Solemnity
of Saints Peter and
Paul, Apostles
June 29, 2025
Cycle C
White priestly vestments symbolize purity and integrity of
the life of faith.
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Liturgical Year Cycle C 2024-2025
Introductory Acts of Worship
The Entrance Prayers:
On Sunday, usually a hymn praising
God is sung in place
of reciting a Psalm from the Bible which invites us to enter
more deeply into
the mystery of God's love for us. The recited weekday
Psalm expresses a
youthful heart and spirit, delighted that we may come before
the living God.
Entrance Song /
Entrance Psalm
(Antiphon)
Entrance
Song
These
are
the ones who, living in the flesh, planted the Church with their
blood.
The Priest Approaches and
Kisses the
Altar:
The
altar is a symbol of Christ. In it are cut five
crosses to recall the
five wounds of Christ. The altar also represents the
Church and has
embedded in it the relics of her saints. The priest
comes to the altar to
celebrate the Sacrifice in the Church's name. Because
of the glory
surrounding the altar upon which the divine Sacrifice will
be made, the kiss of
the priest unites the Church to Christ, its Redeemer.
Priest:
In the
name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All:
Amen.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
The Penitential Prayers:
We
recognize our guilt for past sins, express our sorrow for
them, and ask that
Mary, the angels, the saints, and our brothers and sisters
in Christ pray for
the Lord God's mercy. (The priest may select from
several forms).
Priest:
Brothers
and
sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves
to celebrate
the sacred mysteries.
Priest / All: I confess to almighty God and to you,
my brothers
and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in
my words, in
what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my
fault, through my
fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed
Mary
ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and
sisters, to
pray for me to the Lord our God.
The Absolution:
Priest:
May
almighty
God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to
everlasting
life.
All:
Amen.
The Gloria: The
Glory of God prayers have existed from the second
century. They repeat
the angels praise of God which heralded the birth of Christ
on earth. Our
praise is lifted again through the years as we rejoice at
His coming as Lord,
God, the most high Jesus Christ, who at Christmas took on
our human nature
while at the same time being the son of Man. This ancient
hymn expresses our
recognition of God's glory and love. It calls upon
Christ as our holy and
divine mediator, and the Holy Spirit who forever binds us
together in God's
love.
Priest
and
All: Glory
to
God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord
God,
heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give
you thanks, we
praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of
the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have
mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our
prayer. For
you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone
are the Most
High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God
the Father.
Amen.
The Collect:
The
priest lifts
the united prayers and petitions of the congregation to God
the Father through
the merits of Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.
Priest:
Let
us
pray.
Priest: O God, who in the Solemnity of the
Apostles Peter
and Paul, gave us the noble and holy joy of this day, grant, we
pray, that your
Church may in all things follow the teaching of those through
whom she received
the beginnings of right religion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
Liturgy of the Word
Christ is made known to us through
the Old Testament
which prepares us to recognize Him. In those days, God
inspired men who
spoke His message. Now,
the New
Testament Gospel reading announces His presence to us
directly through His
Son. Both readings bring God's message to us.
Our responsibility is
to respond.
The First Reading: From the New Testament.
Acts
12:
1-11
In
those days, King Herod laid upon some members of the Church to
harm them. He had
James, the brother of John killed by
the sword, and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews,
he proceeded to
arrest Peter also. -- It was the feast of the Unleavened Bread.
–- He had him
taken into custody and put in prison under the guard of four
squads of four
soldiers each. He
intended to bring him
before the people after Passover.
Peter
thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the Church was
fervently being
made to God on his behalf.
On the
very night before
Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter, secured by double
chains, was sleeping
between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch
on the
prison. Suddenly
the angel of the Lord
stood by him and a light shone in the cell.
He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying,
“Get up
quickly.” The
chains fell from his wrists.
The angel said to him, “Put on your belt and
your sandals.” He
did so. Then he
said to him, “Put on your cloak and
follow me.” So, he
followed him out, not
realizing that what was happening through the angel was real; he
thought he was
seeing a vision. They
passed the first
guard, then the second, and came to the iron gate leading out to
the city,
which opened for them by itself.
They
emerged and made their way down an alley, and suddenly the angel
left him. Then
Peter recovered his senses and said,
“Now I know for certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued
me from the hand
of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been
expecting.”
Priest/Reader:
The
Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks
be to God.
The Responsorial
Psalm: This
Psalm praising God, is a prayer to God, or recommends the
practice of
virtue. It is sung as an interlude between the
scriptural readings.
It provides yet another instructional setting and invites
the assembly to
imitate the cantor who sings a repeated response to the
verses of an ancient
Psalm many of which are attributed to King David. The
verses are sung
first by a cantor (song leader) accompanied by instruments,
the refrain is sung
by the people.
