St. Peter

The Fisherman Called by Jesus

St. Peter, the chief of the Apostles and first pope, was born Simon in the first century at Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee and worked as a fisherman at Capernaum with his brother Andrew. Called by Jesus with the promise that he would become a 'fisher of men,' Simon left his nets and became the leader among the Twelve, present at the Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus's daughter, and the Agony in the Garden.

The Rock, the Keys, and Restoration

At Caesarea Philippi, Simon confessed, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,' and Jesus gave him a new name and a singular commission: 'You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church... I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.' The Gospels are unsparing about Peter's weakness — his impetuosity, his sinking in the waves, his threefold denial of Christ in the courtyard of the high priest — and equally clear about his restoration, when the risen Lord asked him three times, 'Do you love me?' and charged him, 'Feed my sheep.'

Head of the Early Church

After Pentecost, Peter emerges in the Acts of the Apostles as the visible head of the infant Church: preaching the first apostolic sermon, working the first healing, receiving the Gentile Cornelius into the Church, and presiding at the Council of Jerusalem. Two New Testament letters bear his name. Ancient and unanimous tradition holds that he ultimately came to Rome and there shepherded the Church until his martyrdom.

Martyrdom and Tomb on the Vatican Hill

Peter was put to death in Rome during the persecution of Nero, around the year 64 — according to early tradition, crucified upside down at his own request, counting himself unworthy to die as his Lord had. He was buried on the Vatican Hill, and twentieth-century excavations beneath St. Peter's Basilica uncovered the ancient shrine and bones venerated as his; the basilica's high altar rises directly above the tomb, the heart of Catholic pilgrimage to Rome.

Feasts and Patronage

Venerated from the earliest days as a pre-Congregation saint, Peter shares with St. Paul the great solemnity of June 29, and the Church also keeps the feasts of the Chair of St. Peter (February 22) and the Dedication of the Basilicas of Peter and Paul (November 18). He is the patron of popes, of the universal Church, and of fishermen.

Significance

In this fisherman from Galilee, the Church sees both human weakness and the faithfulness of Christ, who chose him as the rock on which to build. His denial and restoration give hope to every sinner, while his leadership and martyrdom in Rome ground the ministry of the popes who follow him. Pilgrims who pray at his tomb still find there a sign of the unity Christ wills for his Church.