St. John the Apostle: Life, Symbols, Prayer and Feast Day

St. John the Apostle, “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” was a Galilean fisherman who became one of the Twelve, stood at the foot of the Cross, received Mary as his mother, and wrote the fourth Gospel, three letters and, by tradition, the Book of Revelation. He was the only one of the Twelve who, according to tradition, did not die a martyr’s death, living to a great age at Ephesus. His feast is December 27, two days after Christmas. In 2026, though, December 27 is the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, so the Feast of the Holy Family is celebrated instead.

Who was St. John the Apostle?

A son of Zebedee. John was the son of Zebedee and Salome and the younger brother of St. James the Greater. Both were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus nicknamed the two brothers Boanerges, “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17), perhaps for their fiery temperament.
First a disciple of John the Baptist. He is usually identified with the unnamed disciple who followed Jesus with Andrew (John 1:35–40).
One of the inner three. With Peter and James he witnessed the raising of Jairus’s daughter, the Transfiguration and the agony in Gethsemane.
The beloved disciple. At the Last Supper he leaned on Jesus’ breast (John 13:23). He alone of the Twelve stood by the Cross, where Jesus entrusted his mother to him:

When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son.
After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.

First to believe at the tomb. On Easter morning he outran Peter to the empty tomb, “saw, and believed” (John 20:8).
A pillar of the Church. In Acts he works beside Peter in Jerusalem and Samaria, and St. Paul names him as one of the “pillars” of the Church (Galatians 2:9).
Ephesus and Patmos. He later lived at Ephesus. Under the emperor Domitian he was exiled to the island of Patmos, “for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus” (Apocalypse 1:9). Tertullian records that before this he had been thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil at Rome and came out unharmed.
Death. He returned to Ephesus and died there about the year 100, at a great age, in the reign of Trajan.

His writings

The Gospel of John, which begins “In the beginning was the Word” and dwells on Christ’s divinity, the “I am” sayings, and the long discourse of the Last Supper.
Three letters, 1, 2 and 3 John, whose great theme is love: “God is charity: and he that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16).
The Apocalypse (Book of Revelation), traditionally attributed to him, written on Patmos.

St. Jerome tells that when John was so old he had to be carried to church, his only sermon was “Little children, love one another.” Asked why he always said the same thing, he answered that it was the Lord’s command, and that if this alone was done, it was enough.

St. John’s symbols: the eagle and the chalice

The eagle. Of the four living creatures of Ezekiel and the Apocalypse, the eagle stands for John, because his Gospel soars from its first line to the heights of Christ’s divinity.
The chalice with a serpent. A legend tells that John was handed a cup of poisoned wine; when he blessed it, the poison rose out of the cup as a serpent. The chalice also recalls Christ’s words to John and James, “My chalice indeed you shall drink” (Matthew 20:23).

St. John’s wine

Because of the legend of the poisoned cup, a blessing of wine on St. John’s day became a beloved custom, especially in German-speaking lands, and the old Roman Ritual includes a blessing of wine for his feast. Families drink “the love of St. John” (Johannisminne) together, toasting one another with the words “Drink the love of St. John.” It is a fitting way to keep the feast of the apostle of love during the Christmas season.

The prayer of his feast

The Collect for St. John in the traditional Roman Missal:

In thy goodness, O Lord, enlighten thy Church, that being illumined by the doctrines of thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist, John, she may attain to everlasting gifts. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.

A prayer to St. John the Apostle

Written for this page:

Saint John, beloved disciple, you rested your head on the heart of Jesus
and stood faithful at the foot of his Cross.
You took Mary into your home; help me to take her into mine.
Teach me to love as you were loved,
and to say with my whole life, “Little children, love one another.”
Saint John, pray for us. Amen.

What is St. John the Apostle the patron saint of?

He is honored as a patron of friendship and of love, of writers, editors and publishers, and of theologians. Because of the cauldron of oil, he is also invoked by those suffering from burns.

Frequently asked questions

When is the feast of St. John the Apostle?

December 27. In years when December 27 is a Sunday, as in 2026, the Feast of the Holy Family is celebrated instead.

Is St. John the Apostle the same as St. John the Baptist?

No. St. John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin and forerunner, beheaded by Herod Antipas. St. John the Apostle was one of the Twelve and the author of the fourth Gospel.

Was St. John the Apostle martyred?

He was not killed for the faith, although he suffered exile and, according to Tertullian, was thrown into boiling oil. The Church honors him as a martyr in will and love, and he died of old age at Ephesus.

Why is St. John called the beloved disciple?

Because his Gospel refers to him not by name but as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20).

More saints and prayers

Texts and sources

John 19:26–27 and 1 John 4:16 (Douay-Rheims).
Collect: The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916 daily missal), December 27, public domain (archive.org). OCR errors corrected.
Leopold Fonck, “St. John the Evangelist,” Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 8 (1910), Wikisource, for the traditions from Irenaeus, Tertullian, Eusebius and Jerome.