Theodore the Sacristan

Theodore the Sacristan was, in the 6th century, a sacristan of the basilica of Saint Peter in Rome and was later venerated as a saint in the Western Church. He is remembered in the Roman Martyrology on 26 December, in the Western calendar.

What is known of him comes from the Dialogues of Pope Gregory the Great (book 3, chapter 24). One morning Theodore rose very early to tend the lamps at the door of the basilica. As he stood on the ladder he used to fill them with oil, the holy Apostle Peter appeared to him dressed in a white stole and asked why he had risen so early, then vanished. Theodore was seized with great fear and for several days could not rise from his bed. Gregory explains that the apparition was a sign of the apostle's favor, who wished to show those who serve him that he always sees what is done in his honor. He mentions him alongside another sacristan of Saint Peter's, Abundius. Theodore died in 560, and his body is believed to have been laid in the basilica where he served, though the place is not known.