I går feiret vi i Kirken den hellige pave Callistus I, som man regenr med døde i år 222. I Matutinbønnen leste jeg slik om ham i går:
Callistus a Roman was head of the Church, while Antonius Helioglobalus was emperor. He fixed the four periods of the year for the Ember days, on which the custom of fasting, handed down by tradition from the Apostolic times, was to be observed by all. He built the Basilica of St Mary across the Tiber. Because he enlarged the old cemetery on the Appian Way, where many holy priests and martyrs were buried, it is now called the cemetery of St CAllistus. He reigned for five years one month and twelve days. After long starvation and many scourging he was thrown headforemost into a well, and so won the crow of martyrdom under the emperor Alexander. His body was buries in the cemetery of Calepodius in the Aurelian Way at the third milestone from the city, on October 14. Later it was placed under the high altar of the Basilica of St Mary across the Tiber, where it is venerated with great honor.
På katolsk.no nevnes det også at han innførte emberdagene, som Kirken markerte trofast fram til 1970 (og man underer seg over hvorfor de da ble tatt bort – men noen sier at de fortsatt frivillig kan overholdes):
… Med et dekret innførte Callistus Quatuor Tempora, tamperdagene, en fastetid den første uken av mars, juni, september og desember. I disse ukene ble onsdag, fredag og lørdag gjort til særskilte bots- og fastedager, med faste fra korn, vin og olje. …