St Philip the Apostle

May is the feast day of Saint Philip the Apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus who was martyred for evangelising following the Ascension.

Saint Philip was from the city of Bethsaida and was among those surrounding John the Baptist when Jesus was pointed out as the Lamb of God.

He features prominently in the Gospel of John. He was asked by Jesus how to feed the 5,000 people, and acts as a conduit between the Greek community and Jesus. He also asks Jesus at the last supper to explain the unity of the Father and Son.

Following Jesus’ Ascension, Saint Philip became a missionary, preaching with his sister Mariamne and Bartholomew in Greece, Syria and Phrygia.

He was martyred in the city of Hierapolis after converting the wife of the proconsul of the city, angering the husband who had him tortured and killed.

Relics of Saint Philip are in the crypt of Basilica Santi Apostoli in Rome along with Saint James, another of the Twelve Apostles, who was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa I of Judaea.