Duodecim Apostoli
The Apostles
Apostles means “those sent.” Christ chose twelve men to be with Him, preach the Kingdom, and carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. After Judas’s betrayal, Matthias was chosen to restore the number twelve. St. Paul, though not one of the Twelve, received the title Apostle by direct encounter with the risen Christ and labored as Apostle to the Gentiles.
13 apostles
Prince of the Apostles
Simon, renamed Peter (“Rock”) by Christ, was a fisherman of Galilee and brother of Andrew. Jesus entrusted him with the keys of the Kingdom and primacy among the apostles. Peter denied Christ but was restored and preached boldly at Pentecost. He led the early Church in Jerusalem and Rome, where he was martyred head downward at his own request, deeming himself unworthy to die as his Lord did.
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Brother of Peter and a disciple of John the Baptist, Andrew was the first to follow Jesus and brought his brother to the Lord. He preached the Gospel in Greece and Asia Minor. Tradition holds he was bound to a cross shaped like an X, the saltire, where he preached for two days before dying.
Read profile →Apostle · Son of Thunder
Son of Zebedee and brother of John, James was among the inner circle who witnessed the Transfiguration and Agony in the Garden. With John he was surnamed Boanerges, “Son of Thunder.” He was the first apostle martyred. His relics rest at Santiago de Compostela, one of Christendom’s greatest pilgrimage destinations.
Read profile →Apostle · Evangelist · Beloved Disciple
Brother of James the Greater, John reclined beside Christ at the Last Supper and stood at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus entrusted Mary to his care. He preached in Asia Minor and was exiled to Patmos, where he received the Revelation. His Gospel and letters breathe the theology of divine love.
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Philip came from Bethsaida, as did Peter and Andrew. He brought Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Christ. At the multiplication of the loaves he asked how the crowd might be fed. Tradition records his preaching in Greece and Phrygia and martyrdom by crucifixion.
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Bartholomew is widely identified with Nathanael, whom Philip brought to Jesus. Christ praised him as an Israelite without guile. He preached in India and Armenia. Iconography often shows him holding his own skin, recalling his brutal martyrdom.
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Thomas doubted the Resurrection until he touched Christ’s wounds, and made the great confession: “My Lord and my God!” He is credited with carrying the Gospel to India, where the ancient St. Thomas Christians trace their origins to his preaching.
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A tax collector at Capernaum, Matthew left everything at Jesus’ word and hosted a feast where sinners met the Lord. His Gospel presents Jesus as fulfillment of the Old Testament and the new Moses who teaches the Beatitudes on the mountain.
Read profile →Apostle · Bishop of Jerusalem
Called “the Less” to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee, he is often identified with James the “brother of the Lord” who led the Church in Jerusalem. He presided over the Council of Jerusalem and wrote the decree read by Paul.
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Not Judas Iscariot, he is called Thaddeus or Jude to avoid confusion. He asked Jesus at the Last Supper why He would reveal Himself to the disciples and not the world. He is patron of hopeless causes and is widely invoked in desperate need.
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Called the Zealot, perhaps for former membership in the Jewish resistance to Rome, or for zeal in faith. He preached the Gospel alongside Jude in Egypt and Persia. Tradition holds both were martyred on the same day.
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After Judas’s death, the Eleven chose Matthias by lot to restore the number twelve, witnessing from John’s baptism to the Ascension. He had been among the Lord’s followers from the beginning though not of the original Twelve called on the mountain.
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Apostolus Gentium
- Saint PaulJune 29 (with Saint Peter) · Conversion: January 25
Apostle to the Gentiles
A Pharisee and persecutor of the Church, Saul was struck down on the road to Damascus and called by the risen Christ. Renamed Paul, he became the great missionary to the Gentiles, planting churches across the Mediterranean. His epistles form a cornerstone of Catholic theology on grace, the Church, and the Eucharist.
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