Stations of the Cross - Palm Sunday - Holy Week - Good Friday
We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.
Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.Help Now >
St. Polycarp of Smyrna
Facts
Patron: against earache, dysentery
Birth: 69
Death: 155
Author and Publisher - Catholic Online
Printable Catholic Saints PDFs
Shop St. Polycarp of Smyrna

Bishop of Smyrna, martyr, and one of the foremost leaders of the Church in the second century. Few details of his life are extant with any reliability beyond his famous martyrdom, which was recounted in the Martyrium Polycarpi. It is believed, however, that he was converted to the faith by St. John the Evangelist about 80 A.D. and became bishop of Smyrna about 96 A.D. He was, as was his friend St. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the most important intermediary links between the apostolic and the patristic eras in the Church, especially in Christian Asia Minor. A defender of orthodoxy, he opposed such heretical groups as the Marcionites and Valentinians. He also authored a surviving epistle to the Philippians, exhorting them to remain strong in the faith. The letter is of great interest to scholars because it demonstrates the existence of New Testament texts, with quotes from Matthew and Luke, the Acts of the Apostles, and the first letters of Peter and John. When Ignatius was being taken to Rome to be put to death, he wrote of Polycarp being clothed "with the garment of grace." Polycarp was himself arrested by Roman officials in Smyrna soon after returning from a trip to Rome to discuss the date for Easter. He refused to abjure the faith, telling his captain that he had served Christ for eighty six years. The Romans burned him alive with twelve companions. The year of his death has been put at 155 or 156, although Eusebius of Caesarea places the year at 167 or 168, meaning it would have fallen in the reign of Marcus Aurelius. If so, changes in the year of his birth would be necessary. The most detailed account of his death was the Martyrium Polycarpi.

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.
-
-
Palm Sunday
-
Stations of the Cross
-
First Station: Jesus is condemned to death
-
Mysteries of the Rosary
-
Second Station: Jesus carries His cross
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
-
Third Station: Jesus falls the first time
-
Daily Readings Archive
-
Holy Week
-
Bible
Have your Prayer Intentions read live on Good Friday's Stations of the Cross
-
Palm Sunday: We have been saved by his cross
-
Where do the palms for Palm Sunday come from?
-
PRAY FOR POPE FRANCIS - Hospitalized with 'Pulmonary Infection'
-
The German Bishops Error and the True Understanding of the Development of Doctrine
Daily Catholic
Daily Readings for Sunday, April 02, 2023
St. Francis of Paola: Saint of the Day for Sunday, April 02, 2023
Prayer for Acceptance of Death: Prayer of the Day for Sunday, April 02, 2023
- Daily Readings for Saturday, April 01, 2023
- St. Hugh of Grenoble: Saint of the Day for Saturday, April 01, 2023
- Guardian Angel Prayer #1: Prayer of the Day for Saturday, April 01, 2023
Copyright 2022 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2022 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.
Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.