Feast of Saints Peter & Paul 2025

 If you ever visit St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, take a few quiet moments in the main church to gaze at the sculptures of the apostles. They’re carved from wood—simple, solid, and powerful. But the one that stops you in your tracks is the depiction of St. Peter.

He stands behind an upside-down cross—the symbol of his martyrdom. At his feet is a rooster, forever reminding us of his threefold denial of Christ. And then, almost hidden but unmistakably there, is the head of St. Paul peeking over Peter’s shoulder, as if to say, “We stand together.”

That image captures the heart of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. These two men couldn’t have been more different. Peter, the fisherman, impulsive and passionate. Paul, the scholar and missionary, brilliant and bold. One denied Jesus; the other persecuted Him. But grace rewrote both their stories.

Peter, humbled by failure, became the rock on which Christ built His Church. Paul, blinded by his pride, was given new sight and a new mission—to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Their personalities may have clashed, but their faith united them. And in the end, they both gave their lives for the same Lord.

I love that the sculptor chose to put them together. It’s a visual reminder that the Church isn’t built on perfect people—it’s built on forgiven people. People who struggle and fall, but also rise in the power of God’s mercy. Saints Peter and Paul remind us that there is no sin too great, no past too broken, and no failure too final for God to redeem.

This week, let’s reflect on how we—like Peter and Paul—are being sculpted by grace. How is Christ shaping your heart, even through weakness and struggle? And how might you, like those two apostles, stand shoulder-to-shoulder with someone different from you for the sake of the Gospel?

St. Peter and St. Paul, pray for us!