Saint Telesphorus was a Greek by birth, though some authors say that he was born in Terranova, in Calabria. It is by some affirmed that his father was an anchorite, and that Telesphorus himself was Roman by birth. Some say that by his decrees he confirmed the observance of Lent; and others affirm that the quadragesimal fast came down by tradition, as stated by Saint Ignatius, Saint Jerome, and Theophilus. At any rate, he is credited with having introduced the “Gloria in Excelsis” in the Mass.
This holy pope suffered martyrdom, A.D. 139.
In his four ordinations Telesphorus created thirteen bishops, fifteen priests, and eight deacons. Some pious Christians removed his body after execution, and placed it near that of Saint Peter, in the Vatican.
It is said that this pope ordered that all priests should celebrate three Masses on Christmas day. However, this observance was followed under Saint Gregory the Great.
Saint Telesphorus presided over the Holy See during eleven years, eight months, and eighteen days.
- from "The Lives and Times of the Popes", by Alexis-François Artaud de Montor