SAINTS CORNELIUS (died 253) AND CYPRIAN (died 258)
September 16
	Cornelius was a Roman citizen, who, after 14 months without a bishop, succeeded Saint Fabian in the papacy. This new candidate created serious problems for Fabian, as he described the papal election of Cornelius as illegitimate. He was opposed to apostates, those who have abandoned their Christian faith, being received into the Church, while the new Pope Cornelius maintained that they could be readmitted after penance. In 253, persecution was declared against Christians and Cornelius was exiled, suffering captivity and later beheading. During his exile he received a letter from Bishop Cyprian, who congratulated him for suffering in the name of Christ. Cyprian had converted to Christianity at the age of 45, renouncing his pleasant life and embracing not only the Gospel, but also Christian authors, most notably Tertullian. Thanks to his knowledge of oratory and rhetoric, he greatly promoted Christianity in Africa. As a bishop, he was firm and charitable, yet faced persecution and was also later beheaded. Both Cyprian and Cornelius are remembered in Eucharistic Prayer I of the Roman Rite.
—Meghan McDonagh