St. Mark, Pope
Pope
Feast Day: October 7
Biography
St. Mark was a Roman by birth and served as Bishop of Rome for only about eight months, from January 18 to October 7, 336. He succeeded Pope St. Sylvester I in the years when the Emperor Constantine had brought the long era of persecution to an end and the Church in Rome was free to build openly for the first time. Very little is known of his life with certainty. The Liber Pontificalis, an early collection of papal biographies, credits him with founding two churches: a basilica at the cemetery of Balbina on the Via Ardeatina, where he was later buried, and a church within the city that survives today, much rebuilt, as the Basilica of San Marco near the Piazza Venezia. The same source says he gave the bishop of Ostia the right to consecrate a new pope, though historians treat some of its details with caution. Mark's name appears in the Depositio Episcoporum, one of the oldest lists of Roman bishops, which helps confirm the dates of his short pontificate. He died peacefully and is honored not as a martyr but as a faithful shepherd who helped the Church in Rome grow in a new age of freedom.
Patronages
Symbols
Prayer
St. Mark, faithful pope, your time as shepherd of Rome was short, yet you used it to build up the house of God. Help me to use well the time the Lord gives me, however brief, and to build up His Church through my prayer and service. Pray for our Holy Father and for all who lead God's people. Amen.
Asking for Intercession
Catholics ask saints to pray with us and for us, as we ask friends on earth. St. Mark, Pope, who lives in God's presence, intercedes before His throne. Speak from your heart: “St. Mark, Pope, please pray for me…” You may also pray the prayer above or include this intention in your Rosary.