St. Thaddeus

St. Thaddeus, one of the 70 apostles, was born in Edessa. He was first a disciple of John the Baptizer. After his baptism by John he remained in Palestine and, after John’s death, became a follower of Jesus. He was one of the 70 apostles that Jesus sent out to preach the Good News in the cities of Palestine. After Pentecost and the Ascension of Jesus, he started preaching the Gospel in Mesopotamia, Syria and Persia and helped build up the Church in these regions. He ordained priests in Edessa, converted many to Christianity and built up the church there. He also went to Beirut to preach and founded a church. His feast is this coming Thursday.