The eighth head of the church, Saint Telesphorus was born in Calabria, Italy, to a Greek family. He served as Bishop of the Church for many years before being elected Pope of the Church. He was elected in AD125 as the successor to Saint Sixtus. He bravely led the Church during Emperor Hadrian’s persecution.

Church traditions attest that he was a hermit before he was elected bishop. Even after becoming the pope, moved to a small home outside of Terra Nova near Mount Carmel and remained there until he felt a calling to the church. Therefore, the Carmelite Congregation still sees Pope Telesphorus as one of the their mediators.

The time he spent in seclusion would shape his papacy as he often preferred being on his own to spending time with bishops and other religious leaders. Telesphorus also believed that his time in seclusion would help him assist others.

Telesphorus realized the need for the pope to protect the faith of the Church from erroneous teachings. At that time, there were many sects within the church that were separating from the church. Some of them did not acknowledge the eternal virginity of the Holy Mother, while others argued and believed that Christ was not the Son of God but only the Son of Man. He reacted strongly against such heresies and led the church in the right path.

During and before the reign of Pope Telesphorus, bishops and priests in the Church celebrated Easter on different dates. They saw the Passover as the basis for such a celebration, according to the Jewish calendar. However, he expressed his opposition to such a practice and ordered that it be observed in the church only on Easter Sunday. Pope Telesphorus is the patron saint of Christmas Mass and Lent. It is believed that the practice of singing Gloria during the Mass also began during his papacy.

After a decade-long reign, Pope Telesphorus was martyred in AD136 as testified by Saint Irenaeus. The Church celebrates his feast day on January 5th.