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June 22, 2008

Celebrating the Apostle PaulFrom June 29, 2008, to June 29, 2009, the universal Catholic Church will celebrate the Jubilee Year of St. Paul

Pope Benedict XVI previously announced a special jubilee year dedicated to St. Paul, saying the church needs modern Christians who will imitate the apostle’s missionary energy and spirit of sacrifice.

The pope said the Pauline year will run from June 28, 2008, to June 29, 2009, to mark the approximately 2,000th anniversary of the saint's birth.

“Dear brothers and sisters, as in the (church’s) beginning, today, too, Christ needs apostles ready to sacrifice themselves. He needs witnesses and martyrs like St. Paul,” the pope said earlier this year.

The Pauline year will feature numerous special liturgies and events in Rome, the pope said, but should also be celebrated in local churches and in the sanctuaries, religious orders and other institutions that have a special link to St. Paul.

In a special way, the Pauline year will be ecumenical, reflecting the saint’s commitment to the unity and harmony among all Christians, he said.

The Catholic New World will offer stories throughout this special year highlighting the famous apostle’s influence in the Archdiocese of Chicago and among its people.

— CNS contributed to this story

Who was he?

St. Paul was born in a Roman citizen Tarsus, in what is now Turkey, at the start of the Christian era, sometime between A.D. 7 and 10, according to church historians. After his conversion on the road to Damascus, he became one of the church's foremost evangelizers, first among Jews, then among Gentiles. He died by beheading in Rome in 67 A.D. by the order of Emperor Nero.

Tradition holds that he is buried on the site where the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls stands today in Rome.

In his lifetime, Paul was busy for God. The Encyclopedia of Catholic Saints says: “One of the most imaginative, eloquent and passionate Christian writers, Paul was imprisoned, shipwrecked, beaten, flogged, stoned, banished and finally martyred for his faith.” Source: Catholic News Service, OSV’s “Encyclopedia of Catholic Saints”

Patron saint of...

  • Tentmakers
  • Against snakes
  • Public relations
  • Writers
  • Diocese of Las Vegas
  • Evangelists

Some resources on St. Paul

  • “Paul Struggles With His Congregation: The Pastoral Message of the Letter to the Corinthians,” by Hans Urs von Balthasar, $7.95 (Ignatius Press)
  • “Paul: Contending for the Faith,” DVD part of the “Footprints of God” series, $24.95
  • “Paul: Least of the Apostles,” by Alain Decaux, $24.95 (Pauline Books & Media)
  • “Praying with St. Paul: Daily Reflections on the Letters of the Apostle Paul,” by Peter John Cameron, $12.95 (Magnificat)
  • “Paul, His Letters and His Theology: An Introduction to Paul’s Epistles,” by Stanley B. Marrow, $19.95 (Paulist Press)
  • “Paul of Tarsus,” by Joseph Holzner, $14.95 (Scepter Press)
  • “A Still More Excellent Way: How St. Paul Points Us to Jesus,” by Joseph Durepos, to be released 8/08 (Loyola Press)

Pauline parishes

St. Paul, 22nd Place and Hoyne, founded 1876

St. Paul, 206 E. 25th St., Chicago Heights, founded 1927

St. Paul the Apostle, 6401 Gages Lake Road, Gurnee, founded 1992

*Ss. Peter and Paul, 12433 S. Halsted St., founded 1913

*Ss. Peter and Paul, 3745 S. Paulina St., founded 1895

Paul, the older

St. Paul Parish at 22nd Place and Hoyne is the oldest Pauline parish still in operation in the archdiocese. It began in 1876 to minister to German immigrants many of whom worked in nearby McCormick Works (later known as International Havester).

By the turn of the century, the parish population became more diverse. In 1899, the Gothic church building that stands today opened and was the first brick Gothic church constructed in the United States. Parishioners did most of the craft work including putting together 2,500 square feet of mosaics designed in Venice.

Paul, the younger

St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Gurnee, opened in 1992 in the suburban area near Six Flags Great America amusement park. Parishioners attended Mass in a nearby school gym until construction finished on the church building at 6401 Gages Lake Road in 1998.

Source: “The Archdiocese of Chicago: A Journey of Faith,” by Edward Kantowicz

What did he write in the Bible?

  • Letter to the Romans
  • First Letter to the Corinthians
  • Second Letter to the Corinthians
  • Letter to the Galatians
  • Letter to the Ephesians
  • Letter to the Philippians
  • Letter to the Colossians
  • First Letter to the Thessalonians
  • Second Letter to the Thessalonians
  • First Letter to Timothy
  • Second Letter to Timothy
  • Letter to Titus
  • Letter to Philemon
  • Letter to Hebrews

Pauline feasts

  • Jan. 25 - Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.
  • Feb. 10 - Feast of St. Paul’s Ship wreck in Malta.
  • June 29 - Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul.
  • Nov. 18 - Feast of the dedication of the basilicas of Ss. Peter and Paul.