Saints Peter and Paul are being celebrated since 258 A.D. While the 29 of June signifies the name day of all the “Peters” and “Pauls”, for the two apostles that day was a symbol of their devotion to Jesus Christ.
Saint Peter
The apostle Peter was born in Bethsaida, near Lake Gennesaret, where he and his brother Andrew practiced the profession of fisherman, along with two other Apostles, James and John, sons of Zebedee. He lived in Capernaum, where his wife came from. We know that Peter was married because Christ healed his mother-in-law. Likely, the wife was not alive when Christ called him to the apostolic office. In fact, in his missionary tours, Peter had with him not his wife but a Christian sister to serve him. His calling to the apostolic office was made gradually. Peter was first introduced to Christ by his brother Andreas. He was apparently present at Cana’s wedding, and shortly thereafter he settled in Capernaum with Jesus and the other disciples.
After a long tour from Judea, Peter founded the Church of Antioch and preached, baptizing and ordaining Bishops in various places, after first passing through Sicily (where he ordained the first Bishops of Syracuse and Catania). ) ended up in Rome where he ordained St. Lino the first Bishop of the Roman Capital. There, he learned that his arrest was planned because of the persecution of Christians, and that is why he was preparing to leave the city.
Leaving Rome, he saw Christ moving in the opposite direction holding a cross. Peter curiously asked him, “Where are you going, Lord? / Quo vadis, Domine?” and He answered him “I am going to Rome to be crucified again / Romam vado iterum crucifigi” (Acts.). Then Peter realized that he had to endure the martyrdom and returning to Rome he surrendered.
Saint Paul
The apostle Paul, as he says, was born in Tarsus of Cilicia to Jewish parents of the tribe of Benjamin (Rom. 16: 1; Phil. 3: 5). His father was a Roman citizen which may mean that he came from the upper classes of the population of Cilicia and may have been a Pharisee in terms of religious preferences.
The Hebrew name of the apostle was Saul (Saul) but for his fellow citizens outside the Synagogue it was Paul (Paulus). His upbringing and upbringing was strictly rabbinical and Jewish. Common Hebrew was the language spoken in his home.
In addition to the theoretical education he received, he also learned the art of the stage designer, in order to make a living with a manual profession like most rabbis. In other words, it is possible that he wove a fabric that was used for staging as Tarsus as well as all of Cilicia, as evidenced by the Latin term Cilicium (= cloth made of goat hair), was a place of manufacture of such fabrics.
From a persecutor of Christianity, he then made a conversion not from the persuasion of an Apostle or preacher of the new faith, but directly from Christ himself, who called him to the gospel work and to the apostolic office.
The Holy Celebration
St. Peter and Paul’s day is the feast day that honors the martyrdom of the two saints, sometime between AD 64 and 68. While the church recognizes that they may not have died on the same day, tradition says that this is the day that they were both martyred in Rome by Emperor Nero.
