Saint Polycarp
Feast day: February 23
Saint Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, disciple of Saint John the Apostle, martyred past the age of 80 (23/02)
Who is he?
Saint Polycarp was born around the year 70, into a Christian family. According to Saint Irenaeus, who had heard him preach as a boy, Polycarp was taught by Saint John the Apostle himself. He was bishop of Smyrna, a great seaport in Asia Minor, today the city of Izmir in Türkiye.
Life story
As bishop, Polycarp cared for his flock like a father. Around the year 107, Saint Ignatius of Antioch was taken through Smyrna on his way to Rome to be put to death. Polycarp welcomed him, and afterward collected Saint Ignatius’s letters to send them to other communities. Polycarp also wrote a letter to the Christians of Philippi, which still exists today.
When he was old, he made the long journey to Rome to talk with Pope Anicetus about the date for celebrating Easter. The two did not manage to agree, but they parted as brothers.
Then persecution came. A very ancient account, written right after his death, tells the story: when soldiers came to arrest him, he calmly invited them to eat and drink and asked for an hour to pray. In front of the crowd, the governor told him to curse (deny) Christ so that he could go free. He answered that he had served him for 86 years (the number he himself gave, perhaps counted from his baptism), Christ had never done him any wrong, so how could he insult the King who had saved him? He was condemned to death. According to the ancient account, the flames surrounded him like a ship’s sail without harming him. In the end, he died in peace as a martyr, around the year 155.
Why is he a saint?
Saint Polycarp is a bridge between the Apostles and the Church of the following centuries: he faithfully handed on the faith he had learned from Saint John. All his life he served the Lord, and even when he was old and weak, he bravely bore witness to the Lord with his own life. The Christians of Smyrna gathered his relics and celebrated the day of his death every year.
A lesson for you
- Saint Paul says he fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith (cf. 2 Tm 4:7). Ask God to help you keep the faith your whole life long.
- Listen to and learn from your catechists, just as Polycarp learned from Saint John.
- When you have to choose between what is right and what is easy, choose what is right.
Identifying marks
- An old man with white hair and beard: he was martyred when he was very old.
- White vestments and a stole over the shoulders with large black crosses: the vestments of an Eastern bishop, as the ancient icons paint them.
- A red Gospel book with a golden cross: he faithfully kept and preached the Gospel he had learned from Saint John.
- A palm branch: a sign that he won the victory by dying for the faith (martyrdom).
- A seaside city with sailing ships: the city of Smyrna, today Izmir in Türkiye, where he was bishop.
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