Saint Andrew, Apostle
S. Andreae Apostoli
Saint Andrew, brother of Saint Peter and the first of the Apostles to be called by Christ, preached the Gospel widely and gave his life upon a cross, becoming a witness to the Lord he had followed from the beginning.
On the thirtieth of November, near the threshold of holy Advent, the Church keeps the feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle. He was a fisherman of Bethsaida in Galilee and the brother of Simon Peter. A disciple of Saint John the Baptist, Andrew was among the first to hear the Baptist point to Jesus as the Lamb of God; following the Lord, he then sought out his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messias,” and brought him to Jesus. For this the Church honours Andrew as the first-called, Protokletos, the first among the Apostles to come to Christ.
Apostle and fisher of men
When the Lord called him beside the Sea of Galilee, Andrew left his nets at once to follow. He is named among the Twelve in all the lists of the Apostles, and the Gospels show him at several moments of the Lord’s ministry — bringing forward the boy with the loaves and fishes, and, with Philip, leading certain Greeks who wished to see Jesus. After Pentecost, Andrew went forth to preach the Gospel; ancient tradition associates his labours with the regions about the Black Sea and with Greece, and the Church of Constantinople has long venerated him as her founder and patron.
His martyrdom and veneration
By constant tradition Saint Andrew suffered martyrdom at Patras in Achaia, being put to death upon a cross. A later account relates that the cross was of the form which has since borne his name, the “Saint Andrew’s cross” in the shape of an X, and that, hanging upon it, he continued for two days to preach Christ to the people. The particulars of this account belong to a later age; what the Church proposes with certainty is that Andrew, the first-called of the Apostles, sealed his preaching by a martyr’s death. His relics were greatly venerated, and he is honoured as the patron of Scotland, of Greece, and of Russia. His feast, falling at the very beginning of the Church’s year, fittingly opens the cycle of the saints in the season of expectation.
The Collect
We humbly beseech Thy Majesty, O Lord, that, as blessed Andrew the Apostle was a preacher and ruler in Thy Church, so he may be a constant intercessor for us before Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
Maiestatem tuam, Domine, suppliciter exoramus: ut, sicut Ecclesiae tuae beatus Andreas Apostolus exstitit praedicator et rector; ita apud te sit pro nobis perpetuus intercessor. Per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, Filium tuum: qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum.
Patronage
Saint Andrew is the patron of Scotland, Greece, and Russia, and is invoked by fishermen; he is honoured as founder and patron of the Church of Constantinople.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar this feast is observed on the same day, 30 November, with the rank of a feast.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle?
His feast is kept on 30 November in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Second Class feast. It usually falls within the opening days of Advent.
Who was Saint Andrew?
He was a Galilean fisherman, the brother of Saint Peter, and one of the Twelve Apostles. As the first to follow Christ he is honoured as the “first-called,” and by tradition he preached in Greece and was martyred on a cross at Patras.
Why is the X-shaped cross called the Saint Andrew’s cross?
By a later tradition Andrew was crucified on a cross of that form. It has since been associated with him in Christian art and appears, for example, on the national flag of Scotland, of which he is patron.
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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