Saint of the Day

01 · Read · A life to discover

St. Barnabas

Barnabas was a Jewish Levite from Cyprus who joined the early Christian community in Jerusalem. Acts describes him selling a field to support the community. He later worked with Paul at Antioch and accompanied him on a missionary journey through Cyprus and parts of Asia Minor.

When believers in Jerusalem feared Paul because of his earlier persecution of the Church, Barnabas supported the sincerity of his conversion. Later he sought Paul at Tarsus and brought him into the work at Antioch. His gift for recognizing and encouraging another person’s vocation was consequential for the mission.

Acts remembers him as a teacher and prophet as well as a traveling missionary. His name is interpreted as son of encouragement or consolation. These details help explain why his contribution cannot be reduced to being Paul’s assistant: he exercised initiative and judgment of his own.

Their partnership included disagreement: Barnabas wanted to take John Mark on a further journey, while Paul objected. Barnabas returned to Cyprus with Mark. The New Testament provides substantial evidence for his missionary work but does not give a complete account of his later life. His June 11 feast honors a missionary collaborator whose story also shows the human challenges of shared ministry.

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.