St. Polycarp was converted to Christianity by the Apostle John. St. Irenaeus never forgot the first time that he heard St. Polycarp speak of being a student of John.  Irenaeus was young but he noted everything that Polycarp said on his heart.

Pat Gohn over at Patheos has an interesting article on today’s Saint;

…”Still, Polycarp is one of the heroes of the earliest Church and everyone should know his name. Memorialized by the Church for his readiness to die for the faith, in doing so, Polycarp witnessed to what it means to live as a loyal disciple. The liturgical calendar honors his martyrdom on February 23rd for good reason.” Read more here.