Saint Melchiades, Pope & Martyr
S. Melchiadis Papae et Martyris
Saint Melchiades was Bishop of Rome at the dawn of the Church’s freedom, who saw the end of the great persecutions and is honoured among the holy popes of the early Roman See.
Saint Melchiades, also called Miltiades, governed the Church of Rome from about the year 311 to 314. His pontificate fell at a momentous hour, for during it the long ages of persecution gave way to peace, and the Church emerged at last into the freedom to worship openly.
What is reliably known
It was under Saint Melchiades that the Emperor Constantine, after his victory in 312, granted to the Church liberty and favour, and bestowed upon the Bishop of Rome the Lateran palace, which became the seat of the popes. In the year 313 a council was held there under his presidency to deal with a grave division troubling the Church in Africa. He thus stands at the threshold between the age of the martyrs and the age of the Church’s public life.
He is venerated by the Church as a martyr, for though he died in peace, the long sufferings he and his flock had endured under persecution were reckoned a true witness to Christ. Of the particulars of his life little more can be affirmed with certainty, and the Church honours him for what is sure: that he held the See of Peter faithfully in a time of great change.
His witness today
The feast of Saint Melchiades, kept on the tenth of December, recalls the generation that passed from the catacombs into the light of day, and that received its new freedom not as a reward earned by the world but as a gift of God. In him the Church honours the steadfast pastors who held the faith through the last of the persecutions and handed it on intact to the ages of peace.
The Collect
Look forgivingly on thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Melchiades thy Martyr and Supreme Pontiff, whom thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church.
Gregem tuum, Pastor ætérne, placátus inténde: et, per beátum Melchíadem Mártyrem tuum atque Summum Pontíficem, perpétua protectióne custódi; quem totíus Ecclésiæ præstitísti esse pastórem.
Patronage
He is venerated among the early popes of Rome, whose pontificate saw the granting of peace to the Church.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar his feast is observed on 10 December as an optional memorial, under the name Saint Miltiades and without the title of martyr.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Melchiades?
His feast is kept on 10 December in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Fourth Class feast during Advent.
Who was Saint Melchiades?
He was Bishop of Rome from about 311 to 314, also known as Miltiades. His pontificate saw the end of the great persecutions and the granting of liberty to the Church under the Emperor Constantine. He is honoured among the holy popes of the early Church.
Why is he called a martyr if he died in peace?
Saint Melchiades died after the persecutions had ceased, but the Church long reckoned among the martyrs those popes who had endured suffering and the constant peril of persecution for the faith. The traditional Missal accordingly honours him with that title.
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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