Responsorial
Psalm 34 (33):2-3,
4-5, 6-7, 8-9 .
vii
Cantor:
The
angel
of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
All: R/.
The
angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Cantor: I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise shall
be ever in my mouth. Let
my soul glory
in the Lord: the lowly will hear me and be glad.
All: R/.
The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Cantor: Glorify the Lord with me, let us
together extol his
name. I sought the
Lord, and he answered
me and delivered me from all my fears.
All: R/. The
angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Cantor: Look to him, that
you may be radiant with
joy, and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the Lord heard, and from
all his distress
he saved him.
All: R/. The
angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Cantor: The
angel of the Lord
encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Taste and see how good
the Lord is; blessed
the man who takes refuge in him.
The Second Reading: 2
Timothy 4: 6-8, 17-18
I, Paul am already
being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure
is at hand. I have competed well;
I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith. From
now on the
crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just
judge, will award to
me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed
for his
appearance.
The
Lord stood
by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation
might be
completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.
And I was rescued
from the lion’s
mouth. The Lord
will rescue me from very
evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom. To him be glory
forever and ever. Amen.
John
6:51
Cantor:
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
ALL: R/. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Cantor: You are Peter and upon this rock
I will build my
Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail
against it. ALL:
R/. Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
The
Gospel: The
Liturgy of the Word is completed by the reading of the
Gospel. Before its
reading, the members of the assembly trace the sign of the
cross upon the
forehead to indicate their mental acceptance of the Truth,
on the lips to
indicate their readiness to announce it, and over the heart
to indicate their
sincere desire to accept it into their lives. The
"Good News"
of the Gospel tells that God's kingdom has come for all to
hear, accept, and
announce to the world for its salvation. It is God who
is speaking to
us. Christ comes to teach us by the example of His
life and by His own
words.
Priest: Cleanse
my heart and my
lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy
Gospel. Through
the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with our spirit.
Priest/Deacon: A reading
from
the holy Gospel according to Luke.
All: Glory
to you, Lord.
The
Gospel: Mt
16: 13-19
Written
to
explain that
Christ came to save everyone.
Priest: The
Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise
to you, Lord
Jesus Christ.
Priest: Through the words of the Gospel may
our sins be wiped
away.
The Priest's Sermon:
The
priest develops, explains, and comments upon the Master's
words, so our minds
may be
enlightened, and our hearts enriched.
(A priestly reflection upon this
Gospel)
Profession of Faith:
We
state in the Nicene Creed the principles of our faith in
precise and definite
terms.
All: I
believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that
is seen and
unseen. I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Only
Begotten Son of
God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with
the Father;
through him all things were made. For us men and for our
salvation he
came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of
the Virgin Mary and
became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius
Pilate, he
suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day
in accordance
with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated
at the right
hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge
the living and
the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in
the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and
the Son, who with
the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken
through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I
confess one
Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and I look for the
resurrection of the
dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
General Intercessions:
We pray for the needs of the pope,
civic leaders, our
own needs, those of others, the sick, the dying, those who
have died, the
church, and the world. The response of all to each
intercession:
Lord, hear our prayer.
All: Lord,
hear our prayer.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
Gifts of bread and wine symbolizing
ourselves are
presented to the priest who will offer them to God the
Father. Through
the Holy Spirit, they will become the Body and Blood of
Jesus Christ whom we
receive in Holy Communion. Jesus unites Himself with
us for our spiritual
nourishment and strength. Today, when individuals do
not present their
own personal offerings of bread and wine, the monetary
contribution symbolizes
the material of their united sacrifice.
The priest makes and offering of the bread and wine
to God.
Preparation of the Bread and
Wine:
Priest: Blessed
are you, Lord
God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received
the bread we
offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will
become for us
the bread of life.
All: Blessed
be God for ever.
Priest: By the
mystery of this
water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ,
who humbled
himself to share in our humanity.
Priest: Blessed
are you, Lord
God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received
the wine we
offer you; fruit of the vine and work of human hands it will
become our
spiritual drink.
All: Blessed
be God for ever.
Priest: With
humble spirit and
contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord, and may our
sacrifice in your
sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God.
The Priest's Hands are
Washed: This
act was traditionally necessary because the priest
handled the various gifts presented by the people.
Now, the cleansing act
using water reminds the priest and ourselves of the need to
cleanse not only
the hands but the soul. Soon, the priest's hands will
hold the actual
body of Christ, and we will become His dwelling
place.
Priest: Wash me
O Lord, from m
iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be
acceptable to God,
the almighty Father.
All: May the
Lord accept the
sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good and
the good of all his holy Church.
