Marcellus Di Roma (255 - 309)

Born 6 Jan 0255 in Rome, Roman Empire

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Biography

Pope Marcellus I Di Roma is Notable.

For about 2 years after the death of Pope Marcellinus in 304, the Diocletian persecution continued with considerable severity. After the abdication of Diocletian in 305 and the accession of Maxentius as Caesar in Rome the Christians there again had peace. It was not until 308 that a new Bishop of Rome, Marcellus, was elected to replace Pope Marcellinus. The church in Rome was in considerable confusion. A large number of Christians had been forced to deny their faith, and now wanted to be readmitted to the church.^[1]

According to the Liber Pontificalis, Marcellus divided the territorial administration of the church into twenty-five districts (tituli), appointing over each a priest, who saw to the preparation of the catechumens for baptism and directed the performance of public penances. The priest was also made responsible for the burial of the dead and for the celebrations commemorating the deaths of the martyrs. The pope also had a new burial-place, the Cœmeterium Novellœ on the Via Salaria (opposite the Catacomb of St. Priscilla), laid out. The ecclesiastical administration in Rome was reorganized by this pope after the great persecution.^[1]

Despite these efforts, the controversies over the question of the readmittance of the lapsi into the church increased. Maxentius had the pope seized and exiled, and he died on 16 January 309 shortly after leaving Rome.^[1][2]

His remains were brought back to Rome and buried in the catacomb of St Priscilla.^[1]

Flocknote Popes in a Year ^[3] tells us:

A surprising four years passed between the death of St. Marcellinus and the election of St. Marcellus I, due to the incredible intensity of the Diocletian Persecution. The persecution itself had subsided by 306, yet it still took nearly two years for a new Bishop of Rome to be elected. This fact alone indicates how incredibly decimated and scattered the Church was by that time.

Still, Marcellus I did a bang-up job re-organizing the Church (more on that in a minute), dividing Rome into 25 districts, or “titular” churches since their existing churches remained confiscated by the Roman government. Marcellus assigned a priest as head of each one with the duties of preparing catechumens for baptism (aka 4th-Century RCIA), directing public penances, burying the dead, and commemorating the martyrs. Marcellus did all this in a short time, having died after just seven(ish) months in office.

Elected in May or June 308, he died January 16, the same day on which his feast is still celebrated.

St. Marcellus seems to have resembled a drill sergeant. The recently-ended persecution had brought back the more lax believers who had renounced their faith in an effort to stay alive. They naturally wanted re-entry into the Church, but Marcellus wasn’t keen on letting them back in before they graduated from his...uh...Penitential Boot Camp, as you might call it.

The fight over his harsh penances must have been pretty over-the-top, because when penitents staged an uprising as a result, the tyrannical emperor (Maxentius) had Marcellus seized and exiled. The pope died soon thereafter.

At the time, Marcellus I was runner-up for shortest reign as pope, coming second only to St. Anterus (Pope No. 19) who was in office 43 days.

The Spanish provinces of the Roman Empire revolted against Maxentius, instead recognizing Constantine the Great as their emperor. And the Empire was never the same...

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Wikipedia Pope Marcellus I
2. ↑ Vatican
3. ↑ Flocknote Popes in a Year
   SOURCES (and further reading)
   John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
   Pope St. Marcellus I - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09640b.htm
   Pope Marcellus I - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Marcellus_I
   Pope St. Anterus - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01553a.htm
   300s - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300s_(decade)