Peter, festival of Saint

   A Holy Day of the Church observed on June 29th in honor of the Apostle Saint Peter, and is one of the oldest of Christian Festivals, having been traced back to the Second Century. St. Peter was one of the first two disciples whom our Lord called. His original name was Simon or Simeon, which was changed into Cephas, which in the Syrian language, signifies a stone or rock; from this it was derived into the Greek Petros, and so termed by us Peter. This new name was to denote the firmness and constancy which St. Peter should manifest in preaching the Gospel and in establishing the Church. He has left two Epistles which appear in the New Testament as the "First and Second Epistles General of St. Peter." It is said that his later years were spent at Rome where he was crucified with his head downwards, on the hill where the Vatican now stands, on the same day, June 29th (as is generally believed) that St. Paul was beheaded A.D. 63. In ecclesiastical art St. Peter is variously represented, with a key in his hand; with a key and church; with keys and cross; in chains and in prison, etc.