The Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul

The story

+ Saul was a faithful Pharisee who was born in Tarsus. Entrusted with a formal mission by the high priest, Saul departed for Damascus, intending to arrest Christians in that city and bring them to Jerusalem for trial.

+ As Saul was nearing the city, a light from heaven suddenly blazed around him and an immediate transformation took place in the soul of Saul, who would become known as “Paul.”

+ In his many letters, Saint Paul never recalled the moment of his conversion with deep gratitude for the mercy and love shown by the Divine Master.

+ The Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul was first celebrated in France in the sixth century and was introduced in Rome in the eleventh century.

For prayer and reflection

“Paul, more than anyone else, has shown us what man really is, and in what our nobility consists, and of what virtue this particular animal is capable. Each day he aimed ever higher; each day he rose up with greater ardor and faced with new eagerness the dangers that threatened him. He summed up his attitude in the words: I forget what is behind me and push on to what lies ahead.”—Saint John Chrysostom

Spiritual bonus

On January 25 we also remember the Carmelite nun and mystic Blessed Archangela Girlani. She died in Manuta, Italy, on January 25, 1495, and devotion to this holy nun was confirmed by the Holy See in 1864.

Religious Life

To learn about religious communities under the patronage of Saint Paul, see the links below.

For men:

- The Barnabite Fathers and Brothers (Clerks Regular of St. Paul): www.barnabites.com

- The Paulist Fathers: www.paulist.org/vocations

- The Society of St. Paul: www.stpaulusa.com

For Women:

- The Daughters of St. Paul: www.daughtersofstpaul.org

Prayer

O God, who taught the whole world
through the preaching of the blessed Apostle Paul,
draw us, we pray, nearer to you
through the example of him whose conversion we celebrate today,
and so make us witnesses to your truth in the world.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.