Saint Hyginus (158)

He was the tenth Pope. He fought vigorously against the heretics of his time, known as the Gnostics, who claimed that from reason and not from Revelation we could know all about God. He made beautiful regulations for the grades of rank among the clergy.

The clerics of the Catholic Church include four minor orders: porter, lector, exorcist, and acolyte. Then come the three major orders: subdeacon, deacon, and priest.

For monastic orders there are priors and abbots; for other religious orders, superiors, provincials, and generals. After this there are such hierarchical titles as monsignor, protonotary apostolic, chancellor, and vicar-general. Then come auxiliary bishop, coadjutor bishop, and then bishop, archbishop, apostolic delegate, primate, patriarch, cardinal, and, at the top, singularly and uniquely as the successor of Saint Peter, is the Pope.

The body of Saint Hyginus is buried near that of Saint Peter, the first Pope.

Pope Saint Hyginus