St. Paul, the persecutor of Christians who met the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, became the great Apostle of the Gentiles, carried the Gospel across the Roman world and wrote the letters that fill much of the New Testament. He died a martyr in Rome, and the Church honors him with St. Peter as one of the two pillars of the Church. Below are prayers to St. Paul for conversion, for missionaries, writers and preachers and for perseverance, the traditional prayer to Sts. Peter and Paul, the Scripture of his conversion and his own words, and his story.
A prayer to St. Paul
Written for this page:
St. Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ,
you were struck down on the road to Damascus and rose a new man.
You counted everything as loss compared with knowing Christ,
and you spent your life making him known.
Pray for me, that I may love Jesus as you loved him
and share his Gospel with courage.
Obtain for me the grace I ask: (name your intention). Amen.
A prayer for conversion
St. Paul, no one seemed farther from Christ than you,
yet his grace overcame you in a moment.
Pray for (name), who has turned away from God or never known him.
May the light that shone on you on the road to Damascus shine in his (her) heart. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
A prayer for missionaries, preachers and writers
St. Paul, tireless missionary and writer,
pray for all who carry the Gospel to others:
missionaries, priests, catechists, teachers,
and all who write and speak about the faith.
Give them clear words, brave hearts and the love of Christ that urged you on. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See the St. Francis Xavier prayer.
A prayer for perseverance
St. Paul, you were shipwrecked, beaten, imprisoned and abandoned,
yet you kept the faith to the end.
When I am tired and discouraged, help me to run the race to the finish,
trusting that God’s grace is enough. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. St. Paul’s words near the end of his life:
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord the just judge will render to me in that day: and not only to me, but to them also that love his coming. Make haste to come to me quickly.
The traditional prayer to Sts. Peter and Paul
From The Raccolta (English translation, 1878):
O blessed apostles Peter and Paul! I take you this day for my special protectors and advocates with God. In all humility I rejoice with thee, blessed Peter, prince of the apostles, because thou art the rock whereon God hath built his Church; and I rejoice with thee, too, blessed Paul, because thou wast chosen of God for a vessel of election, and preacher of the truth throughout the world. Ask for me, I pray you both, lively faith, firm hope, and perfect charity; entire detachment from myself, contempt of the world, patience in adversity, humility in prosperity, attention in prayer, purity of heart, right intention in my works, diligence in the fulfilment of all the duties of my state of life, constancy in my good resolutions, resignation to the holy will of God, perseverance in his grace even unto death, — that, by your joint intercession and your glorious merits, I may overcome the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and be made worthy to stand before the face of the chief and eternal pastor of souls, Jesus Christ, to enjoy him and to love him for all eternity, who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth world without end. Amen.
Scripture: the conversion of St. Paul
And as he went on his journey, it came to pass that he drew nigh to Damascus; and suddenly a light from heaven shined round about him.
And falling on the ground, he heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Who said: Who art thou, Lord? And he: I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the goad.
And he trembling and astonished, said: Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
The heart of his message:
And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me. And that I live now in the flesh: I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself for me.
Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up;
Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
The life of St. Paul
Saul was born in Tarsus, in Cilicia (in present-day Turkey), a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin and a Roman citizen. He trained as a tentmaker and studied the Law in Jerusalem under the famous teacher Gamaliel, becoming a zealous Pharisee. He approved of the stoning of St. Stephen and set out to arrest the followers of Jesus.
On the road to Damascus, around the year 34, the risen Jesus appeared to him in a blinding light: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” Blind for three days, he was baptized by Ananias, and he began at once to preach that Jesus is the Son of God. After years of preparation he set out with Barnabas, and later with Silas, Timothy and Luke, on great missionary journeys through Cyprus, Asia Minor and Greece, founding churches in cities such as Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth and Ephesus. His letters to these communities, written to encourage, correct and teach them, are among the earliest writings of the New Testament.
Arrested in Jerusalem, Paul appealed as a Roman citizen to the emperor and was sent to Rome, surviving a shipwreck on Malta on the way. In Rome he spent two years under house arrest, still preaching. According to ancient tradition, he was beheaded outside Rome during the persecution of Nero, in the mid-60s, at the place now called Tre Fontane. He is buried in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Feast days and patronage
- The Conversion of St. Paul: January 25, the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
- Sts. Peter and Paul: June 29, a solemnity.
- Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul: November 18.
- Patron of: missionaries, writers and journalists, theologians, tentmakers, Malta and Rome.
- Symbols: a sword (his martyrdom) and a book or scrolls (his letters).
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast of St. Paul?
June 29, with St. Peter. His conversion is celebrated on January 25.
Why is St. Paul called the Apostle of the Gentiles?
Because Christ sent him above all to the non-Jewish nations, and he fought for their full welcome into the Church without first becoming Jews.
How many letters did St. Paul write?
Thirteen letters in the New Testament bear his name; the Letter to the Hebrews was also traditionally linked to him.
What is St. Paul the patron saint of?
Missionaries, writers and journalists, theologians and Malta.
More prayers
- St. Luke prayer
- St. Peter prayer
- St. Francis Xavier prayer
- Pray without ceasing
- Catholic prayer for strength
- Prayers to popular saints
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Prayer to Sts. Peter and Paul: The Raccolta, or Collection of Indulgenced Prayers, translated by Ambrose St. John (1878), no. 147, public domain (archive.org).
- Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:7–8; Acts 9:3–6; Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The other prayers were written for this page.