• June 29, 2026, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET
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Friends of the Rosary,
Today, June 29th, the Universal Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, apostles. They are the solid rock, the principal pillars, on which the Church is built. Both apostles were martyred, under the reign of Emperor Nero, in Rome, then the capital of the Empire, around the year 64.
Peter was crucified upside down, while Paul, a Roman citizen, was beheaded.
St. Peter was buried on the hill of the Vatican on the very site of today’s Basilica of St. Peter’s. St. Paul was beheaded in the Via Ostia on the spot where now stands the basilica bearing his name.
Among the Twelve Apostles, Peter became the spokesman, declaring: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” At Pentecost, he delivered the first fiery sermon of the infant Church.
Although not one of the Twelve, Paul is also called an apostle (the thirteenth apostle, the apostle to the Gentiles) after encountering the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus while persecuting Christians.
Early church fathers, like St. Augustine, noted that even if they died on different days, they are celebrated together because of their intertwined legacies.
In the Catholic Church, it is a holy day of obligation in some regions and is marked by the Pope with a Grand Papal Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.
In many predominantly Catholic cities (especially in Rome, as well as in Latin America and Europe), the day is marked with local processions, traditional seafood feasts, and outdoor festivals.
Ave Maria!
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!
Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!
+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York
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