Saint Andrew the Apostle - Who is he anyway?

May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.


Today we are celebrating our connection to Saint Andrew. Who here can tell us something about Saint Andrew?

… Wait …

What is he known for?

- Fisherman
- patron of Scotland
- brother of (Simon) Peter
- the first apostles
- fisher of men


Does anyone know how much of this is from the Bible and how much is from other writings and later traditions?

… Wait …

The Bible actually says very little about Andrew. It says that he was a Galilean fisherman minding his own business when along came Jesus. The Lord called him, and Andrew got up and walked – he walked into the story of Jesus. From that moment on, his life was no longer his own; Andrew had no other story but the story of Jesus, the story that is told about Jesus, the story that Jesus himself tells.

The Bible tells us that he is the brother of Simon Peter and that, according to the Gospel of Mark, the first house that Jesus entered belonged to Simon and Andrew.

He is the son of Jonah or John and he was born in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. He is always named near the beginning in any list of the Apostles. He is one of the few who clearly recognize Jesus as the Christ. He was often present when Jesus did something important.

Everything you know or think you know about Saint Andrew comes from somewhere else.


Saint Andrew appears quite often in the Gospels, but he almost never does anything. He does not have any major roles to play like Judas and Peter. He does not go off and do things on his own. He answers a couple of questions as part of a group, but he never asks questions. He never does anything to put himself forward, to stand out.

Does anyone know what it means that the church is decorated with white today? What about Saint Andrew says that we should use white hangings (the official term for them is ante-pendia which means hanging before)?

We use white when we commemorate Teachers of the Faith, Spiritual Teachers, Pastors, Educators,
Monastics, and Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Which of these applies to Saint Andrew? Or for that matter to any Apostle?

They are all Teachers of the Faith.

Does anyone know what it means that I am wearing Red vestments? What about Saint Andrew says that we should decorate with red?

We use red in the church when we commemorate martyrs and missionaries. Which of those was Saint Andrew? If you don’t know, you will find a hint on the front of your bulletin.

He was actually both. All of the Apostles were sent to proclaim the good news to the kingdoms. They were missionaries. Saint Andrew is also a martyr. But how do we know that? The Bible says nothing about the end of Andrew’s life.

There is much information that is available about what Andrew went on to do in his later life. His life is described by some of the Church Fathers who wrote in the earliest days of the Church. There are even two books, the Acts of Andrew and the Gospel of Andrew, which can be found in a list of books rejected from canon sometime in the 4th or 5th century. In fact, there is so much written about Saint Andrew that some of it must be myth: fiction written to explain some theological or moral point.

I believe the Saint Andrew described in the Bible is a very apt choice as the Patron of this church and as one of the Patrons of this Parish. I also believe that this Parish is being called to live into the rest of what Saint Andrew stands for. As we go forward into Advent, I would challenge you to find out more about our Patron Saint. Find out what it means to us as a Parish that your ancestors chose to dedicate this church in his name. I also ask that you bring what you find and share it with our community.

Let us pray,
Brother of Simon Peter, you heard John the Baptist say: "Behold the Lamb of God," and you chose to follow Jesus. Leaving your nets, you became a successful fisher of souls. Lover of the Crucified Christ, you too were crucified like him. Teach us to live and suffer for him and to win many souls for Christ.