St. Paul

St. Paul was born as Saul, in Tarsus, in modern-day Turkey. He was converted from Judaism to Christianity on the road to Damascus; following his conversion he made three missionary journies.

During the first journey he traveled to Cypress, Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Lycaonia, all in Asia Minor; and established churches at Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. After the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem Paul, accompanied by Silas and later also by Timothy and Luke, made his second missionary journey, first revisiting the churches previously established by him in Asia Minor, and then passing through Galatia, Philippi, Thessalonica, Beroea, Athens, and Corinth. Then he returned to Antioch by way of Ephesus and Jerusalem.

On his third missionary journey, Paul visited nearly the same regions as on the second trip, but made Ephesus the center of his missionary activity. He laid plans also for another missionary journey, intending to leave Jerusalem for Rome and Spain. Persecutions by the Jews hindered him from accomplishing his purpose. After two years of imprisonment at Caesarea he finally reached Rome, where he was kept another two years in chains.

We learn from the Pastoral Epistles and from tradition that at the end of the two years St. Paul was released from his Roman imprisonment, and then traveled to Spain, later to the East again, and then back to Rome, where he was imprisoned a second time and in the year 67, was beheaded.

Paul is a patron of authors and journalists. His Feast Days are January 25 (celebration of his conversion), June 29 (celebration of Saints Peter and Paul co-founders of the Church) and November 18 (feast of the dedication of the Basilicas of Peter and Paul).