Saint of the Day

01 · Read · A life to discover

St. Philip the Apostle

Philip was one of the Twelve Apostles called by Jesus. John’s Gospel places him in several revealing conversations: before the feeding of the crowd, Jesus asks him about obtaining bread; at the Last Supper, Philip asks to be shown the Father. These episodes connect his discipleship with the gradual discovery of who Jesus is.

Philip came from Bethsaida, the same town associated with Peter and Andrew. His Gospel appearances often involve a request or question. They give his portrait a particular character: someone drawn into faith through conversation, practical difficulty, and the need for further understanding.

The feeding episode places an apparently impossible material need before him; the Last Supper question concerns knowing God. Together they trace the breadth of apostolic formation. Philip the Apostle should also be distinguished from the evangelist Philip whose ministry appears in Acts.

Later Christian tradition associates Philip’s missionary work and martyrdom with Asia Minor, particularly Hierapolis. Those later accounts should be distinguished from the Gospel narratives themselves. The Catholic calendar celebrates Philip with James the Less on May 3, preserving their shared place among the apostolic witnesses.

This saint is included on this recurring date in the U.S. Roman Rite calendar published by the USCCB. This reading guide gives U.S. calendar saints priority; the Mass celebrated on a particular year’s date can differ because of Sundays, seasons or higher-ranking celebrations.