians not to save him from the beasts: he was God’s wheat, to be ground by their teeth into the pure bread of Christ. ## In their own words Each quotation names the work it comes from. Bless quotes these in the comments beside the verses listed under [In Scripture](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#scripture). > I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ. — *Letter to the Romans, 4*, c. 107 > Breaking one bread, which is the medicine of immortality, the antidote against death, that we should live forever in Jesus Christ. — *Letter to the Ephesians, 20*, c. 107 > Wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. — *Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 8*, c. 107 > My Love has been crucified, and there is no fire in me desiring to be fed; but there is within me a water that lives and speaks, saying to me inwardly, Come to the Father. — *Letter to the Romans, 7*, c. 107 ## In Scripture In Bless, St. Ignatius of Antioch’s words appear in the comments beside these verses. This page’s labels say how each is linked: “on this verse” means the saint wrote about that very verse; “on this theme” means the quotation shares its theme. Scripture is quoted from the Catholic Public Domain Version. 1. On this theme > For wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there am I, in their midst.” — [Matthew 18:20](https://blessbible.app/bible/matthew/18/#v20) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#q95) 2. On this theme > Instead, the water that I will give to him will become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life.” — [John 4:14](https://blessbible.app/bible/john/4/#v14) · CPDV Beside their words: [“My Love has been crucified, and there is no fire in me desiring to be fed; but there is…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#q96) 3. On this theme > I am the living bread, who descended from heaven. — [John 6:51](https://blessbible.app/bible/john/6/#v51) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Breaking one bread, which is the medicine of immortality, the antidote against death…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#q94) 4. On this theme > Amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, — [John 12:24](https://blessbible.app/bible/john/12/#v24) · CPDV Beside their words: [“I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#q93) 5. On this theme > The cup of benediction that we bless, is it not a communion in the Blood of Christ? And the bread that we break, is it not a participation in the Body of the Lord? — [1 Corinthians 10:16](https://blessbible.app/bible/1-corinthians/10/#v16) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Breaking one bread, which is the medicine of immortality, the antidote against death…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#q94) 6. On this theme > I live; yet now, it is not I, but truly Christ, who lives in me. And though I live now in the flesh, I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and who delivered himself for me. — [Galatians 2:20](https://blessbible.app/bible/galatians/2/#v20) · CPDV Beside their words: [“My Love has been crucified, and there is no fire in me desiring to be fed; but there is…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#q96) 7. On this theme > And he has subjected all things under his feet, and he has made him the head over the entire Church, which is his body and which is the fullness of him who accomplishes everything in everyone. — [Ephesians 1:22–23](https://blessbible.app/bible/ephesians/1/#v22) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#q95) 8. On this theme > For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. — [Philippians 1:21](https://blessbible.app/bible/philippians/1/#v21) · CPDV Beside their words: [“I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#q93) ## In the calendar The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. Ignatius of Antioch. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given. | Date | In the US calendar | Color | Mass readings (US) | |---|---|---|---| | [Sunday, October 17, 2027](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2027/10/17/) | Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time | Green | Isaiah 53:10-11 · Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22 · Hebrews 4:14-16 · Mark 10:45 · Mark 10:35-45 or 10:42-45 | | [Tuesday, October 17, 2028](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2028/10/17/) | St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr (Memorial) | Red | Galatians 5:1-6 · Psalm 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48 · Hebrews 4:12 · Luke 11:37-41 | Readings Later citations were computed by Bless from the US Lectionary cycle — confirm with your parish. [October 16 St. Margaret Mary Alacoque](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-margaret-mary-alacoque/) [October 18 St. Luke](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-luke/) [All the saints of October](https://blessbible.app/saints/october/) [Born on October 17?](https://blessbible.app/saints/birthday/#10-17) [A saint for every day](https://blessbible.app/saints/) Spotted a mistake in a date, a patronage or a quotation? [Report an error](https://blessbible.app/support/#report) and we’ll fix it in the app and here. St. Ignatius of Antioch Feast day October 17 On this page 1. [Life](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#life) 2. [In their own words](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#words) 3. [In Scripture](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#scripture) 4. [In the calendar](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-antioch/#calendar) In the app Bless shows a saint every day on its Today screen, with their life and their words. Free on iPhone.