March 28 | Pope Saint Sixtus III

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, we are going to the 5th century. The Roman Empire is shaking, everything is changing, and in the middle of it all stands a man who decided to build when everyone else was afraid things were falling apart. The year is 432 AD.

Rome isn't the stable superpower it used to be. It's a time of confusion. People are arguing, loudly, about who Jesus is. Who Mary is, and what it all means. It's a chaotic time to be a leader. You'd have to be tough, smart, and willing to stand your ground. Enter the 44th Pope. His name is Sixtus.

Now, usually, when someone becomes pope, they take a new name to signify their new life, but not this guy. He was born in Rome in the year 390, and when he was elected to lead the entire church, he looked at the name his parents decided, to keep it. He is one of the few popes in history to continue using his birth name after ascending to the papacy. But who was he? Our records tell us that he was Italian and that he died in the year 440 at only 50 years old.

He was pope for only about eight years, but in that short decade, he was an absolute powerhouse. We don't know much about his childhood or his early life. He enters the history books like a superhero walking out of the shadows right when the city needs him. And the city did need him. See, the church was dealing with some major drama. The Nestorian heresy and the Pelagian heresy. The Nestorians were confused about Mary. They didn't think she should be called the mother of God.

They thought she was just the mother of the human part of Jesus. Pope Sixtus knew that if you diminish Mary, you diminish Jesus. Sixtus didn't back down. He approved the Council of Ephesus. This was a massive gathering of church leaders that put their foot down and confirmed the Blessed Mother's role as truly the Mother of God.

Sixtus didn't just fight with words and counsels. He fought with bricks and mortar. He wanted to make sure nobody ever forgot that Mary is the mother of God. So, what did he do? He launched a massive construction project. He is famous for the architectural achievements that happened while he was pope. Specifically, he ordered the construction of the papal basilica of St. Mary Major. If you go to Rome today, this building is still there. It's huge. It's beautiful. And every stone in that building screams the truth that Sixtus fought for.

He also completed the Basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill. He was also a man of deep connection. A letter he wrote to none other than St. Augustine of Hippo is still preserved to this day. Sixtus' time as pope was intense, but short. He died of natural causes at the age of fifty. His canonization was pre-congregation, which is a fancy way of saying he was recognized as a saint by the early church long before the modern official process was invented.

He celebrated on March 28th. This week, emulate Sixtus by doing something physical to honor Mary. Maybe that means placing some flowers by a statue of Mary at your parish or in your home. Or simply pray one Hail Mary, slowly, really focusing on the words Mother of God, thinking about how hard Sixtus fought to protect that title. Sixtus kept his own name, but he was not a saint. He was a Christian. He was a Christian. He was a Christian. He was a Christian.

But he made sure the world knew Mary's true name. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.