St. Anastasius I was the Supreme Pontiff, the head of the Catholic Church, for a very short period of 25 months, but these two years were a milestone in the history of the Church. He succeeded Pope Siricius on November 27, 399. In the company of great saints like Jerome, Augustine, and Paulinus, Anastasius is most remembered for his censure of the works of the Greek theologian Origen. He also initiated the practice of priests bowing their heads while reading the gospels and supported the resistance of persecuted Christians in North Africa against Donatism. St. Jerome records him as a man of holiness who was "rich in his poverty." Details of his birth are vague, though 330 AD is generally considered as his year of birth. Before he entered the clergy, he was married and had a son. He dedicated his life to the Catholic Church when his wife passed away.
St. Anastasius, obtain for us the grace to be faithful to the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church.
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