St. Sylvester- December 31

The last day of December, which is also the seventh day of Christmas, has long been the feast of St. Silvester/Sylvester. This feast has a long history in Germanic areas of Europe, and it may have become popular as a counterbalance to pagan or secular New Year's Eve celebrations. 

Sylvester was the Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope, from 314 to 335 A.D. He became Bishop of Rome soon after the Emperor Constantine issued his Edict of Toleration for Christianity, and so he served during a time of great change for the Church. Sylvester sent legates or representatives to a council at Arles in southern France in 314, which tried to resolve the Donatist Schism. He also sent legates to the Council of Nicea in what is now Turkey in 325. Of course, this council, which became known as the First Ecumenical Council, defended the reality of the Incarnation against the Arian heresy. In doing so, it issued most of what became known as the Nicene Creed.

Many later legends about Sylvester are not trustworthy. Some of them seem to have been used as excuses to justify medieval papal temporal powers. Despite such abuses, Sylvester himself is an example of a faithful pastor striving to defend the Faith during a period of upheaval in the Church and in the larger society. Recalling his feast day could also be useful for Christians seeking a more moderate observance in place of pagan New Year's Eve celebrations.