Feast day: 30 November
Saint Andrew the Apostle
Sanctus Andreas Apostolus
Brother of Simon Peter and a disciple of John the Baptist, Andrew was the first to follow Jesus and immediately brought his brother to him; tradition places his preaching in Greece and his martyrdom on a cross at Patras.
- Born
- Early 1st century, Bethsaida in Galilee
- Died
- Traditionally c. 60–70, Patras in Achaia (Greece), crucified
- Canonization
- Venerated as an apostle and martyr from apostolic times; no formal process, his cult is universal in East and West.
- Country
- Holy Land and Greece
Biography
Fisherman of Bethsaida
Andrew worked the Sea of Galilee with his brother Simon and was a disciple of John the Baptist. When the Baptist pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, Andrew followed him, stayed with him that day, and then found his brother saying, 'We have found the Messiah' (John 1:35-42). For this the Greek Church calls him Protoclete, the First-Called.
In the Gospels
Andrew appears at decisive moments: he brings forward the boy with five loaves and two fish before the multiplication (John 6:8-9), and with Philip he introduces the Greeks who wish to see Jesus (John 12:20-22). He is always the one who leads others to Christ rather than seeking prominence himself.
Mission and martyrdom
Early writers such as Origen and Eusebius record a mission of Andrew in Scythia and along the Black Sea; later tradition sends him through Asia Minor to Achaia. At Patras he was condemned to death by crucifixion. The tradition of the X-shaped 'Saint Andrew's cross' is medieval and cannot be verified historically, though his crucifixion itself is attested from antiquity. Relics were translated to Constantinople, then to Amalfi, and his head, taken to Rome, was returned by Paul VI to Patras in 1964 as a gesture of unity with Orthodoxy.
Timeline
- c. 28 — Disciple of John the Baptist at the Jordan
- c. 28 — Follows Jesus and brings Peter to him
- c. 30 — Present at the multiplication of the loaves
- ~c. 33 — Pentecost in Jerusalem with the Twelve
- ~c. 60–70 — Martyred at Patras in Achaia
- 1964 — Paul VI returns his head-relic to Patras
Dates marked ~ are traditional or debated among historians.
Symbols
Saltire (X-shaped cross) — The form of cross given him by medieval tradition; the flag of Scotland derives from it.
Fishing net — His trade and his call to be a fisher of men.
Two fish — The loaves and fishes he brought to Jesus.
Virtues & spiritual lessons
Readiness to follow at the first call, humility content to serve in his brother's shadow, and an apostolic instinct that always introduces others to Christ.
Importance in the Church
As the first disciple called, Andrew is the model of Christian evangelisation from person to person. He is the patron of the Church of Constantinople, and the annual exchange of delegations between Rome and the Phanar on his feast is a pillar of Catholic-Orthodox dialogue.
Quotes
“We have found the Messiah.”
John 1:41
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?”
John 6:9
Prayers
Collect of Saint Andrew
We humbly implore your majesty, O Lord, that, just as the blessed Apostle Andrew was for your Church a preacher and pastor, so he may be for us a constant intercessor before you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Latin: Maiestatem tuam, Domine, suppliciter exoramus, ut, sicut Ecclesiae tuae beatus Andreas Apostolus exstitit praedicator et rector, ita apud te sit pro nobis perpetuus intercessor.
Collect of the feast, Roman Missal, 30 November.
Places
Church of Saint Andrew, Patras (Greece) — Site of his martyrdom and of his relics.
Cathedral of Amalfi (Italy) — Where most of his relics were brought in 1208.
St Andrews (Scotland) — Medieval pilgrimage centre of his patronage.
Scripture
John 1:35-42 — The calling of Andrew and of Peter.
John 12:20-22 — The Greeks who wish to see Jesus.
Entries are drawn from the Roman Martyrology, the General Roman Calendar, canonization records of the Holy See, and the saints' own writings. Where a date, quotation or attribution is uncertain, it is marked as such. (63 saints)