Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
S. Bartholomaei Apostoli
Saint Bartholomew, one of the twelve Apostles chosen by our Lord, preached the Gospel in distant lands and sealed his witness to Christ by a martyr’s death.
Saint Bartholomew was one of the twelve Apostles whom our Lord Jesus Christ chose to be the foundations of his Church. He is named in the lists of the Apostles given in the Gospels and in the Acts of the Apostles, and is by ancient and widespread tradition identified with Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, whom our Lord called “an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile,” and who confessed him saying, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel.”
Apostle of Christ
Like the other Apostles, Saint Bartholomew was a witness of the words and works of our Lord, of his Passion and Resurrection, and received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to go forth and preach the Gospel to every creature. The Scriptures themselves record little of his particular labours; but the constant tradition of the Church holds that, after Pentecost, he carried the good news of salvation to distant nations. Various lands are named in this connection, among them Armenia, where he is especially venerated as an apostle and founder of the faith.
What is certain is that Saint Bartholomew gave his whole life to the preaching of Christ among peoples who had not known him, enduring the hardships and dangers that fell to the lot of the Apostles, who went out, as our Lord had foretold, as sheep in the midst of wolves, yet trusting in his promise to be with them always.
His martyrdom and veneration
The ancient tradition of the Church honours Saint Bartholomew as a martyr, who laid down his life for the faith in the land of his apostolate. The accounts handed down speak of a cruel death; and he is commonly portrayed in Christian art bearing the instrument of his martyrdom, in token of the sufferings by which he was conformed to his crucified Lord. The particulars of his passion belong to early tradition rather than to the certain record of history, but the Church has from ancient times kept his memory among the holy Apostles and martyrs.
His feast is kept on the twenty-fourth of August. The collect of the day prays that the Church may love what the Apostle believed and preach what he taught. In Saint Bartholomew the faithful honour one of the chosen Twelve, a foundation-stone of the Church, who carried the name of Christ to far-off nations and bore witness to him unto death.
The Collect
O almighty and everlasting God, who hast given us this day a holy and devout joy in the festival of thy blessed Apostle Bartholomew: grant, we beseech thee, to thy Church both to love what he believed and to preach what he taught.
Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, qui huius diei venerandám sanctámque lætítiam in beáti Apóstoli tui Bartholomæi festivitáte tribuísti: da Ecclésiæ tuæ, quæsumus; et amáre quod crédidit, et prædicáre quod dócuit.
Patronage
He is venerated as one of the twelve Apostles and is honoured as a patron of Armenia, where tradition holds that he preached, and of various trades; he is invoked by the faithful as a foundation of the Church.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Bartholomew?
His feast is kept on 24 August in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Second Class feast. The modern calendar likewise observes him on 24 August, as a feast.
Who was Saint Bartholomew?
He was one of the twelve Apostles chosen by our Lord, by ancient tradition identified with Nathanael of the Gospel of Saint John. After Pentecost he preached the Gospel in distant lands — Armenia among them by tradition — and is venerated as a martyr who died for the faith.
How much is known of his life and death?
The Gospels name him among the Apostles but record little of his particular deeds. The accounts of his preaching in distant nations and of his martyrdom rest on early tradition rather than on the certain record of history. What is sure is that he was one of the Twelve and a witness to Christ, honoured by the Church from ancient times as an Apostle and martyr.
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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