Feast of Pope Saint Sylvester I
(c. 250-335 A.D.)
Pope St. Sylvester was born in Rome and raised as a Christian under the care of pious parents, and the religious instruction of a devout priest. He was later ordained to Holy Orders in Rome, and witnessed the outbreak of Christian persecution under the Emperor Diocletian. During this time he became well-known as a good and holy priest, so much so that when the Pope died, Sylvester was appointed the new Bishop of Rome. Little is known about Pope St. Sylvester other than the many important events in Church history that occurred under his pontificate. He was the reigning pope during the Council of Nicea which condemned the Arian heresy and established the Nicene Creed; he was the Holy Father who converted and baptized the Roman Emperor Constantine; Rome’s greatest churches were built under his direction by Constantine, including St. John Lateran, St. Peter’s, and Santa Croce; and the Church saw the beginnings of temporal prosperity and the establishment of the Christian Roman Empire. Sylvester was Pope from 314 A.D. until his death in 335 A.D. His feast day is December 31st.
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Pope St Sylvester I slayed the dragons of his time. He fought the Donatist schism and Arian heresy, which threatened early Church unity. He reigned during the Council of Nicea, which proclaimed the tenets of Christian faith of the Nicene Creed, as is still professed today. He labored for harmonious relations with the worldly rulers of his time after decades of Christian persecution.”
Author, Reason2bCatholic
Mosaic of Pope St Sylvester I, St Mark’s Venice
Relics of Saint Sylvester in the Abbey of Saint Sylvester in Nonantola
c. 1380-1385
Agnolo Gaddi (Agnolo di Taddeo Gaddi), Italian (active Florence), first documented 1369, died 1396
Pope Sylvester I (died 335) binds the mouth of a dragon, sealing off its poisonous breath, and revives the two victims who lie in the foreground. The crowned observer on the right is the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (ruled 306–337), who, according to legend, had been cured of leprosy by Sylvester. Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Follow the saints because those who follow them will become saints.”
Saint Clement I, pope
Pope Saint Sylvester I, pray for us.
Be not afraid! And may the peace of Christ be with you and your loved ones today and always. Holy Family pray for us. Amen.
