St. Andrew, son of Jonah, was the elder brother of St. Peter. Born in Bethsaida on the shores of the Galilee Sea, Peter and Andrew were fishermen. He became a follower of St. John the Baptist until Jesus was introduced to him as the Messiah. St. Andrew was the first apostle called by our Lord. St Bede called St. Andrew the "Introducer to Christ" as he introduced not only Peter to our Lord but many others, including the boy with the loaves and the Greeks to Christ. After the Ascension of our Lord, St. Andrew preached the faith of Christ in Galatia, Cappadocia, Bithynia, and Greece. He succumbed to martyrdom on November 30, 60 A.D., in Patras during the reign of Emperor Nero. Andrew desired to be killed on a "saltire" cross (a diagonal cross in the shape of an "X") because he did not consider himself worthy to die on a cross like Christ. He was also bound, not nailed, to prolong his suffering. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, evidenced by the saltire St. Andrew's Cross on that nation's flag. Many other countries (such as Russia, Romania, and Ukraine) claim Andrew as their patron saint, too, and he is the patron saint of fishermen. The Christmas Novena, better known as the St. Andrew Novena, begins on November 30. The Novena consists of saying this prayer 15 times daily until Christmas:
"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 Savior Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen."
St. Andrew, pray for us that we may long to introduce Christ to those who do not know Him and those seeking to know Him better. Amen.
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