Saint Linus, Pope & Martyr
S. Lini Papae et Martyris
Saint Linus, who governed the Church of Rome in the first age after Saint Peter, is honoured by ancient tradition as the first successor of the Prince of the Apostles, and is venerated as a martyr.
On the twenty-third of September the Church honours Saint Linus, who by the witness of the most ancient tradition succeeded Saint Peter in the government of the Roman Church. His name stands first after that of the Apostle in the early lists of the Bishops of Rome, and is named with honour by the Fathers; it is most likely he who is greeted in the Second Epistle of Saint Paul to Timothy, where Linus is numbered among those who send their salutation from Rome.
First after Peter
Of the life and deeds of Saint Linus little can now be told with certainty, for he lived in the first age of the Church, when the followers of Christ at Rome were few and the storms of persecution were near. What the tradition holds with confidence is that, after the martyrdom of Saint Peter, the care of the Roman Church passed to Linus, who thus stands at the head of that unbroken succession of Pontiffs which links the Church of every age to the Apostle upon whom the Lord built his Church. He is venerated also as a martyr, who like so many of the early Popes is held to have sealed his pastoral office with his blood.
His name is honoured in the very heart of the Roman Liturgy, being spoken in the Canon of the Mass among the first Pontiffs and martyrs of Rome; and his memory bears witness to the antiquity and the continuity of the Apostolic See. In Saint Linus the faithful honour one of the first shepherds of the universal Church, who received the charge of the flock in perilous times and handed on the faith he had received.
His feast
The memory of Saint Linus has been kept at Rome from very early times. Where the records of his life are silent, his place in the succession of Saint Peter and his witness as a martyr suffice to commend him to the veneration of the faithful.
The collect of his feast, that of a martyr Pope, prays that the flock may not lack a shepherd, and that through the intercession of blessed Linus it may be kept under the continual protection of God. His feast is kept on the twenty-third of September.
The Collect
O eternal Shepherd, do thou look favourably upon thy flock, which we beseech thee to guard and keep for evermore through the blessed Linus, thy martyr and supreme pontiff, whom thou didst choose to be the chief shepherd of the whole Church.
Gregem tuum, Pastor ætérne, placátus inténde: et, per beátum Linum Mártyrem tuum atque Summum Pontíficem, perpétua protectióne custódi; quem totíus Ecclésiæ præstitísti esse pastórem.
Patronage
He is venerated as the first successor of Saint Peter in the See of Rome and is named among the holy Pontiffs in the Canon of the Mass.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar this feast is no longer kept on the universal calendar; on this day the universal calendar observes the memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio).
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Linus?
His feast is kept on 23 September in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Third Class feast. In the modern universal calendar his feast is no longer observed; the day is now the memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio).
Who was Saint Linus?
By the witness of the most ancient tradition, Saint Linus was the first Bishop of Rome after Saint Peter, and is most probably the Linus greeted by Saint Paul in the Second Epistle to Timothy. He is venerated as a Pope and martyr, though little is known with certainty of his life.
Why is Saint Linus important?
Saint Linus stands at the head of the unbroken succession of the Bishops of Rome after Saint Peter, witnessing to the antiquity and continuity of the Apostolic See. His name is honoured in the Canon of the Mass among the first Pontiffs and martyrs of the Roman Church.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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