The saint that I want to talk to you about is St Peter. As well as being the saint I chose to be my confirmation name he is a very influential character in the Bible and I see him as a person of great importance in the Catholic faith. Peter was a fisherman in his early years before becoming one of Jesus’ disciples and consequently Jesus’ right-hand man and furthermore the leader of the early church.

Peter’s life was completely changed when he met Jesus. He called Peter to follow him. It was Jesus who changed his name from Simon to Peter which means ‘the Rock’. Jesus appointed Peter as the rock on which he would build his church. Even though he did have some doubts about his faith, he was the only disciple who had enough faith in Jesus to try and do what he asked.

Even after letting his master down in his moment of need when denying he knew Jesus before he was crucified, he was the one who sore Jesus rose from the dead. This did not only make him have more faith but made him from weak and scared to a confident leader. This led him to preach openly in the temple and work miracles in Jesus’ name.

Alastair, November 2008