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- Patrons: Tommy & Betty Ann Lindsey
- Stitcher: Louise Woodham
- To the glory of God
St. Philip the Apostle
St. Philip the Apostle is represented by the Cross of our Lord flanked by two silver coins, representative of the wages he suggested would be required in order to feed the 5,000. Other sources suggest the circles represent two pieces of bread.
Little is known about St. Philip the Apostle, except for his mention in the Gospels. Philip figures in several important incidents in Jesus’ ministry as reported in John’s Gospel. There we read that Jesus called Philip soon after calling Andrew and Peter. Philip, in turn, found his friend Nathanael, and convinced him to come and see Jesus, the Messiah. Later, when Jesus saw the hungry crowd, he asked Philip, “How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” (John 6:5). Philip’s practical response, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little” (John 6:7), was the prelude to the feeding of the multitude with the loaves and fishes. In a later incident in John’s Gospel, some Greeks came to Philip asking to see Jesus. At the Last Supper, Philip’s request, “Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied,” evokes the response, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:8, 9).
Adapted from Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2003