The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle

Saul of Tarsus was a devout Jew, a Pharisee and a Roman citizen, who zealously persecuted the first Christians and approved the stoning of Saint Stephen. The Acts of the Apostles tells that, a few years after Jesus' resurrection, as he traveled to Damascus to arrest Christians, a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" It was Jesus.

Blinded, Saul was led into Damascus, where after three days a disciple named Ananias laid hands on him; his sight was restored and he was baptized. The persecutor became the tireless missionary who carried the Gospel across the Roman world, founded churches and wrote the letters that fill much of the New Testament. The Church celebrates his conversion on January 25, a feast known in the West since at least the sixth century.

The feast closes the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18–25), and the Pope traditionally celebrates Vespers at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. The great city of São Paulo, Brazil, was founded by Jesuit missionaries on January 25, 1554, and takes its name from the feast; the city celebrates its anniversary that day.