Happy Feast Day of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle - fellow Apostle to Saint Jude.
Saint Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus.
Eusebius of Caesarea's Ecclesiastical History (5:10) states that after the Ascension, Bartholomew went on a missionary tour to India, where he left behind a copy of the Gospel of Matthew. Other traditions record him as serving as a missionary in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Parthia, and Lycaonia. Popular traditions and legends say that Bartholomew preached the Gospel in India, then went to Greater Armenia.
Our image shows the carvings of the Twelve Apostles round the apse in the inner Shrine byAnthony Foster. The design was based on the Malmesbury Apostles. Saint Paul has been substituted for Judas Iscariot.
Saint Bartholomew, pray for us. Saint Jude, pray for us.
Let us pray:
Strengthen in us, O Lord, the faith,
by which the blessed Apostle Bartholomew
clung wholeheartedly to your Son,
and grant that through the help of his prayers
your Church may become for all the nations
the sacrament of salvation.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Why not find out more about the Apostles? We would recommend you read some of these excellent books or articles:
- The Apostles - what happened after the Pentecost?
- Prayer cards for the Twelve Apostles
- A New Hope - book of reflections
- The Apostles: 12 Men Who Followed Jesus (book)
- A calendar of Saints (book)
- Popular Prayers (book)
- Reflection on the Sermon of the Mount (book)
- Read more about the Shrine, here.
