Saints Philip & James, Apostles
Ss. Philippi et Iacobi Apostolorum
On this day the Church honours two of the Twelve, the Apostles Philip and James the Less, whose relics rest together in Rome at the basilica of the Holy Apostles.
Saints Philip and James were among the twelve Apostles chosen by our Lord Jesus Christ to be the foundations of his Church. The Church keeps their memory on a single day because their relics are venerated together at Rome, in the basilica long known as the Church of the Holy Apostles, dedicated in their honour.
Saint Philip
Saint Philip was of Bethsaida in Galilee, the town of Peter and Andrew, and was among the first whom the Lord called, saying to him simply, “Follow me.” The Gospel of Saint John preserves several memorable moments in which Philip appears: he brought Nathanael to Jesus; at the feeding of the multitude the Lord proved him by asking whence bread might be bought; and at the Last Supper it was Philip who said, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us,” receiving the great answer, “He that seeth me seeth the Father also.” After Pentecost he preached the Gospel, and tradition holds that he laboured and died in Asia Minor.
Saint James the Less
Saint James, called the Less to distinguish him from the other Apostle James, was the son of Alphaeus and is honoured as the first Bishop of Jerusalem, where he governed the mother Church with such holiness that he was revered even beyond its bounds. The Church has long associated him with the Epistle of Saint James in the New Testament, that letter of sober and practical wisdom which teaches that faith without works is dead. Ancient tradition relates that he sealed his apostolic witness with martyrdom at Jerusalem.
The collect of their feast gives thanks that God makes the Church glad by the yearly festival of his Apostles Philip and James, and asks that we who rejoice in their merits may be instructed by their example. In honouring them the faithful honour the whole apostolic college, through whom the faith of Christ has come down to us. Their feast is kept on the eleventh of May, having been moved from the first of that month when the feast of Saint Joseph the Workman was instituted.
The Collect
O God, who makest us glad by the yearly festival of thy Apostles Philip and James: grant, we beseech thee; that, as we rejoice in their merits, so we may be instructed by their example.
Deus, qui nos ánnua Apostolórum tuórum Philíppi et Iacóbi solemnitáte lætíficas: præsta, quæsumus; ut, quorum gaudémus méritis, instruámur exémplis.
Patronage
As Apostles they are venerated throughout the Church; their relics are honoured at the basilica of the Holy Apostles in Rome.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar this feast is observed on 3 May.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saints Philip and James?
In the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal their feast is kept on 11 May as a Second Class feast. In the modern calendar it is observed on 3 May.
Who were Saints Philip and James?
They were two of the twelve Apostles. Philip was of Bethsaida in Galilee and appears several times in the Gospel of Saint John; James the Less, son of Alphaeus, was the first Bishop of Jerusalem and is associated with the Epistle of Saint James.
Why are they honoured on the same day?
Their relics are venerated together at Rome in the basilica of the Holy Apostles, which was dedicated in their honour, and so the Church keeps their memory on a single feast.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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