St. Clement I

Their story

Clement was one of the earliest bishops of Rome, the fourth pope after St. Peter, St. Linus and St. Anacletus. He led the Church near the end of the first century, and ancient tradition says he knew the apostles Peter and Paul. Clement is best known for a letter he wrote around the year 96 to the Christians of Corinth in Greece, where a group had rebelled against their leaders. Writing on behalf of the Church of Rome, Clement urged the Corinthians to humility, peace and unity, and to respect the order handed down from the apostles. This letter is one of the oldest Christian writings outside the New Testament, and it shows how early the Church in Rome cared for the unity of other churches. According to a later tradition, Clement was exiled by the emperor to the Crimea and sent to work in the stone quarries, where he brought many to faith. He was then martyred by being thrown into the sea with an anchor tied around his neck, which is why he is often shown with an anchor. His name is prayed in Eucharistic Prayer I at Mass.