St. Sylvester I – Feast: – 31st December

St. Sylvester I, Pope and Confessor

Feast Day: December 31 (Traditional & Current Roman Calendar)
Patron of: teachers, academics, writers, and seekers of truth

St. Sylvester I (died 31 December 335) was the 33rd Pope (reigned 31 January 314 – 31 December 335), serving during one of the most pivotal moments in Church history: the transition from persecution to official recognition under Emperor Constantine the Great.

 Why December 31 is Perfect for His Feast

He died on 31 December 335 → his feast has been kept on his dies natalis (“birthday into heaven”) for over 1,500 years.

Ends the civil year with a saint who helped Christianity begin its public life.

Historical Highlights

Event	Year	Significance
Edict of Milan (Constantine & Licinius)	313	Ended persecution; Sylvester became pope 10 months later
First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea	325	Sylvester sent legates; the council gave us the original Nicene Creed
Building of great Roman basilicas	320s	St. John Lateran, Old St. Peter’s, Santa Croce — all begun under his pontificate & Constantine’s patronage
Baptism of Constantine (legend)	337	Popular medieval legend said Sylvester baptized the emperor (actually done later on Constantine’s deathbed by another bishop)

 Patronages

Pope St. Sylvester is patron of:

The city of Rome

Stone masons & builders (because of the great basilicas)

The Order of St. Sylvester (papal knighthood)

Animals (from the medieval “Sylvester Night” blessings)

A good year ahead (New Year’s Eve connection)

Traditional New Year’s Eve Customs (Still Observed in Some Places)

“Sylvester Night” (Silvesterabend) blessings of homes, animals, and fields

Ringing out the old year with the “Sylvester bell”

Papal Te Deum on Dec 31 (started by Pope St. Paul VI in 1966) is sung in thanksgiving for the year — directly tied to St. Sylvester’s feast

PRAYERS

Short Prayer for December 31

O God, who called your servant Sylvester to shepherd your flock in an age of new freedom, grant that we who celebrate his memory may end this year in peace and begin the new one in your grace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Sylvester I – pray for us as we close Past Year and welcome the New Year

Prayer:

Saint Sylvester, you were privileged not only to be elected pope, but to do so during a time of great progress and transformation for the Church. You took control and navigated the Church at this crucial and pivotal time by God’s grace and hard work. Please pray for me, that I will wholeheartedly embrace the mission given to me by Christ, so that God can use me for important work in this day and age. Saint Sylvester, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

PRAYER: Lord, come to the aid of Your people who are supported by the intercession of St. Sylvester Your Pope. May they pass the present life under Your guidance so that they may have the happiness of attaining life in heaven. Amen.

Pray with Saint Sylvester

Dear God, Saint Sylvester lived through many good and bad events during his long years of service as Pope, from horrendous persecutions to the downfall of the persecutors. As I think of all that I’ve experienced this past year, I ask him to pray for any loose ends to be resolved during the new year. Send in angels to help me resist temptation. Cover me, Lord Jesus, with your grace and precious Blood. Protect me from the fiery arrows that demons throw at me. Help me to die into Your love so that I may spend eternity with You, in the heavenly home that You are preparing for me. Saint Sylvester, pray for me. All you saints in heaven, rejoice with me. O Lord, we give You all the praise, all the honor, and all the glory. Amen!