Sylvester I

Saint Sylvester I was born in Rome before the year 284, the son of a Roman named Rufinus. He became Bishop of Rome on January 31, 314, at a turning point in Christian history as the Church emerged from persecution into public life during the reign of Emperor Constantine. Though few personal details of Sylvester’s life are preserved, his pontificate is remembered for steady pastoral leadership and for guiding the Church through major controversies. He convened the Council of Arles in 314, which condemned the Donatist schism, and he called the First Council of Nicaea in 325 to defend the true faith against Arianism and to safeguard the Church’s confession of Christ’s divinity. Sylvester’s years also saw the rise of great Roman basilicas, including the Lateran, Old St. Peter’s, and the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, signs of a Church now able to worship openly. Venerated as a saintly pope of this foundational era, he is honored as patron of several towns, including Barberino di Mugello and Curtatone. His feast day is December 31.