20 JANUARY – SAINT FABIAN (Pope and Martyr)

Fabian, a Roman by birth, governed the Church from the reign of Maximin to that of Decius. He divided the city into seven parts which he consigned to as many Deacons and to them he gave the charge of looking after the poor. He created also a like number of Subdeacons who were to collect the Acts of the Martyrs, written by seven Notaries. It was he who decreed that every year, on the fifth Feria, our Lord’s Supper, the Chrism should be renewed, and the old should be burnt. At length, on the thirteenth of the Calends of February (January 20), he was crowned with martyrdom in the persecution of Decius and was buried in the cemetery of Callixtus on the Via Appia after reigning 15 years and 4 days. He held 5 ordinations in the month of December, in which he made 22 Priests, 7 Deacons and 11 Bishops for various places.

Dom Prosper Gueranger:

Saint Fabian, like Saint Clement and Saint Antheros, two of his predecessors, was extremely zealous in seeing that the Acts of the Martyrs were carefully drawn up. This zeal was no doubt exercised by the clergy in the case of our holy Pontiff himself, and his sufferings and martyrdom were carefully registered. But all these interesting particulars have been lost, in common with an immense number of other precious Acts which were condemned to the flames by the imperial edicts during the persecution under Diocletian. Nothing is now known of the life of Saint Fabian, save a few of his actions as Pope. But we may have some idea of his virtues by the praise given him by Saint Cyprian who, in a letter written to Saint Cornelius, the immediate successor of Saint Fabian, calls him “an incomparable man.” The Bishop of Carthage extols the purity and holiness of life of the holy Pontiff who so peaceably governed the Church amid all the storms which then assailed her. There is an interesting circumstance related of him by Eusebius. After the death of Saint Antheros, the people and clergy of Rome assembled together for the election of the new Pontiff. Heaven marked out the successor of Saint Peter: a dove was seen to rest on the venerable head of Fabian and he was unanimously chosen. This reminds us of the event in our Lord’s life which we celebrated a few days back when, standing in the river Jordan, the Dove came down from Heaven and showed Him to the people as the Son of God. Fabian was the depository of the power of regeneration which Jesus, by His Baptism, gave to the element of water. He zealously propagated the Faith of His Divine Master and, among the Bishops he consecrated for divers places, one or more were sent by him into these western parts of Europe.

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Thus did you live out the long tempestuous days of your Pontificate, O Fabian! But you had the presentiment of the peaceful future reserved by God for His Church, and you zealously laboured to hand down to the coming generations the great examples of the Martyrs. The flames have robbed us of a great portion of the treasures you prepared for us and have deprived us of knowing the Fabian who so loved the Martyrs and died one himself. But of you, Blessed Pontiff, we know enough to make us thank God for having set you over His Church in those hard times, and keep this day as a feast in celebration of your glorious triumph. The dove which marked you out as the one chosen by Heaven showed you to men as the visible Christ on Earth. It told you that you were destined for heavy responsibilities and martyrdom. It was a warning to the Church that she should recognise and hear you as her guide and teacher. Honoured thus with a resemblance to Jesus in the mystery of His Epiphany, pray to Him for us that He mercifully manifest Himself to our mind and heart. Obtain of Him for us that docility to His grace, that loving submissiveness to His every will, that detachment from all created things, which were the support of your life during those fifteen years of your ever threatened and anxious pontificate. When the angry persecution at length broke on you, it found you prepared and martyrdom carried you to the bosom of that God who had already welcomed so many of your martyred children. We, too, are looking for that last wave which is to break over us and carry us from the shore of this present life to eternity — pray for us that it may find us ready! If the love of the Divine Babe, our Jesus, be within us. If, like you, we imitate the simplicity of the dove — we will not be lost! Here are our hearts — we wish for nothing but God — help us by your prayers.