Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

Simon was a fisherman of Galilee, brother of Andrew, whom Jesus named Peter, the Rock. He confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, and received the keys of the Kingdom. He denied his Lord three times during the Passion, yet after the Resurrection Jesus three times asked him, Do you love me? and entrusted his flock to him. Peter led the Church in Jerusalem, welcomed the first Gentiles and finally came to Rome, where he was crucified under Nero around 64, by tradition upside down.

Saul of Tarsus, a zealous Pharisee, persecuted the Church until the risen Christ met him on the road to Damascus. As Paul he traveled tirelessly across the Roman world, founding churches and writing the letters that fill much of the New Testament. He was beheaded in Rome around 67. Both are honored as the founders of the Church of Rome.

In Rome the Pope celebrates Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica and blesses the pallium for new archbishops, and the city keeps a holiday. Many parishes take up Peter's Pence, a collection for the Pope's charities.

In Peru, Chile, Colombia and other countries San Pedro is a beloved patron of fishermen, and coastal towns hold processions of decorated boats carrying his image out to sea. In Peru, Chile and Colombia the day is a national holiday.