The Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter

St. Peter in His Throne, Grão Vasco, 1530, Viseu, Portugal

On this feast of the Chair of Peter, let us take a moment to pray for all who renew the church, for Pope Francis, and for the unity of the churches.

Let us pray for all who renew the church.
Almighty God, we praise you for your servants, through whom you have called the church to its tasks and renewed its life. Raise up in our own day teachers and prophets inspired by your Spirit, whose voices will give strength to you church and proclaim the reality of your reign. Through Jesus Christ our Lord… (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 60)

Let us pray for Francis, the Pope.
May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. (Traditional prayer for the successor of Peter.)

Let us pray for the unity of the church.
Almighty Father, whose blessed Son before his passion prayed for his disciples that they might be one, as you and he are one: Grant that your church, being bound together in love and obedience to you, may be united in one body by the one Spirit, that the world may believe in him whom you have sent, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord…  (1979 Book of Common Prayer, 255)

 

 

Editor

Katharine E. Harmon, Ph.D., edits the blog, Pray Tell: Worship, Wit & Wisdom.

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Comments

5 responses to “The Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter”

  1. Lee Bacchi

    Who else but Catholics would have a feast honoring a chair? Not criticizing, just find the name of the feast somewhat amusing

    Reply
    1. Karl Liam Saur

      Well, there did used to be *two* such feasts until 1970. (The other was on January 18th.) And the date fell on what had been the Roman festival of the Caristia, following the 9-day Parentalia.

      Reply
      1. John Page

        Not quite. Until 1960 January 18 was kept as the feast of St. Peter’s Chair at Rome, February 22 as the feast of St. Peter’s Chair at Antioch. In 1960 Pope John XXIII suppressed the latter feast and transferred the feast of St. Peter’s Chair at Rome to February 22. The 1969 revision of the Roman Calendar continued Pope John’s decision.

        Father Godfrey Diekmann, OSB, monk of St. John’s Abbey and one of the great proponents of the liturgical renewal prior to, during, and after the Second Vatican Council, died on this day in 2002.

    2. Patrick Freese

      The Chair of St. Peter refers to the Holy See, or the papal office. They went with The Chair on the General Roman Calendar because it sounds less self aggrandizing than having a commemoration honoring the [living] pope.

      Reply
      1. Jim Pauwels

        And perhaps fittingly so: a reminder that it is the office, more so than the individual who happens to fill it at any given time, that should be honored.

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