St Andrew Research Paper

Deep in the thick swamps and woods of Northern Gulf County, amidst the buzz and sting of mosquitoes, chirps of squirrels, and swirls of the Apalachicola, is a long-lost story. One hundred and eighty years ago the town of Iola sprang out of the cypress swamp of what is now north east Gulf County. That small community, was, and still is an enigma in the wilderness of territorial Florida and has all but faded from the memory of Gulf County and is nothing but a boat ramp now.

As I take this chance to reflect, I discovered a truth, the sky is the limit. During my years at St. Luke, I have developed as a student, an athlete, and as a member of the Catholic Church. I believe that everyone brings something special gift to the world, and I believe my gift is that of determination to become a great man through faith and education. I have been an alter server for about two years. Being an alter server has brought me closer to God and my Catholic community. Education has been a big part of my life. I can truly say I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to attend St. Luke. After St. Luke, my plans are to use my education and become prepared to take on the challenges and rewards of high school.

It is unknown the exact date of Saint George’s birth, but scholars say it was most likely in 236 AD in the city of Lydda. His parents were Gerontius, a Roman officer, and Polychronia, a Greek native of Lydda. Both of his parents were Christians from noble families and raised George to be the same (St. George –Saints & Angels-Catholic Online). George was in Diocletian's army since his seventh year (Larson). Diocletian was the Roman Emperor at the time of Saint George who had a powerful hate of Christians. By his late 20s, George served as an imperial guard for the Emperor at Nicomedia. On February 24, 303 A.D., Diocletian announced that he would arrest every Christian. He also declared that every other soldier should offer a sacrifice to the Roman gods. George refused Diocletian’s order, but Diocletian had a great relationship with George’s father. Diocletian bribed George to believe in pagan gods, but George refused. Diocletian eventually ordered his death. Before his death, George gave money to the poor and went through torture sessions (St. George-Saints & Angels-Catholic Online). It is unknown the exact way that George died; some say chopped into pieces, others say buried to death, and others say consumed by fire (St. George). George died on April 23, 303, which is his feast day in today’s world

Nicholas’ time filled with wonderful works as the Bishop of Myra is what he is remembered and loved for. He performed many courageous deeds and won the hearts and devotions of many. He often solved great issues for the people such as once when there was a Famine and he miraculously provided for the people. This was done when he asked sailors with ships full of wheat to each give some wheat so that the people would have food but the sailors said they had to have the same measurements of wheat when they arrived at their final destination. To this St. Nicholas promised them, "Do this, and I promise, in the truth of God, that it shall not be lessened or diminished when you get to your destination." (6) Supposedly what he said came true and the sailors had the right amount of wheat even though they had given enough to feed the people of Myra during the famine. Because of this feat many people glorified God because Bishop Nicholas praised God. Another memorable occurrence was when Bishop Nicholas went with many other Bishops to a meeting to debate the nature of the Holy Trinity. One Bishop named Arias believed that Jesus wasn’t equal to God and this offended Nicholas and his beliefs so much that in one account he slapped him in the face which caused him to be jailed and removed from his position as Bishop. However, it is said that Jesus and Mary appeared to him in prison bringing the Bible and the Bishop’s robes which caused him to be made Bishop again. The Bishop Nicholas

Peter, one of the most important disciples in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, is portrayed as Jesus’ acquaintance and pupil; as well as one of Jesus’ most important followers. Both of the Gospels seem to portray Peter in similar ways, yet they draw different images of the disciple. In the Gospel of Matthew, Peter has a much larger appearance in the teachings of Jesus and becomes more significant to Jesus throughout the Christian doctrine. However, in Mark, the author portrays Peter as a much lesser character in the life of Jesus and even leaves Peter out of some of the stories till the end of the book. Each Gospel portrays a slightly different picture of Peter’s personality and role.

St.Michael the Archangel actually helps people so much even some people today. St.Michael helps people find the courage to face danger and carry on (St.Michael the archangel 12). St.Michael helps/affects people today because he has a prayer which helps and makes people feel stronger every time they pray it (Saint Michael Center 4). People who face danger every day working to protect us find that St.Michael’s medal fortifies their faith and reinforces their commitment to the protection for others (St.Michael the Archangel 12). The Archangel St.Michael is the patron saint of the warrior, who catholics have designated as the protector of those who strive to preserve security, safety, and peace (St.Michael the archangel 1). As such members of

Paul of Tarsus or Saint Paul is considered by many Christians today to be the most important disciple of Jesus, and beside this the second important found in the development of Christianity. Saint Paul had a major impact on the spread of Christianity, contributing to the underlying unity of the religious tradition by helping expand Jesus’ original teachings into a developed integrated belief system.

