St Evaristus

Pope Martyr (- c.107)

Saint Of the day October 26

Very little is known about the life of St Evaristus, the fifth Pope. Believed to have been the son of a Jew from Bethlehem who settled in Antioch, he succeeded St Clement about the year 100 and reigned until c.107.

According to the 6th century “Book of Popes”, it was St Evaristus who divided the city of Rome into 25 parishes or “titles”, each under its own Presbyter. He also decreed that whenever the Pope preached he was to be surrounded by seven Deacons, to give greater glory to God. Finally, he regulated the formal ceremonies for the consecration of churches, which had been handed down from the Apostles and were strongly reminiscent of the Jewish rites of Solomon; these Christian consecrations had to include the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. It was during this Pope’s reign that the last of the Apostles, St John the Evangelist, died at Ephesus.