Pope St. Clement I, also called Clement of Rome, was the fourth bishop of Rome after St. Peter, Linus and Anacletus, and according to St. Irenaeus he had known the apostles themselves. About the year 96 he wrote a letter to the Christians of Corinth, who had rebelled against their priests, that is one of the oldest Christian writings outside the New Testament. Its closing chapters contain a magnificent prayer of the early Roman Church, including a prayer for those who govern. Tradition says he was martyred by being thrown into the sea with an anchor tied to his neck. He is named in the Roman Canon, and his feast day is November 23. Below are his story, the great prayer of his letter, and his feast.
A short prayer to St. Clement, written for this page:
Pope St. Clement, you called the Church to peace, humility and obedience.
Pray for the Pope and all bishops, for unity in our parishes,
and for all who govern, that they may rule with justice and peace. Amen.
Who was St. Clement of Rome?
Clement led the Church of Rome at the end of the first century, about 88 to 99. St. Irenaeus, writing about 180, says that he “had seen the blessed apostles, and had been conversant with them.” When news came that the Christians of Corinth had removed their presbyters from office, Clement wrote them a long letter in the name of the Church of Rome, urging them to repent, to restore their leaders, and to live in humility and peace. The letter was so loved that it was read aloud in churches for generations.
According to a later tradition, Clement was exiled by the emperor Trajan to the Crimea, where he served Christians condemned to work in the stone quarries, and was martyred by being thrown into the Black Sea with an anchor around his neck; the anchor became his emblem. In the ninth century Sts. Cyril and Methodius brought relics believed to be his to Rome, where they rest in the Basilica of San Clemente.
The great prayer of Clement
The closing prayer of the Letter to the Corinthians, perhaps based on the prayer of the Roman liturgy of his day (ch. 59):
We beseech thee, Master, to be our “help and succour.” Save those of us who are in affliction, have mercy on the lowly, raise the fallen, show thyself to those in need, heal the sick, turn again the wanderers of thy people, feed the hungry, ransom our prisoners, raise up the weak, comfort the faint-hearted; let all “nations know thee, that thou art God alone,” and that Jesus Christ is thy child, and that “we are thy people and the sheep of thy pasture.”
And his prayer for those who govern, written under a persecuting emperor (ch. 61):
Thou, Master, hast given the power of sovereignty to them through thy excellent and inexpressible might, that we may know the glory and honour given to them by thee, and be subject to them, in nothing resisting thy will. And to them, Lord, grant health, peace, concord, firmness that they may administer the government which thou hast given them without offence.
For thou, heavenly Master, king of eternity, hast given to the sons of men glory and honour and power over the things which are on the earth; do thou, O Lord, direct their counsels according to that which is “good and pleasing” before thee, that they may administer with piety in peace and gentleness the power given to them by thee, and may find mercy in thine eyes.
O thou who alone art able to do these things and far better things for us, we praise thee through Jesus Christ, the high priest and guardian of our souls, through whom be glory and majesty to thee, both now and for all generations and for ever and ever. Amen.
See also the Catholic prayer for our country.
The prayer of his feast from the 1916 missal:
O God, who dost gladden us by the anniversary feast of thy blessed Martyr and Bishop Clement, graciously grant that as we honor his birthday we may also imitate the courage of his martyrdom. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
What is St. Clement the patron saint of?
Pope St. Clement I is the patron saint of:
- Sailors and mariners, because of the anchor of his martyrdom
- Stonecutters and marble workers, recalling the quarries of the Crimea
- Sick children, in some traditions
Feast day
The optional memorial of Pope St. Clement I, martyr, is November 23, shared with St. Columban and, in the United States, Blessed Miguel Pro.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Pope St. Clement I?
The fourth bishop of Rome, at the end of the first century, and the author of the Letter to the Corinthians.
What is the Letter of Clement?
A letter written about 96 from the Church of Rome to the Church of Corinth, urging peace and obedience to its leaders, and one of the earliest Christian writings after the New Testament.
When is St. Clement’s feast day?
November 23.
More saints
- Sts. Cyril and Methodius
- St. Ignatius of Antioch
- St. Polycarp
- St. Columban
- Blessed Miguel Pro
- Prayer for the Pope
- Saint of the day
Texts and sources
- St. Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians, chs. 59 and 61, trans. Kirsopp Lake, The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 1 (Loeb Classical Library, 1912), public domain (Wikisource).
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), St. Clement I (November 23), Collect, public domain (archive.org).