About St. Andrew the Apostle
St. Andrew the Apostle was born in the early first century A.D. in Bethsaida, which was a
village on the Sea of Galilee. He was the older brother of Simon Peter and was also a
fisherman. According to the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus called Andrew and Simon Peter
when He saw them fishing as He walked along the Sea of Galilee. He asked them to follow
Him and to become “fishers of men.” The Gospel of St. Luke doesn’t explicitly describe St.
Andrew’s calling. But it does hint that Andrew was present in the boat when Jesus used
Peter’s boat to preach and then caused Peter to catch a huge amount of fish. The Gospel of
John describes St. Andrew’s calling a bit differently, saying that he was one of St. John the
Baptist’s disciples. It says that St. Andrew decided to follow Christ after St. John the Baptist
said of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” (John 1:36). While the Scriptures do not tell us
much more about St. Andrew, they do say that he was the Apostle who told Jesus about the
boy with the loaves and fishes. They also say he was one of the Apostles present at the Last
Supper. Tradition tells us that, after Christ’s death, St. Andrew preached the Gospel in the
area that is now Greece and Turkey, near the Black Sea. Like all the other Apostles (except
for St. John), Andrew died as a martyr. St. Andrew died in Patras, where he was crucified. But
like his brother, St. Peter, it is believed that Andrew requested to be crucified in a different
manner than Christ was because he did not feel worthy to die in the way Jesus did. Andrew’s
crucifixion was on an X-shaped cross (called a saltire). This X-shaped cross is often called “St.
Andrew’s Cross” today. St. Andrew was bound to his cross, rather than nailed as Jesus was.
St. Andrew’s remains ended up in several places. Some sources say that St. Regulus moved
parts of St. Andrew’s remains because he was told in a dream to bring them to the ends of
the earth. It is said that St. Regulus had them with him when he was shipwrecked on the
coast of Scotland, so he built a shrine to St. Andrew there. Pope Paul VI had the relics of St.
Andrew that were in Vatican City brought back to Patras. They are now kept in the Church of
St. Andrew in Patras, along with the x-shaped cross he died on.
St. Andrew the Apostle’s Feast Day: November 30.
St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and Patras. Citizens of
these countries can pray the St. Andrew Novena for his protection and intercession for their country. He is also a patron saint of fishermen. You can ask for his prayers for help or
protection in your own work as a fisherman, or for any fishermen you know. As Jesus told St.
Andrew that he could be a fisher of men, you could also ask for St. Andrew’s intercession for
your efforts in evangelization, or in following Jesus in your everyday life. St. Andrew is also a
patron saint of singers. You can pray for his help if you are trying to establish a career as a
singer, or for help if you are nervous about singing. You can pray the St. Andrew Novena for
any intention!
St. Andrew Novena
Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear Lord, we thank
You for giving us St. Andrew the Apostle as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate his
openness to Your call in our own lives, that we may be as ready to serve You as he was. St.
Andrew, you were one of the first people to be called personally by Our Lord. He called you
and your brother St. Peter to leave behind your lives as fishermen and to follow Him as
Apostles. You followed His call to become “fishers of men.” And you remained faithful to
that call, staying with Him throughout His ministry and spreading the Gospel after His death.
You probably never would have guessed that you would be invited to be one of the closest
friends of the Son of God, but you left everything behind in order to follow Him. Pray for me,
that I may be as ready to serve Christ as you were. Please also pray for (mention your
intentions here). St. Andrew the Apostle pray for us! In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear Lord, we thank
You for giving us St. Andrew the Apostle as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate his
virtue in our daily lives, throughout the work we do each day. St. Andrew, you were no
stranger to hard work. You spent much of your life performing the physical labour involved
in the life of a professional fisherman. You did not move away from the demands of this
work. Instead, you embraced it and attempted to do it well. When Jesus called you to leave
your work behind and become a “fisher of men,” you immediately left your old life and dived
into a new kind of work for the glory of God. Pray for me, as I strive for holiness amidst my
daily work. Pray that, like you, my life may revolve around devotion to Christ. Please also
pray for (mention your intentions here). St. Andrew the Apostle pray for us! In the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear Lord, we thank
You for giving us St. Andrew the Apostle as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate his
faith in our own lives, that we may follow You as unreservedly as he did. St. Andrew, you left
behind your old life as a fisherman when Our Lord called you to be His apostle. You did not
know what this new life might entail, but you chose to follow Him readily in faith.
Throughout Christ’s public ministry, you remained close with Him and did not desert Him. After His death and resurrection, you carried out the mission of preaching the Gospel
despite persecution. You had faith that God would reward you in Heaven. Pray for me, that I
may remain faithful to God in my life, despite fears of the unknown or of suffering. Please
also pray for (mention your intentions here). St. Andrew the Apostle pray for us! In the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear Lord, we thank
You for giving us St. Andrew the Apostle as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate his
devotion and his close friendship with You, that we too may have a deep friendship with
You. St. Andrew, you were one of the people who was closest to Jesus during His time on
earth. Along with the other Apostles, you saw Him perform miracles and heard Him teach.
