Feast of Saints Peter and Paul in Minneapolis

Fr. John Kodet, FSSP, recently ordained in May, returned home to the archdiocese of Minneapolis to offer one of his first Masses on June 29th, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. The Mass was offered at All Saints, our parish apostolate in Minneapolis, and Fr. Kodet was assisted by Fr. Simon Harkins, FSSP, as deacon and Mr. Daniel Mould, FSSP, as subdeacon.

The feast of Saints Peter and Paul is a feast of ancient origin, already being celebrated in the 2nd century. It was natural for the early Church to celebrate these two great Apostles of Rome, who ministered and preached to the Romans, and both of whom eventually died in the city.

Saint Peter suffered martyrdom in AD 64 and was buried on Vatican hill, where Saint Peter’s Basilica was subsequently erected over his tomb.  Saint Paul preached throughout the Mediterranean basin, and was ultimately captured and brought to Rome, where he was beheaded there in AD 67.  The Basilica of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls holds the tomb of St. Paul.

In a sermon in the year 395, St. Augustine of Hippo said of Sts. Peter and Paul:

Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles’ blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith.

The Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul is a patronal feast of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, and offers a plenary indulgence each year for those who are enrolled in the Confraternity of St. Peter.  Enjoy pictures of the feast and one of Father Kodet’s first Masses, courtesy of Minneapolis photographer Tracy Dunne.