Apostles · Martyrs · Patrons of Rome
They confessed the risen Christ. Rome took their lives.
Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Paul proclaimed the Lord who had risen from the dead. Entrusted with different missions, they preached one Gospel and sealed their witness in Rome with their blood.
Simon Peter left his nets at the word of Christ. He confessed Jesus as the Messiah, received the keys of the kingdom, and was commanded to strengthen his brethren and feed the Lord’s flock.
He also denied Christ three times. After the Resurrection, Christ asked him three times to feed His sheep. The Church recognizes the office entrusted to Peter as continuing in the Bishop of Rome.
Saul set out for Damascus to arrest Christians. On the road he encountered the risen Christ, entered the city blind, and was baptized. The persecutor became the apostle sent to the Gentiles.
Paul crossed the Roman world preaching Christ crucified and risen. His letters formed the churches he had founded and still instruct the Church. The sword recalls both the Word he carried and his traditional martyrdom by beheading.
For Paul, the Crucifixion was the saving sacrifice of the Son of God, and the Resurrection was real. This was the Gospel he carried into hostile cities and prison cells. If Christ had conquered death, neither imperial power nor fear of death could claim the apostle’s final allegiance.
Peter and Paul differed in temperament, history, and work. They even confronted one another. Both eventually came to Rome, confessed the same Lord, and suffered martyrdom there—traditionally during the persecution under Nero.
The Church celebrates them together on June 29: Peter, the rock entrusted with the keys, and Paul, the apostle sent to the nations. Rome became the meeting place of their final witness.
At a glance
Peter confesses Christ; Paul later encounters the risen Lord.
Peter leads and Paul undertakes his missionary journeys.
Both apostles are martyred at Rome according to ancient tradition.
The Church celebrates their united apostolic witness.
Watch the story
A brief account of the fisherman called from Galilee and the persecutor stopped on the road to Damascus.
Sources & further reading
The design standard
Peter and Paul carried the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord, crucified for our salvation and risen from the dead. That truth demanded conversion, preaching, and fidelity to the Church Christ founded. It carried them through imprisonment and martyrdom.
The faith they handed down demands our lives too. Learn what the Church teaches. Repent of the sins you excuse. Return to confession. Worship at Mass. Remain in the communion of the Catholic Church, and teach your children the faith you received.
When witness is required, speak plainly about Christ. When a neighbor needs mercy, act. The key and the sword beneath the Cross call us to the same allegiance. Now it has come down to us. Confess it. Live it. Hand it on.
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Saints Peter & Paul — United in Witness Heavyweight Tee