Thou art the Shepherd of the sheep, the Prince of the Apostles, unto thee were given the keys of the kingdom of heaven. "Thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church." Raise us up, we beseech Thee, O Lord, by the apostolic assistance of blessed Peter, Thine Apostle; so that the weaker we are, the more mightily we may be helped by the power of his intercession; and that being perpetually defended by the same holy apostle, we may niether yield to any iniquity, nor be overcome by any adversity. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

O glorious St. Peter, because of your vibrant and generous faith, sincere humility and flaming love, our Lord honored you with singular privileges and especially leadership of the whole Church. Obtain for us the grace of a living faith, a sincere loyalty to the Church, acceptance of all her teachings, and obedience to all her precepts. Let us thus enjoy an undisturbed peace on earth and everlasting happiness in heaven. Amen.

God, You give us a holy joy as we celebrate the solemnity of the Apostle St. Peter. Grant that Your Church may follow his teachings and example in all things, for it is through him that Christianity began its development. Amen.

Almighty God, grant that those of us whom You have firmly rooted with a strong foundation in the apostolic profession may not be shaken by the hesitations of this world. Amen.

O God, Who by delivering to Thy blessed Apostle Peter the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, didst confer upon him the pontifical power of binding and of loosing, grant that, by the help of his intercession, we may be delivered from the bonds of our sins. Who livest and reignest with Thee, One God, world without end. Amen.

O glorious Saint Peter, who, in return for thy strong and generous faith, thy profound and sincere humility, and they burning love, wast rewarded by Jesus Christ with singular privileges, and, in particular, with the leadership of the other Apostles and the primacy of the whole Church, of which thou wast made the foundation stone, do thou obtain for us the grace of a lively faith, that shall not fear to profess itself openly, in its entirety and in all of its manifestations, even to the shedding of blood, if occasion should demand it, and to sacrifice of life itself rather than surrender. Obtain for us likewise, a sincere loyalty to our holy mother, the Church; grant that we may ever remain most closely and sincerely united to the Roman Pontiff, who is the heir of thy faith and of thy authority, the one, true, visible Head of the Catholic Church, that mystic ark outside of which there is no salvation. Grant, moreover, that we may follow, in all humility and meekness, her teaching and her advice, and may be obedient to all her precepts, in order to be able here on earth to enjoy a peace that is sure and undisturbed, and to attain one day in heaven to everlasting happiness. Amen.

V. Pray for us, Saint Peter the Apostle,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY: O God, who hast given unto Thy blessed Apostle Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and the power to bind and loose: grant that we may be delivered, through the help of this intercession, from the slavery of all our sins: Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

Novena to St. Peter

O Holy Apostle, because you are the Rock upon which Almighty God has built His Church,obtain for me I pray you: lively faith, firm hope, and burning love, complete detachment from myself, contempt of the world, patience in adversity, humility in prosperity, recollection in prayer, purity of heart, a right intention in all my works, diligence in fulfilling the duties of my state of life, constancy in my resolutions, resignation to the will of God and perseverance in the grace of God even unto death; that so, by means of your intercession and your glorious merits, I may be made worthy to appear before the Chief and Eternal Shepherd of Souls, Jesus Christ, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns forever. Amen.

Gracious Father, by Whose Hand Thy servant Simon Peter was most wonderfully delivered out of prison and from impending death. Grant us, in all the changes and chances of mortal life, to dread nothing but the loss of Thee, and to cast all our care upon Thee, Who carest for us. When disasters lie ahead, help us to avoid them if we may, and to endure them if we must, knowing that we walk with Him Who endured all for us, Thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who now liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Litany of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Queen conceived without Original Sin, pray for us.
Queen of Apostles, pray for us.
Saint Peter, pray for us.
Prince of the Apostles, pray for us.
St. Peter, to whom were given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, pray for us.
St. Peter, so ardent for the glory of Christ, pray for us.
St. Peter, whose heart was pierced with one look from Jesus, pray for us.
St. Peter, who ceased not to grieve for having denied the Son of God, pray for us.
St. Peter, whose cheeks were furrowed by a stream of tears which flowed to the end of thy life,
pray for us.
St. Peter; who cried out, "Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee," pray for us.
St. Peter, bound in chains for Christ, pray for us.
St. Peter, delivered from prison by an Angel, pray for us.
St. Peter, who rejoiced to suffer for Christ, pray for us.
St. Peter, whose very shadow healed the sick, pray for us.
St. Peter, whose voice even the dead obeyed, pray for us.
St. Peter, that we may have a constant and mutual charity among ourselves, pray for us.
That we may taste and see more and more how sweet is the Lord, pray for us.
That we may be zealous in loyalty to thy successor, the present Vicar of Christ, pray for us.
That we may help, at least by prayer, to restore to the unity of thy Holy See the scattered sheep,
pray for us.
That we may be prudent and watchful in prayer, pray for us.
That we may die the death of the just, pray for us.
 
V. Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him,
R. And His wonderful works to the children of men.
V. Pray for us, Saint Peter the Rock,
R. That we may be worthy of the Vicar of Christ.

Let Us Pray: O Lord Jesus Christ, Who upon blessed Peter, Thine Apostle, didst bestow the pontifical power of binding and loosing, and didst give to him the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, grant that his intercession may ensure our deliverance from the bondage of sin, Thou Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

feast day: June 29

Read St. Peter's biography
in the Catholic Online Saints Index.

See a list of the successors of Peter, our first Pope.

Recommended Reading

Saint Peter the Apostle

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02/05/2006