Chair of St. Peter, Monday 22nd; An early feast related to an early Roman custom at this time of the year of remembering the ancestors of the family, those who presided over the family fortunes. The feast celebrates Peter as Bishop of Rome and the focus of unity in the communion of one faith. St. Polycarp, Tuesday 23rd, was bishop of Smyrna (modern day Izmir) in Turkey. Born around the year 69, he was a disciple of St. John the Apostle. He was martyred in 155. Looking from the time Jesus began his public ministry, through the life of St. John and on to the death of Polycarp shows a clear connection over the space of 125 years!
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cloyne, County Cork, Ireland.
