St Peter (Simon Peter) (Died Approx. 64) was a fisherman probably from Bethsaida, Galilee. He and his brother Andrew became one of Jesus’ twelve Apostles, “fishers of men”. He is extensively referred to throughout the New Testament including two letters attributed to him. St Peter accompanied Jesus on many occasions. He would have listened to Him preach and teach as well as witness many of his miracles. Jesus’ final miracle was to heal the ear of a servant which St Peter cut off in the Garden of Gethsemane.
St Peter was appointed the leader of the Apostles – “the rock”, and with St Paul is recognised as having been critical to the spread of Christianity following Jesus’ crucifixion. St Peter, the first Bishop of Rome, was martyred by crucifixion, upside down. He was buried underneath the high altar where the Basilica of St Peter was originally built. Pope Francis revealed small bone relics of St Peter to the public in November 2013.
The Feast of St Peter is the 29th of June.
St Paul (5 – 67), although not one of the original twelve apostles, is a critical figure associated with the early spread of Christianity following Jesus’ crucifixion. St Paul was a devout Jew with Roman citizenship. He persecuted early followers of Jesus and tried to prevent the formation of the Christian Church. However, one day when travelling to Damascus he had a life-changing vision and was blinded for three days. Paul became an immediate convert to Christianity and devoted his remaining years to travelling, preaching and conversion. He was imprisoned and, although he avoided execution on various occasions, he was eventually martyred around 67AD.
The Feast of St Paul is the 29th of June.
St’s Peter & Paul:
Pray for us that we will live a life true to Jesus’ teachings.
Glory be to the Father…
