The Diocese of Allentown celebrated the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle on Jan. 25. 

“On this #FeastDay of the Conversion of St. Paul, we ask for his assistance so that we may respond with great faith to every invitation we receive to love the Lord more fully, to know Him more deeply, and to spread his word more broadly to those who need it. St. Paul, pray for us!” the Diocese of Allentown posted on Facebook.

Annual celebrations takes place on Jan. 25, centering on the life of St. Paul, originally born as Saul of Tarsus. Born in approximately 4 CE, St. Paul was recognized as a leader of the first generation of Christianity - he is even attributed by some as the most important figure to Christianity behind Jesus, according to Britannica.

Though a Roman citizen, St. Paul grew up strictly Jewish and initially was a prosecutor of Christians. However, he underwent a conversion while traveling to Damascus after witnessing an apparition of the Lord. This apparition blinded him, however writings within the Bible also describe a man by the name of Ananais, who came to baptize Saul following his experience of the apparition. Upon being baptized, “at that instant, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored.” 

St. Paul has 14 letters (also referred to as epistles) included in the New Testament of the Bible. He is credited for having written 13 of the 27 books within the New Testament, but it is possible that some were written by his followers.

During his life, St. Paul led three missionary trips across southern Europe and Asia Minor. In approximately 66 CE, St. Paul was beheaded; his relics are in the Rome Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, near the Ostian Way.