The Apostles, Holy Spirit, and the Virgin Mary

St. Peter

• Feast Days: February 22, June 29, November 18; The First Pope

• He was a fisherman along with his brother Andrew from Bethsaida

• Arrived in Rome during persecution of Christians-Arrested and crucified upside down

• During the Agony in the Garden, he cut off the right ear of the high priest’s slave

(http://www.catholic.org)

• More has been written about him than any of the other apostles, and was at Jesus’ side through many events in the New Testament

(http://www.catholic.org)

• His symbol is a pair of keys, the keys of the kingdom of heaven given to him when Jesus made him head of the Church

St. Andrew

• Feast Day: November 30

• One of the first men Jesus called to follow him

• His symbol is an “X” shaped cross, because it is believed he died in an “X” shaped cross

• Brought his brother, Peter, to meet Jesus (Also a fisherman like Peter)

• Patron Saint of Scotland and Russia

• Believed Andrew went to Greece when the Lord ascended into Heaven

(http://www.catholic.org)

• It is said he was put to death on the cross, but was tied, not nailed to it. He lived two days in that state of suffering, preaching the Good News to all the people that gathered around him (http://www.catholic.org)

James the Great

• Read more in Christianity

  « STRUGGLE FOR SUPREMACY BETWEEN MANKIND,LUCIFER AND THE CREATOR

  Accepting Jesus as Your Savior »

  Feast Day: July 25

• Brother of John; son of Zebedee and Salome; fisherman and Peter’s partner along with John

• Himself and John once asked Jesus to give them places of honor in his kingdom

• First of the Twelve to be martyred for Christ. Beheaded in Jerusalem at the command of King Herod

• Patron Saint of Spain

• Symbols are a traveler’s staff and a pilgrim’s bell

• Given authority to drive out demons and heal, mission to proclaim the good news

(http://www.catholic.org)

• Was one of the privileged of the Apostles (Peter, James the Greater, and John

(http://www.catholic.org)

John

• Feast Day: December 27

• Only apostle that was not married and died a natural death

• Only apostle to stand beneath the cross, and was given to mary as a son

• Himself and John were called “sons of thunder” for being quick tempered, but he devoloped into a gentle, sensitive, loving man

• His symbol is an eagle, and traitionally he was the 4th evangelist

Philip

• Feast Day: May 3

• Came from Bethsaida

• Jesus himself invited him to follow him, and convinced Jesus was the one Moses and the prophets had written about, he invited his friend Nathaneal to come and see Jesus

• His symbol is a column or pillar because it is though he died hanging from one

• Did great missionary work in Asia Minor, where he was buried

Bartholomew

• Feast Day: August 24

• Believed to be Nathaneal. Bartholomew may mean “son of Tolomai” in Hebrew- bar Tolomai

• Jesus spoke of hm as an honest and straightforward Israelite

• Traveled east to preach the Gospel

• He was arrested, tortured with a knife, his symbol, and finally put to death

Matthew

• Feast Day:September 21

• Also called Levi, was a tax collector in Capernaum

• Gave a prompt response to Jesus’ call, he immediately left his money booth and followed Jesus.

• He is an evangelist, he wrote the first book of the Gospel- Matthew. His symbol as and evangelist is a head of a man.

• Tradition is that he died a martyr’s death

Thomas

• Feast Day: July 3

• Best remembered as a “doubting” Thomas for questioning the appearance of Jesus to the Apostles after his resurrection- he was not with them

• Although he is a horse builder, his symbol as an apostle is carpenting tools

• He is the patron saint of carpenters, architects, and the blind

• He brought the Good News to India were he died a martyr and was buried

James the Less

• Feast Day: May 3

• Brother of the Apostle Jude. The title “the Less” might be given to him because he was the shorter or the younger of the two

• His mother was Mary of Clopas-a follower of Jesus and possibly a cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary

• First Bishop of Jerusalem and might have written the letter in the New Testament that bears his name.

• Was beaten to death by Jews who were angry that Paul had escaped death by appealing to Caesar, and so his symbol is a club

Jude

• Feast Day: October 28

• Perhaps a cousin of Jesus, this apostle is also known as Thaddeus

• Patron of hopeless cases for an unknown reason

• He preached in Mesopotamia and Persia. One of the letters of the New Testament contains his name

• Pagan magicians killed him for exposing how they fooled the people. His symbol is an axe, the instrument of his death

Simon

• Feast Day: October 28

• The only apostle who was a Zealot- when he decided to follow Jesus, he had to change to peacefully pursue the Kingdom of God

• Preached the Gospel in Egypt and then in Persia with Jude

• In Persia, he was beaten with clubs and then sawed into pieces. His symbol is a saw

Judas

• Judas Iscariot is belived to be from the town of Judea

• He was entrusted with the common funds, although he took some of the money that belonged to all. He betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. When he realized what he had done, he hanged himself.

• He has no feast day

• According to Acts of the Apostles, he was fell and was killed in a field that he bought with his blood money

Matthias

• Feast Day: May 14

• Selected to take the place of Judas

• Matthias had followed Jesus from the beginning and witnessed the Resurrected Lord.

• Preached in Palestine and martyred by crucifixion. His symbol is a lance.

Mary, The Blessed Mother

• The Best and First apostle of Jesus- Queen of the Apostles

• The Mother of Jesus and all of us. She conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

• Patron Saint of many continents

• Her faith and obedience made her open to God’s will.

The Holy Spirit

• The Third of the Trinity.

• Appeared many times in Jesus’s life.

• Lives in each and every one of us.

• Descended upon us during Pentecost