Prayer over the Gifts:
Speaking
in our name, the priest asks the Father to accept the gifts
we offer through
him.
Priest:
Grant
your
Church, O Lord, we pray, the gifts of unity and peace, whose
signs are to
be seen in mystery in the offerings we here present.
Through Christ our
Lord.
Eucharistic Prayer: (Number One: The
priest may select
from several forms).
Priest: The
Lord
be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them up to the Lord.
Priest: Let us give thanks to the
Lord, our God.
All: It is right and
just.
Preface
Prayer:
Priest:
It is
truly right and
just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give
you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our
Lord. For
at the Last Supper with his Apostles, establishing for the ages
to come the saving
memorial of the Cross, he offered himself to you as the
unblemished Lamb, the
acceptable gift of perfect praise.
Nourishing your faithful by this sacred mystery, you make
them holy, so
that the human race, bounded by one world, may be enlightened by
one faith and
united by one bond of charity. And so, as we approach the
table of this
wondrous Sacrament, so that, bathed in the sweetness of your
grace, we may pass
over to the heavenly realities here foreshadowed.
Therefore, all
creatures of heaven and earth sing a new song in adoration, and
we, with all
the host of Angels, cry out, and without end we acclaim:
Acclamation:
Priest
and
All:
Holy,
Holy, Holy Lord,
God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your
glory. Hosanna
in the highest. Blessed is he who 
comes in the name of the
Lord. Hosanna in the
highest.
Priest:
To
you, therefore, most merciful Father, we make humble prayer and
petition
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord: that you accept and
bless these
gifts, these offerings, these holy and unblemished sacrifices,
which we offer
you firstly for your holy catholic church. Be pleased to
grant her peace,
to guard, unite and govern her throughout the whole world,
together with your
servant ______, our Pope and _____, our Bishop, and all those
who, holding to
the truth, hand on the catholic and apostolic faith.
Remember,
Lord, your
servants ____and ___ and all gathered here, whose faith and
devotion are known
to you. For them, we offer you this sacrifice of praise or
they offer it
for themselves and all who are dear to them: for the redemption
of their souls,
in hope of health and well-being, and paying their homage to
you, the eternal
God, living and true.
In
communion with those
whose memory we venerate, especially the glorious ever-Virgin
Mary, Mother of
our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, and blessed Joseph, her Spouse,
your blessed
Apostles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, John,
Thomas, James, Philip,
Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and Jude; Linus, Cletus, Clement,
Sixtus,
Cornelius, Cyprian, Lawrence, Chrysogonus, John and Paul, Cosmas
and Damian and
all your Saints; we ask that through their merits and prayers,
in all things we
may be defended by your protecting help. Through Christ
our Lord.
Amen.
Be
pleased, O God, we
pray, to bless, acknowledge, and approve this offering in every
respect; make
it spiritual and acceptable, so that it may become for us the
Body and Blood of
your most beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The priest repeats the words which
Christ used at his
Last Supper when He changed the bread into His Body and the
wine into His
Blood. His Body and Blood are truly present but under
the appearance of
bread and wine. The death of Christ is prolonged in
each of those who
receive Him worthily. We apply His death to ourselves
so that we may
share His glory. This moment is the most solemn on
earth because it is
Divine act which enables us to apply to ourselves the Cross
which Christ willingly
took upon Himself.
We are called to die to sin and lift
our very selves to
God so that we become changed; to do as God would have us
do, to become what
God would have us 
become.
Our
own little cross can lift us into union with Christ's Cross
so we may earn
the joys of everlasting happiness with God the Father.
The
Lord's Supper:
On the
day before he was
to suffer, he took bread in his holy and venerable
hands, and with eyes
raised to heaven to you, his almighty Father, giving you thanks,
he said the
blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take
this,
all of you and eat of it: for this is my Body which will be
given up for
you.
In a similar way, when
supper was ended, he took
this precious chalice in his holy and venerable hands, and once
more giving you
thanks, he said the blessing and gave the chalice to his
disciples, saying:
Take
this,
all of you, and drink from it; for this is the chalice of my
Blood, the
Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured
out for you and for
many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of
me.
The Mystery of Faith:
Priest: Let us
proclaim the
mystery of faith:
Priest and All: Save us, Savior of the
world, for by your Cross
and Resurrection you have set us free.
Memorial Prayer:
Priest:
Therefore,
O
Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the blessed Passion, the
Resurrection
from the dead, and the glorious Ascension into heaven of Christ,
your Son, our
Lord, we, your servants and your holy people, offer to your
glorious majesty
from the gifts that you have given us, this pure victim, this
holy victim, this
spotless victim, the holy Bread of eternal life and the Chalice
of everlasting
salvation.
