Polycarp is not the first recorded martyr's death. The Stoning of Stephen (Acts 6:8-8:1)

FEBRUARY 23, 2011
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI
THE ZEAL OF CHARITY
February 23, 2011
Memorial of Saint Polycarp, bishop and martyr
Father Edward Hopkins, LC
Mark 9:38-40
John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in
your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow
us." Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs
a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us."
Introductory … [Plus]

TODAY: February 23, 2011
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Saint Polycarp Feb 23

Imagine being able to sit at the feet of the apostles and hear their stories of life with Jesus from their own lips. Imagine walking with those who had walked with Jesus, seen him, and touched him. That was what Polycarp was able to do as a disciple of Saint John the Evangelist.
But being part of the second generation of Church leaders had challenges that the first generation could not teach about. What did you do when those eyewitnesses were gone? How do you carry on the … [Plus]

St. Polycarp (69 – 155 AD) (Ancient Greek: Πολύκαρπος) was a 2nd century Christian bishop of Smyrna[1]. According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake then stabbed when the fire failed to touch him.[2] Polycarp is regarded as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran Churches. It is recorded by Irenaeus, who heard him speak in his youth, and by Tertullian,[3] that he had been a disciple of John … [Plus]