The divinely-blessed Peter was from Bethsaida of Galilee and was the brother of St. Andrew, the first-called. He was a fisherman by trade, he was of little or no education and was given the name Simon. The Lord renamed him "Peter" in Greek and "Cephas" in Aramaic (both names mean "rock" in their respective languages), for he was "the rock upon which Christ would build His Holy Church." (Mt. 16:18) St. Peter followed Jesus throughout His earthly ministry and is famous for denying Him three times before the cock crowed. However, after Christ’s Resurrection, St. Peter became the Apostle to the Jews and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Judea, Antioch and certain parts of Asia. St. Peter ended his mission in Rome where he was arrested and sentenced to crucifixion by the emperor Nero. According to tradition, St. Peter is quoted as saying that he was unworthy to die in the same manner as the Lord, so he was crucified upside down. He entered into rest in about 66 or 68 A.D. There are two Epistles in the New Testament that bear his name.

St. Paul was the chosen vessel of Christ, the glory of the Church, the Apostle to the nations and the teacher of the world. He was a Jew by birth, of the tribe of Benjamin and was given the name Saul. He was a Roman citizen, born in Tarsus, who was fluent in the Greek language and was also a Pharisee. As we read in the Book of Acts, Saul was a great persecutor of the early Christian Church and was even consenting to the death of St. Stephen, the first martyr. (Acts 8:1) As Saul was on the road to Damascus to imprison the Christians there, the Lord appeared to him and blinded him by a great light. (Acts 9:1-9) His name was changed to Paul and his zeal was now turned towards preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His mission was to the Gentiles and he staunchly defended the equality in the Church of anyone having faith in the crucified Lord. St. Paul ended his mission, like St. Peter, in Rome where he was beaten and finally beheaded by the emperor Nero. Some traditions hold that he died at the same time as St. Peter. There are fourteen Epistles in the New Testament that are credited to his hand.

The Holy Apostles Peter and Paul are celebrated on June 29^th and they are the patron saints of the Patriarchate of Antioch. "O foremost of the Apostles and teachers of the world, intercede with the Master of all that he grant peace to the world and great mercy to our souls!"