Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle

The feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle celebrates not a piece of furniture but the office and authority that Christ entrusted to Peter and to his successors, the bishops of Rome. The "chair," or cathedra, is the ancient symbol of a bishop's teaching and pastoral office, and the Chair of Peter signifies the singular mission given to the Apostle when the Lord said, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church," and charged him to strengthen his brethren and to feed the flock.

Honored at Rome from very early times, the feast expresses the unity of the whole Church gathered around the ministry of Peter, the visible center and foundation of communion in faith and charity. A relic venerated as the chair of the Apostle is enshrined in the great basilica of St. Peter at the Vatican. Kept on 22 February, the day invites the faithful to give thanks for the gift of unity and to pray for the Pope, the successor of Peter.