St. Paulinus was born at Bordeaux, France, in about 353. He was well educated and became governor (about 381) of Campania, Italy.
Pope Benedict XVI pointed out that it was during this period as governor “that grace caused the seed of conversion to grow in his heart. The incentive came from the simple and intense faith with which the people honoured the tomb of a saint, Felix the Martyr, at the Shrine of present-day Cimitile. As the head of public government, Paulinus took an interest in this Shrine and had a hospice for the poor built and a road to facilitate access to it for the many pilgrims.”
St. Felix had suffered martyrdom around the year 260. He was a priest of Nola near Naples and the chief mainstay of that church in the Decian persecution.
Pope Benedict described the spiritual journey of Paulinus: “Anxious to shed light on the meaning of life, he went to Milan to attend the school of Ambrose. He then completed his Christian formation in his native land, where he was baptized by Bishop Delphinus of Bordeaux. Marriage was also a landmark on his journey of faith. Indeed, he married Therasia, a devout noblewoman from Barcelona, with whom he had a son. He would have continued to live as a good lay Christian had not the infant’s death after only a few days intervened to rouse him, showing him that God had other plans for his life. Indeed, he felt called to consecrate himself to Christ in a rigorous ascetic life.”
Upon the death of their only child, Paulinus and Therasia agreed to adopt an ascetical way of life and distributed all their goods to the poor. They distributed their goods so prudently that St. Jerome says East and West were filled with his alms. In 395, Paulinus was ordained a priest, and retired with Therasia to Nola in Campania. There he rebuilt the Church of St. Felix and promoted devotion to St. Felix of Nola. In about 409, Paulinus was chosen bishop of Nola. He helped pilgrims and the poor with great dedication. Paulinus died in Nola on June 22, 431. It is said that he was the first to introduce (about 420) the use of bells in Christian worship.
Paulinus wrote poems in honour of St. Felix. Here is an excerpt from a poem praising St. Felix as Protector of Nola:
“Nola has housed his buried body, and so takes pride as though he were her own star – for every martyr, wherever the region to which his body is committed, is both a star for that district and a source of healing for its residents. The reason for this is that when the earth was shrouded in its ancient darkness, and men’s souls were sick throughout the world, the Creator took pity on them, and apportioned sacred tombs of saints throughout the earth, just as He scattered the stars with their light through the night sky.”
Paulinus was not only a devotee of St. Felix, he was also a faithful friend of saints who were living in his lifetime. Pope Benedict said, “Paulinus lived communion above all through a pronounced practice of spiritual friendship. He was truly a master in this, making his life a crossroads of elect spirits: from Martin of Tours to Jerome, from Ambrose to Augustine, from Delphinus of Bordeaux to Nicetas of Remesiana, from Victricius of Rouen to Rufinus of Aquileia, from Pammachius to Sulpicius Severus and many others, more or less well known.”
A person who knew Paulinus well said that “he was meek as Moses, priestlike as Aaron, innocent as Samuel, tender as David, wise as Solomon, apostolic as Peter, loving as John, cautious as Thomas, keen-sighted as Stephen, fervent as Apollos.”
以詩篇向殉道者致敬
353年，博學的聖博嵐出生於法國的波爾多。約在381年，他任意大利的坎伯尼亞總督。
教宗本篤十六世指出：當聖博嵐任總督時，天主聖寵在他心內，促使他誠摯的皈依增長；他受到朝聖者單純熱切的信德的激勵；這些朝聖者到殉道者聖菲利的墓地（今位於契汨圖）作敬禮。他作為地方政府之首，顯示對這聖菲利朝聖地的重視：為方便朝聖者，他修築了道路，亦建造了扶貧的旅館。」
聖菲利是拿畢勒斯的諾拉一位神父，是當地教會的中流砥柱；約在260年，正值德西烏斯皇厲行教難時，為主殉道。
教宗本篤十六世描述聖博嵐的靈性之旅：「他渴望看到生命意義的曙光。在米蘭，他在安博辦的學校就讀，後來在老家完成慕道課程後，從波爾多主教德爾菲努斯手中領受聖洗聖事。而他靈性的一個里程碑是他與德蘭的婚姻。德蘭來自巴薩隆拿，是一位熱心事主的貴族。她和聖博嵐本育有一子。他原本會繼續渡熱心平信徒的生活，然而，他們的孩子出生不多幾天便夭折，喚醒他，天主對他的生命另有計劃。聖博嵐深深感到，天主要他在基督內，渡嚴謹清苦的生活。」於是，夫婦二人同意一起渡清苦的生活，把家財悉數捐出。他們的捐贈，被聖業樂形容為精明的分配，東西寰宇都受其惠。
395年博嵐晉鐸，與妻子德蘭居住在坎伯尼亞的諾拉。他重建當地的聖菲利堂並傳播對聖菲利的敬禮；約在409年，他晉牧諾拉主教，積極幫助朝聖者和貧苦者。
431年6月22日博嵐在諾拉逝世。相傳，約在420年，博嵐在禮拜儀式中引入敲鐘。
為頌謝聖菲利為諾拉的主保，聖博嵐特意寫了詩章。摘錄如下：
「視他為本土耀星，諾拉接葬了聖菲利的聖骸 ── 猶如殉道者在其葬身地，成為守護當地居民的耀星。大地彌漫著源自遠古的黑暗，人靈感染著始自遠祖的罪惡；尤幸造物主見憐，分佈聖者的聖墓於大地，好像在夜空中遍撒閃爍的繁星。」
聖博嵐不止恭敬聖菲利，他還是與他同期聖人的摯友。教宗本篤十六世說：「聖博嵐存活在與諸聖賢善靈的共融中。不錯，他是表表者，靈修上與很多聖人相遇：由聖瑪定到聖業樂，由聖安博到聖奧斯定，由波爾多的德爾菲努斯到雷孟斯安拿的聖尼斯，由維迪斯的魯昂到阿奎萊亞的勞菲努斯，由帕馬奇斯到蘇耳彼修斯.思偉，還有很多其他不同知名度的朋友。」
一位熟悉聖博嵐的人嘗言：「他溫馴如梅瑟，執鐸如亞郎，純潔如撒慕耳，親切像達味，明智如撒羅滿，行實儼如伯鐸，擁有酷似聖若望的愛心、聖多默的謹慎、聖德範的敏銳目光，和阿頗羅的熱誠。」