St. Sixtus II and Companions

Their story

Sixtus II was elected pope in 257, a time of renewed danger for the Church. Before long the emperor Valerian issued an order that bishops, priests and deacons were to be put to death and that Christians were forbidden to gather in the cemeteries where they buried their dead and prayed. Sixtus continued to lead his flock. On August 6, 258, while he was seated in the catacomb of St. Callixtus preaching to the faithful, soldiers burst in and seized him. He was beheaded on the spot, along with four of his deacons. Two more deacons were killed later that same day. Four days later, the most famous of the deacons of Rome, St. Lawrence, followed his bishop in martyrdom. St. Ambrose later told the story that as Sixtus was led away, Lawrence cried out to him, asking where he was going without his deacon, and Sixtus told him that he would follow in a few days. During his short time as pope, Sixtus also worked to restore peace with the churches of Africa and Asia Minor after a bitter dispute. He was buried in the crypt of the popes in the catacomb of St. Callixtus, and he was deeply honored by the early Church. His name is among the saints in the First Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass.