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Rufus
SaintFull write-upPre-congregation
Feast: 18 December (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
—
unknown
Died
107
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Rufus and Zosimus were martyrs who were taken to Rome with St. Ignatius of Antioch and put to death there for firmly confessing Christ in the persecution under Trajan. St. Polycarp mentions them in his letter to the Philippians. They are commemorated on 18 December.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A martyr put to death at Rome under Trajan, a companion of St. Ignatius of Antioch.
Connected on this site
- Ignatius of Antioch Saint“Ignatius of Antioch and put to death there for firmly confessing Christ in the persecution under Trajan.” — this site's research
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Saints Rufus
- Wikidata Q54578179 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.