Day 246 -- Pope Saint Boniface IV

Pope Saint Boniface IV born in Abruzzi, Italy around the year 550 to a doctor named John. He was a student of Saint Gregory the Great. He then became a Benedictine monk and deacon and served until Saint Gregory the Great. On August 25, 608 he was chosen as the 67 pope. The year after he was elected, he did converted the Roman temple of the old gods--the Pantheon--to a Christian Church which was dedicated to Our Lady and the Martyrs. This was the first time a conversion like this took place. He met with the first bishop of London when the Church expanded to England. He corresponded with Saint Columba and encouraged reforms among the clergy. Later in life, he converted his house to a monastery, lived there and divided his time between papal work and the prayerful life as a monk. He died in Rome in 615 of natural causes. His relics were moved a few times, and since October 21, 1603 they are in Saint Peter's Basilica.