Feast of St. Bartholomew

The sixth of the twelve apostles who followed Christ, St. Bartholomew is none other than Nathaniel, whom the apostle Philip presented to the Lord.

His name comes from the Hebrew bar-Tôlmay meaning son of Tolmai. He came from Cana of Galilee.

Christ praised his innocence and the simplicity of his heart: “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.” (Jn. 1:47)

St. Theodore tells that after his apostolate in India, he was skinned alive in Armenia out of hatred for the Faith. Some depictions of his martyrdom are quite impressive, such as the white marble statue in the cathedral of Milan, the most famous one of all.

He is often shown with a dagger to identify him, even though he was skinned with both knives and sharp stones.

In Rome, his relics are venerated on Tiber Island.

“Almighty and Eternal God, who dost grant us the reverent and holy joy of celebrating today the feast of Thy blessed apostle Bartholomew, grant that Thy Church may love the truths that he believed and preach the doctrines that he taught, through Jesus Christ Our Lord.”