Saint Evaristus, Pope and Martyr

October 26 Today is the feast day of Saint Evaristus.  Ora pro nobis. Saint Evaristus’s date of birth unknown. The “Liber Pontificalis” says that Evaristus came of a Hellenic family, and was the son of a Bethlehem Jew.  Saint Evaristus is fourth successor of Saint Peter. In papal catalogues of the second century used by Saint Irenaeus and Hippolytus, he appears as the fourth successor of St. Peter, immediately after St. Clement. While little is known about this fifth pope, we do know that Saint Evaristus governed the Church for nine years, during which time he laid the groundwork for future Church policy. Saint Evaristus was profoundly committed to the expansion of vocations in the Church. The institution of cardinal priests is ascribed to him, as he is the pope who first divided Rome into several titles or parishes, assigning a priest to each. He also appointed seven deacons to attend the bishop and conferred holy orders three times in the month of December which was quite unusual, given that these ceremonies were generally reserved for seasons of fasting and prayer. During the leadership of Pope Saint Evaristus, the clergy were solidified and the congregations of believers grew at an ...

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