St. Clement of Rome (d. 100 A.D.), also known as Pope St. Clement I, is considered the first Apostolic Father of the Church. He is mentioned by name in the Bible by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:3. St. Clement is also said to be one of the band of seventy followers of Jesus' ministry as described in the Gospels. Clement was a disciple of St. Peter and was ordained by him, and became...

Philemon was an early Christian in Asia Minor who was the recipient of a private letter from Paul of Tarsus. This letter is known as Epistle to Philemon in the New Testament. He is known as a saint by several Christian churches along with his wife Apphia. Philemon was a wealthy Christian and a minister (possibly a bishop) of the house church that met in his home. The Menaia of 22 November...

Edmund the Martyr (also known as St Edmund or Edmund of East Anglia), who died 20 November 869, was king of East Anglia from about 855 until his death. He is thought to have been the son of Æthelweard, an obscure East Anglian king, whom it was said Edmund succeeded when he was 14. Later versions of Edmund's life relate that he was crowned on 25 December 855 at Burna (probably Bures St...

Pope Pontian reigned from 230-235 and was the Pope who holds the distinction of being the first pontiff to abdicate. Perhaps a Roman by birth, he was elected to succeed St. Urban I and devoted much of his reign to upholding the condemnation of the heretical aspects of Origenism and struggled against the schismatic movement which supported the antipope Hippolytus. In 235, Pontian was arrested...