Taken from The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Guéranger  (1841-1875)

Quote:Pope Linus was born at Volterra in Tuscany, and was the first to succeed St. Peter in the government of the Church. His faith and holiness were so great, that he not only cast out devils, but even raised the dead to life. He wrote the acts of blessed Peter, and in particular what he had done against Simon Magus. He decreed that no woman should enter a church with her head uncovered. On account of his constancy in confessing the Christian faith, this Pontiff was beheaded by command of Saturninus, a wicked and ungrateful ex-consul, whose daughter he had delivered from the tyranny of the devils. He was buried on the Vatican, near the sepulcher of the Prince of the Apostles, on the ninth of Kalends of October. He governed the Church eleven years, two months, and twenty-three days. In two ordinations in the month of December he consecrated fifteen bishops and eighteen priests.
Simon Bar-Jona was invested with the sovereign Pontificate by our Lord in person, and openly before all; thou, O blessed Pontiff, didst receive in secret, yet nonetheless directly from Jesus, the keys of the kingdom of heaven. In thy person began the reign of pure faith; henceforth the Bride, though she hears not the Man-God repeat his injunction to Peter: feed my lambs, nevertheless acknowledges the continuance of his authority in the lawfully appointed representative of her Divine Spouse. Obtain by thy prayers, that the shadows of earth may never cause us to waver in our obedience; and that hereafter we may merit, with thee, to contemplate our Divine Head in the light of eternal day.