John as we know today was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He was also the brother of James, who was also an apostle. John was the son of Zeebee and of Salome. His father was a fisherman while living in Bethsaida in Galilee on the border of the lake Gennesareth. John's mother was one of many women who gave to the maintenance of Jesus Christ. John's parents were very good people, they loved God and his son. It is said that john and his brother James were fishing when Jesus came and chose them. They were soon known as the fishers of men. The John of whom I am talking about is John the Evangelist.

Saint Paul, originally named Saul, was a crucial part in the development of Christianity. Paul, who was born in Tarsus, Cilicia, grew up Jewish and was trained as a rabbi (Adcock). Paul eventually converted to Christianity, but before he did, the future of the religion was looking very slim. Rome had made it illegal to practice Christianity. Paul was a pious Jew, so his conversion to Christianity surprised many of his followers. They viewed him with much suspicion and treated him with hostility. Paul was dedicated to his new life and made it his mission to spread Christianity throughout the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and eventually to Rome itself. Paul made two separate journeys throughout the Mediterranean. He preached about the message of Jesus to many and sent his letters to the people he had not visited. Paul saw that his new faith had a message for everything and everyone. By converting to Christianity, St. Paul has saved Christianity from extinction, has written crucial letters about his faith, has preached to hundreds of people, has spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, has caused

Throughout history stories have been twisted to appeal to a target audience. St George is one of those characters. He originally was a Roman soldier who was killed for his beliefs, then a knight in shining armor who ran around saving princesses and slaying dragons. He was a real person who became legendary, and who influenced many cultures.

Saint Michael is one of three archangels (the other two are Gabriel and Raphael) that was mentioned in the Holy Bible. He was known as the general of heaven, protector of chosen people in earth. In early Catholic church, people considered him as the defender of Christianity. He was also charged with the guidance of souls here below, to protect them from devil’s snares and to lead them to the eternal light (Englebert, 369).

Peter’s imperative, emotional, and impulsive character makes him an interesting Biblical figure in the New Testament. Peter dominates the Gospels, the Epistles of Peter (1st and 2nd Peter), and the first eleven chapters of the book of Acts (Apostle Peter Biography 1). As depicted in John 1:43, 12:21, Peter was a humble fisherman from the City of Bethsaida (Apostle Peter Biography 1). Originally, Peter was known as Simon Peter, before Christ converted his name to Peter (the rock) in the book of Matthew 16: 18. Peter’s achievements and inadequacies formed an essential part of his life as a biblical

When Jesus first called him to be his disciple, he dropped all his fishing gear and followed Jesus, without a doubt. What makes Saint Peter stand out is the fact that he crucified himself of shame and regret because he denied Jesus three times, just as Jesus had predicted. Peter is considered by the Roman Catholic church to be the first of the unbroken chain of popes. He is also known as the leader of the twelve disciples.

Saint Peter the Apostle, original name Simeon, or Simon (died AD 64, Rome), disciple of Jesus Christ, recognized in the early church as the leader of the disciples and the Roman Catholic Church as the first of its unbroken succession of popes. Peter a fisherman, was called to be a disciple of Jesus at the beginning of his ministry. He received from Jesus an Aramaic appellation Cephas which means “Rock.” This was translated into Greek as Petros (from the Greek Petra, “rock”) and became a Latin Petrus and the English Peter. Jesus told Peter he was the Rock upon whom the Christian Church would be built. Throughout the public life of Jesus, Peter is represented in the Gospel as the Spokesman and principal member of Jesus’ followers. He is the first named in the entire list given of these followers and was present with a privilege at few special occasions, example, the daughter of Jairus brought back to life by Jesus. He was also the first to see Jesus after his resurrection from the dead.

Bartholomew was one of the lesser known disciples. It doesn’t help that John wrote about him under a different name. In the Gospel of John, there are several mentions to Nathanael but none to Bartholomew. And in the other Gospels, there are no references to a man name Nathanael to be found. Because of this, scholars deduced that Bartholomew and Nathanael are one and the same person. Bartholomew can also be translated to son of Tolmai, so some people believe that Nathanael is his first or personal name while Bartholomew is more of a last name. Before he was called to be a disciple, Bartholomew was already a loyal follower of John the Baptist and most likely a good friend of Philip, one of the other disciples and apostles. There is an account of him meeting Jesus for the first time in the Gospel of John where Jesus says, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” (John 1:47) Showing that Jesus sees a great righteousness and honesty in Nathanael. Other than this account, there is no real significant references to Bartholomew, or Nathanael, in the Bible. The Apostolic Acts of Abdias gives a physical description of him though. The account describes him as about a medium height which meant not much higher than five feet. It is recorded that he had a fair complexion compared to the Indians describing him, and curly black hair that contrasted against a gray beard. He also had a long nose and a powerful, booming voice. After becoming an apostle, Bartholomew traveled to