The Feast of St. Peter & St. Paul

A lot of people might be wondering what’s so special about the Feast of St Peter and St Paul. It’s an annual celebration of the lives and deaths of Peter and Paul. Commemorating the lives of important Christian saints and martyrs, and particularly one in all the Twelve Apostles, has been an essential aspect of Christian life ever since the first century. The Feast of St Peter and St Paul is of historical importance thanks to the big influence that these two men had on the event of the first Church.

St Peter (Simon Peter) is mainly viewed as the leader of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Peter and his brother Andrew were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee, were called by Jesus to be his disciples. As one of the Twelve Apostles, Peter witnessed many of Jesus teachings. He's portrayed within the will as a valiant but weak follower, who despite promising never to betray Jesus, denies him three times before the crucifixion (here are some stories of Peter denying Jesus: Matthew 26:69–74, Mark 14:66–72, Luke 22:55–62). After Jesus' death and resurrection, Peter journeyed to spread the news of the Gospel. He founded the Church in Rome but was later put to death by the order of the Emperor Nero.

St Paul (Saul) was very different compared to Peter. Paul was a faithful Jew and Pharisee from the town of Tarsus who was a good persecutor of Christians within the first years of the Church. However, he received a dramatic change experience on the road to Damascus and was later baptised as a Christian. Paul travelled across the world preaching to Jews and Gentiles about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His influence on the early church was remarkable and the majority of his writings are in the New Testament. Paul was later on executed in Rome during the rule of Emperor Nero. 

The Feast Day of St Peter and St Paul commemorates these two men of the early Church, who shared much of their ministry together in Rome.