Saint Fabian, Pope and Martyr

• Title: Saint Fabian, the Dove and the Brave Pope
• Feast Day: 20 January
• Subtitle: A humble man chosen by God

Saint Fabian was a layman of Rome who, by divine providence, was raised to the Chair of Saint Peter in the year of our Lord 236.
At the time of the election of a new pope, the clergy and faithful were gathered in Rome, and Fabian had come from the countryside merely as a spectator.
While the assembly was deliberating, a dove descended and rested upon his head. Seeing in this sign a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, the people with one voice acclaimed Fabian as pope, and he was immediately ordained and consecrated.
As pope, Saint Fabian governed the Church with wisdom and peace during a time of relative calm before the great persecutions. He strengthened ecclesiastical discipline, divided the city of Rome into districts for the care of the poor and the administration of the Church, and entrusted deacons with the oversight of charitable works. He also ensured that the bodies of the martyrs were reverently buried and that the acts of their martyrdom were carefully recorded.
Saint Fabian was known for his zeal for the purity of the faith and for the unity of the Church. He condemned false teachings and worked to preserve the apostolic tradition handed down from the apostles. During his pontificate, he also encouraged missionary work, sending bishops to preach the Gospel in Gaul.
In the year 250, the Emperor Decius unleashed a fierce persecution against Christians throughout the Roman Empire. Saint Fabian was among the first to be arrested. Refusing to sacrifice to the pagan gods, he remained steadfast in his confession of Christ. He was subjected to suffering and imprisonment, and at last gave his life for the faith, dying as a martyr on the twentieth day of January.
Saint Fabian was buried in the Cemetery of Callistus on the Appian Way, among the popes and martyrs. His tomb bore the simple inscription: Fabianus episcopus martyr. The Church venerates him as a faithful shepherd who guided the flock of Christ with humility and courage, and who sealed his ministry with the shedding of his blood.