Sao Pedro Feast Date

Saint Peter’s Day — June 29

Saint Peter (São Pedro), the apostle whom Catholic tradition counts as the first Pope, has his feast on June 29. It is a fixed date, and it closes the Brazilian June cycle that St. Anthony (June 13) and St. John (June 24) had opened. He was a fisherman from Galilee before he followed Jesus, which is why he ended up as the patron saint of fishermen, widows, locksmiths and shipbuilders.

Along the Brazilian coast the feast turns into a maritime celebration. In Salvador (BA) the colourful boat procession of São Pedro do Mar blesses the fishing fleet. In Areia Branca (RN) and elsewhere on the Northeastern coast, fishing villages run arraiás through the night, with fireworks, quadrilha dances and that well-known habit of jumping over the bonfire (pular fogueira). The folk song “São Pedro na cidade” turns up at every festa de São Pedro.

Applications

Parishes use it to set the mass that closes the June cycle. Fishing colonies and harbour authorities use it to organise the blessing of boats, and tourism boards in seaside cities build their calendars around it. The date carries weight in the Vatican as well. June 29 is a holy day of obligation in Rome, and it is when the Pope blesses the pallia of the new metropolitan archbishops.

FAQ

Does June 29 move? No. It is a fixed date in the Roman calendar that honours both Saints Peter and Paul. Only the weekday rotates.

Why is he patron of fishermen? Before Jesus called him, Peter and his brother Andrew worked as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:18). The keys to the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 16:19) became his symbol, and you still see them on the Vatican coat of arms.

Why are papal vestments said to allude to Peter? The pallium (white wool stole) recalls the lost sheep Christ entrusted to Peter, and the keys on the papal coat of arms come straight from the “keys of the Kingdom” passage. Every Pope counts as Peter’s successor — the “Chair of Peter”.