St. Andrew Apostle: Feast Day. by Archangel777 Blog entry

Venite post me, faciam vos fieri piscatores hominum.
Come and follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Saint Andrew Christmas Novena

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

This prayer is often called the "Christmas Novena" or the "Christmas Anticipation Prayer," because it is prayed 15 times every day from the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle (November 30) until Christmas. The first Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew.

The novena is not actually addressed to Saint Andrew but to God Himself, asking Him to grant our request in the honor of the birth of His Son at Christmas. You can say the prayer all 15 times at once to get what you want )a baby, a husband, wife, new home, health,); or divide up the recitation as necessary (perhaps five times at each meal)...

Go to Mass, or if you are sick watch Ewtn Mass on tv, or even if you are not a Catholic go to a Catholic Church and make the first step to becoming a Catholic today!

Read your Bible... Book OF Matthew 16:17, Book of John 1: 44. Book of Mark: 1: 21-29

Patron: Achaia; Amalfi, Italy; anglers; Burgundy; diocese of Constantinople; fish dealers; fish mongers; fishermen; gout; Greece; Lampertheim; Germany; maidens; old maids; Patras, Greece; Russia; Scotland; singers; sore throats; spinsters; University of Patras; unmarried women; women who wish to become mothers.

Symbols: Fish; Saint Andrew's cross; Cross saltire (x-shaped); V or Y shaped cross; two fishes; tall cross and book; vertical spear; primitive fish hook; fisherman's net.
Often Portrayed As: Man bound to a cross; man preaching from a cross; preacher holding some fish.

We humbly entreat thy majesty, O Lord,
that the blessed apostle Andrew may be as constant an advocate for us in Thy court as he was eminent in preaching and ruling over Thy Church. Amen.

Saint Andrew, the first apostle

The Church celebrates the feast of Saint Andrew on November 30, an important date in the annual liturgical calendar, because it determines the date of the First Sunday of Advent, which is the Sunday nearest this Feast. Saint Andrew is the patron saint fishermen, and of both Scotland and Russia.

Andrew, the first Apostle called by Jesus, was a fisherman from Bethsaida and the brother of Simon Peter. A follower of John the Baptist, Andrew recognized Jesus as the Messiah when John baptized Our Lord in the Jordan River, and he introduced his brother Simon to Jesus. The two brothers continued as fishermen until Jesus called them as Apostles.

After Pentecost, it is believed that Andrew went to Greece to preach the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

Saint Andrew, called the "Protoclet" (or "first called") by the Greeks, was crucified at Achaia by order of Roman Governor Aegeas during the reign of Nero. He was bound, not nailed, to the X-shaped cross in order to prolong his sufferings. According to tradition, he preached from the cross for two days, and died on the third day.

This saint is the patron of Greece and Scotland. Below is a replica of the Great Seal of Saint Andrew, Scotland. The Cross of Saint Andrew, an X shaped cross, is visible in the center.