POPES
by Deb McCoy | Jun 7, 2020 | Popes
Adrian was a member of the Roman nobility as a youth. This is a frequently noted trait in the early Church. He was born about 792 in Rome. As a young man, he married Stephania and they had a daughter before he was ever ordained, which was still acceptable at the time....
by Deb McCoy | Jun 1, 2020 | Popes, Saints
Nicholas is renowned as a consolidator of papal authority. He pushed the influence of the Church on historical development of the papacy and its influence on Western Europe. His view was that a pope should have suzerainty over all Christians, even royalty, in matters...
by Deb McCoy | Apr 10, 2020 | Popes, Saints
Roman by birth, Leo was the son of Rodwald, a man of Lombard descent. He was educated at the monastery of St. Martin, near St. Peter’s basilica. The young man became a Benedictine monk. Due to his obvious piety, Leo was ordained a sub-deacon by Pope Gregory IV. He was...
by Deb McCoy | Mar 21, 2020 | Popes
Peter di Porca was born, sometime around 790, to a noble Roman family. He had at least one brother, Benedict. Orphaned at age 12, Pope Leo III placed him in the schola cantorum, the best school in Rome. There he did well and he joined the Church as an acolyte. Stephen...
by Deb McCoy | Mar 15, 2020 | Popes
Although Pope Gregory did more than this, he will always be associated with the sad end of the Carolingian empire. Born around 790, Gregorius was the son of John, an aristocrat in Rome. The young man grew up in the Church and was nominated cardinal-priest before he...
by Deb McCoy | Mar 2, 2020 | Popes
Pope Valentine In the 9th century, that is to say the 800s, the aristocratic community lived in the area of Via Lata, near the current Trevi Square and near an aqueduct, a source of clean water. Leontius, a Roman noble who lived in that neighborhood, had a son,...
