Pope St. Marcellus I

Pope St. Marcellus I governed the Church of Rome for a brief period around the years 308 to 309, in the difficult aftermath of the great persecution of the Emperor Diocletian, during which the Roman see had stood vacant for some time. He set himself to restore the shattered community, reorganizing its parishes and the care of its cemeteries, and giving order once more to the Church's life in the city.

A chief question of his day was how to receive back the many Christians who had fallen away under threat of torture and death; Marcellus, firm in upholding the discipline of penance, required that the lapsed do fitting penance before returning to communion. This firmness provoked violent unrest among those who wished for easier terms, and the resulting disorders gave the pagan emperor Maxentius a pretext to banish the pope from Rome. Marcellus died in exile not long after, worn down by his sufferings, and he has been venerated as a martyr; his memory is kept on 16 January.