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. Pontian Pope
Author and Publisher - Catholic Online
Pope from 230-235 who holds the distinction of being the first pontiff to abdicate. Perhaps a Roman by birth, he was elected to succeed St. Urban I and devoted much of his reign to upholding the condemnation of the heretical aspects of Origenism and struggled against the schismatic movement which supported the antipope Hippolytus. In 235, Pontian was arrested by Roman officials at the instigation of the persecution of the Church by Emperor Maximinus I Thrax. With Hippolytus, Pontian was exiled to the infamous mines of Sardinia and, in order to make certain that the Church was not deprived of its leadership, Pontian stepped down, the first pope ever to do so. He and Hippolytus both died on Sardinia. Their remains were returned to Rome under Pope St. Fabian.
Support Catholic Online
More Saints
Saint Feast Days by Month
Saint of the Day
St. Alphege
Archbishop and "the First Martyr of Canterbury." He was born in 953 and became a monk in the Deerhurst Monastery in Gloucester, England, asking after a few years to become a hermit. He received ... continue reading
More Saint of the DayFemale Saints
St. Gianna Beretta Molla
St. Gianna Beretta Molla was an Italian pediatrician born in Magenta in the Kingdom of Italy on October 4, 1922. She was the tenth of thirteen children in her family. At three-years-old, Gianna and her family moved to Bergamo, and she grew up in the Lombardy region of ... continue reading
More Female SaintsMore Female Saints
Angels
St. Michael the Archangel
Saint Michael the Archangel isn't a saint, but rather he is an angel, and the leader of all angels and of the army of God. This is what the title "Archangel" means, that he is above all the others in rank. St. Michael has four main responsibilities or offices, as we ... continue reading
St. Gabriel, the Archangel
St. Gabriel is an angel who serves as a messenger for God to certain people. He is one of the three archangels. Gabriel is mentioned in both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible. First, in the Old Testament, Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel to explain his ... continue reading
Saints Fun Facts
St. Paul Chong Hasang
Feastday: September 20 The evangelization of Korea began during the 17th century through a group of lay persons. A strong vital Christian community flourished there under lay leadership until missionaries arrived from the Paris Foreign Mission Society. During ... continue reading
St. Andrew the Tribune
The "Great Martyr," and the leader of converts in the Roman army. While serving as a tribune in the army of General Galerius, Andrew and his men faced a battle with a Persian host. Calling upon Christ for aid, the Romans were victorious. Andrew and some of his troops ... continue reading
More Saints
Christian Saints & Heroes
Feast of the Deacon St Vincent Calls the Church and her Deacons to Heroic Virtue
By Deacon Keith Fournier
Vincent was a man like us who encountered the same Risen Lord Jesus whom we have encountered. He struggled with the choices which always accompany living the Christian life in the midst of a culture which has squeezed God and His truth out of the center of its ... continue reading
More Christian Saints & Heroes