Be
pleased to look upon
these offerings with a serene and kindly countenance, and to
accept them, as
once you were pleased to accept the gifts of your servant Abel
the just, the
sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith, and the offering of
your high priest
Melchizedek, a holy sacrifice, a spotless victim.
In
humble prayer we ask
you, almighty God: command that these gifts be borne by the
hands of your holy
Angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty,
so that all of
us, who through this participation at the altar receive the most
holy Body and
Blood of your Son, may be filled with every grace and heavenly
blessing.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Remember
also, Lord,
your servants _____ and _____, who have gone before us with the
sign of faith
and rest in the sleep of peace. Grant them, O Lord, we
pray, and all who
sleep in Christ, a place of refreshment, light and peace.
Through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
To us,
also, your
servants, who, though sinners, hope in your abundant mercies,
graciously grant
some share and fellowship with your holy Apostles and martyrs:
with John the
Baptist, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas, (Ignatius, Alexander,
Marcellinus, Peter,
Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia) and
all your
Saints; admit us, we beseech you, into their company not
weighing our merits,
but granting us your pardon, through Christ our Lord.
Through
whom you
continue to make all these good things, O Lord; you sanctify
them, fill them
with life, bless them, and bestow them upon us.
Doxology:
Prayer
of
Praise:
Through
him, with him,
and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor
is yours,
almighty Father, for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
Communion Rite
In the
Liturgy of the
Eucharist, we symbolically offer ourselves to the Lord
through the gifts of
bread and wine. At the Consecration, we offer our very
lives to be united
the God the Father through the Cross of Christ. In
Communion, we find that
we have not died at all, but have come to life. We
have surrendered
ourselves to God through His Divine Son, Jesus Christ.
In return become
ennobled and enriched.
We give up time
and we get eternity, we give up our sin and we receive
grace, we surrender our
self-will and receive the strength of the Divine Will, we
give up ourselves and
we receive everything. For the Son of God says to us
that unless we
receive Him we shall not have Divine life in us. But
it is not really we
who receive Christ as it is Christ who receives us, bringing
us into Himself.
God makes His Cross the very means
of our salvation and
our life. While we have crucified Him, His eternal
love cannot be
extinguished. Christ willed to give us the very life
we crucified in our
Redemption, the Consecration of Holy Thursday into
Communion, His death into
our everlasting life.
The Lord's Prayer:
Priest: At the Savior's
command and formed by
divine teaching, we dare to say:
Priest
and
All: Our
Father,
who art in heaven, hallowed be they name; Thy kingdom come; Thy
will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread; and
forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass
against us; and lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Priest: Deliver us, Lord, we
pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your
mercy, we may be
always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the
blessed hope
and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
All: For the kingdom, the power, and the glory
are yours, now
and forever.
Prayer for Peace:
Priest: Lord
Jesus Christ, you
said to your apostles: I leave you peace, my peace I give you.
Look not on our
sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her
peace and unity
in accordance with your will. Who live and reign for ever
and ever.
All: Amen.
Priest: The
peace of the Lord be
with you always.
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: Let us offer each other the sing of peace.
Breaking of the Bread:
Priest:
May
this
mingling of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring
eternal life
to us who receive it.
Priest
and
All: Lamb
of
God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of
God, you take
away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of
God, you take
away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
Communion of the
Priest:
Priestly Preparation: Lord
Jesus Christ,
Son of the living God, who, by the will of the Father and the
work of the Holy
Spirit, through your Death gave life to the world, free me by
this, your most
holy Body and Blood, from all my sins and from every evil; keep
me always
faithful to your commandments, and never let me be parted from
you.
Priest: Behold
the
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy
are those who are
called to his supper.
Priest
and
All: Lord, I
am not worthy to
receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.
Priest: May the
Body of Christ
keep me safe for eternal life.
May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.
Communion Antiphon:
John
6:57
Priest:
Whoever
eats
my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him, says
the Lord.
Communion of the Faithful:
Priest: The
Body of Christ.
The
Faithful: Amen.
Priest/Deacon/
Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister: The Blood of
Christ.
The
Faithful: Amen.
Cleansing of the Vessels:
Priest: Lord,
may I receive
these gifts in purity of heart. May they bring me healing
and strength,
now and forever.
Prayer after Communion:
Priest: Let us
pray.
Priest:
Grant,
O
Lord, we pray, that we may delight for all eternity in that
share in your
divine life, which is foreshadowed in the present age by our
reception of your
precious Body and Blood. Who live and reign for ever and
ever.
All: Amen.
Concluding Rite
O my
Jesus, forgive us
our sins.
Save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven,
especially those in most need of your mercy.