You were with Him at the Last Supper when He gave us Himself in the Eucharist. You saw
Him after He had risen from the dead. During the time you spent with Him, you developed a
deep friendship with Him. Pray for me, that I may have a deep friendship with Christ. Pray
that I may grow to love Him and serve Him as faithfully as you did. Please also pray for
(mention your intentions here). St. Andrew the Apostle pray for us! In the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear Lord, we thank
You for giving us St. Andrew the Apostle as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate his
zeal for Your glory and his deep desire to win souls for You. St. Andrew, you became a
missionary for Christ after His death. He once called you to become a “fisher of men,” and
you carried out this call by preaching the Gospel to others in the area near the Black Sea.
Though Christians were persecuted, and you knew that preaching about Christ could cause
you to be killed, you did not waver in your mission. You continued trying to bring souls to
God, until you were martyred for your missionary work. Pray for me, that I may be as zealous
for souls as you were. Pray that I may never waiver in preaching the Gospel, even if I must
suffer because of it. Please also pray for (mention your intentions here). St. Andrew, pray for
us! In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear Lord, we thank
You for giving us St. Andrew the Apostle as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate his
love for You, especially for the Eucharist that he encountered for the first time at the Last
Supper. St. Andrew, you were one of Our Lord’s closest friends while He was on earth. With
the other Apostles, you spent much time with Christ. You were one of the privileged men
who shared the Last Supper with Him. You were there when He gave us His own Body and
Blood in the Eucharist. You received from Him the immense gift of Himself that He continues
to give us at each Mass. Pray for me, that I may always show the Eucharist the reverence It is
due. Pray that I may always recognize what a gift Christ has given us in His Body and Blood.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here). St. Andrew the Apostle pray for us! In
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear Lord, we thank
You for giving us St. Andrew the Apostle as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate his
courage in preaching the Gospel, that we may always be firm in our faith, no matter what it
may cost us. St. Andrew, you readily accepted the mission from Jesus to become a “fisher of
men,” and you carried out that mission until the end of your life. After Christ’s death,
resurrection, and ascension, Christians were often persecuted and killed. But despite this,
you carried on courageously in your mission to preach the Gospel. You continued trying to
win souls for Christ until your martyrdom, and you did not let the threat of suffering or death
stop you. Pray for me, that I may have the courage to preach the Gospel against all obstacles
as you did. Please also pray for (mention your intentions here). St. Andrew the Apostle pray
for us! In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear Lord, we thank
You for giving us St. Andrew the Apostle as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate his
courage amidst suffering, that we may be ready to even give our lives for our faith if
necessary. St. Andrew, you knew that being a Christian and spreading the Gospel would not
be easy. You knew that Our Lord’s words about the need to suffer for Him would be true in
your own life. But even though remaining faithful to Him would mean your death, you did
not waver in your faith. You willingly suffered for Christ and ultimately died for Him, knowing
that your reward would be great in Heaven. Pray for me and for all who face the threat of
suffering or death over their faith in Christ. Pray that we may have the strength to stand
strong in our faith, even to the point of death if necessary. Please also pray for (mention
your intentions here). St. Andrew, pray for us! In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear Lord, we thank
You for giving us St. Andrew the Apostle as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate his
humility, that we may be as humble as he was when he thought himself unworthy to die in
the same manner as Christ. St. Andrew, you worked with great bravery for the sake of the
Gospel throughout your life, even continuing on courageously to the point of death. But like
your brother St. Peter, you did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as Jesus did. When
you were sentenced to death by crucifixion, you requested your cross to be different from
Our Lord’s, feeling that your death as a sinful man should not look outwardly identical to the
death of Jesus. Pray for me, that I may have a true, humble understanding of my own
sinfulness. Please also pray for (mention your intentions here). St. Andrew the Apostle pray
for us! In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayers to St. Andrew
1. O Glorious St. Andrew, you
were the first to recognize and
follow the Lamb of God.
With your friend St. John you
remained with Jesus for that first
day, for your entire life, and
now throughout eternity.
As you led your brother St. Peter
to Christ, and many others after
him, draw us also to Him.
Teach us to lead others to Christ
solely out of love for Him, and
dedication in His service.
Help us to learn the lesson of
the Cross and to carry our daily
crosses without complaint so
that they may carry us to Jesus.
Amen.
2. We humbly beseech Thy Majesty. O
Lord, that as the blessed Apostle
Andrew was once a teacher and ruler
of Thy Church, so he may ever be
our advocate with Thee. Through our
Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
3. O CHRIST, our Lord, Who didst
beautify the most blessed Andrew
with the grace of apostleship, and the
crown of martyrdom, by granting to
him this special gift, that by preaching
the mystery of the cross, he should
merit death on the cross; grant us to
become most true lovers of Thy holy
cross, and, denying ourselves, to take
up our cross and follow Thee; that by
sharing Thy sufferings in this life, we
may deserve the happiness of
obtaining life everlasting.
Amen.
