Roman Martyrology The

From the earliest times, various local churches cherished the memory of its martyrs, observing the anniversaries of their deaths with a commemorative eucharist and special prayers for the various hours of the divine office. Our first evidence for this comes from the second century account of the Martyrdom of St. Polycarp of Smyrna. Lists of martyrs and others saints came to be compiled and shared over the ages. The list used by the Church of Rome was first published under the title The Roman Martyrology in the 16th century. It has been enlarged and revised many times since then. It not only contains the feasts of the saints, but also special formal proclamations of the two greatest feasts of Jesus Christ, his Nativity and his Resurrection. Biography by Dr. Italy