Christ's Faithful People
Christ's Faithful People
ca. 105 - 115 AD
The next Pope was, according to the "Liber Pontificalis," a Roman named, like his father before him, Alexander.
St. Alexander is said to have introduced into the Mass the prayer just before the Consecration which recalls the memory of Christ's passion. He is also credited with the order that houses should be blessed with water to which salt had been added.
St. Alexander's death has caused confusion among scholars because an account of the death of another St. Alexander, who was not a bishop, tallies somewhat closely with the account of the Pope's martyrdom in the "Liber Pontificalis." Duchesne, the learned editor of the "Liber Pontificalis," concludes that there can be no certainty in the matter.
The traditional account of St. Alexander's martyrdom is that he was beheaded on the Via Nomentana within seven miles of the city of Rome, along with Eventius, a priest, and Theodulus, a deacon. St. Alexander was buried on the Via Nomentana near the spot where he suffered.
His feast, together with that of Sts. Eventius and Theodulus, is celebrated on May 3.
