Apostle and Evangelist
Feast day May 3rd

Philip was a native of Bethsaida, Palestine, on Lake Genesareth. He was among those surrounding John the Baptist when he first pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God. On the day after Peter's call, when they were about to set out for Galilee, Jesus met Philip and called him with the words, "Follow me". (John 1:43) Philip obeyed the call. Philip began his evangelizing efforts early by bringing Bartholomew to meet Jesus. (John 1:43-45). In the list of the apostles, Philip is named fifth, before Bartholomew.

In the group of apostles he must have achieved a certain amount of authority, as during Palm Sunday, some Greeks asked him if they could see the Master. This was a group of non-Jews who had come over to the monotheism of Israel, "God-fearing" men who had come to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. Thru the request of Philip and St. Andrew the group was allowed to see Jesus. (John 12:20-22)

In the fourth Gospel, on the occasion of the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, Jesus wanted to test the faith of his disciple, who was probably in charge of supplies, and asked him where He could find the bread necessary to feed the crowd that had come to listen to Him. Philip thought about it and answered only that "two hundred denarii would not buy enough to give them a little piece each." (John 6:5-7)

During the Last Supper, Jesus explained to the apostles that knowing Him, they also know the Father. Philip did not understand His words and insisted, "Lord, show us the Father, and then we shall be satisfied."   The Lord's answer has a tone of sadness: "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?" (John 14:6-10)

Legend says that Philip evangelized part of Scythia, part of Lydia, part of Galatia, and Phrygia. He was imprisoned by pagans in Scythia who wanted to sacrifice him to Mars, but a dragon burst into the temple, killing all near it with its firey breath. Philip, with the help of the Cross, defeated the dragon and converted the worshippers of Mars.

He seems to have died in Phrygia, at Hierapolis. He was martyred in the same way as St. Peter by being crucified upside down. According to scholars he was buried there. His remains were taken from Hierapolis to Constantinople, and from there to Rome, where in the sixth century Pope Pelagius founded a church dedicated to St. Philip and St. James, later called the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles.

In our window, Philip is carying the Metropolitan, or "Greek cross". The loaves of bread are reminders of the feeding of the multitude.