Forgotten Customs of Saints Peter and Paul, by Matthew Plese

By Matthew Plese, OnePeterFive, June 29, 2026

Matthew Plese is a Third Order Dominican who resides in Chicago, IL. Matthew is a practicing Certified Public Accountant and Catechist. …

Editor’s note: as we discussed in our post on June, this month all of our lay sodalities and efforts here at OnePeterFive have a confluence of purpose, not the least of which is one of the most ancient customs of June: the Apostles Fast. Besides the liturgical and spiritual greatness of June and the importance of the feast itself, we certainly have many reasons to invoke the intercession of the “New Romulus and Remus” throughout this month.

The Ancient, Yet Forgotten Apostles Fast

The observance of a fast leading up to the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul likely originated in the Early Church. While this fasting period fell out of observance in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Catholic Church still observes this fast to some extent. Fr. R. Janin summarizes the Traditional Byzantine Fast and Abstinence observance for the Apostles Fast:

This varies from 9 to 42 days depending on the feast of Easter. It begins on the first Monday after Pentecost until the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. This Lent has the same rules as Great Lent but oil and fish are tolerated (in some places) except on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Even in the Eastern Churches, there is a little divergence on the date when the Fast begins. The Coptic and Old Syrian traditions keep the fast on the First Monday after Pentecost (as noted above), yet in the current Byzantine tradition, the fast begins on the Second Monday after Pentecost (i.e., the day following All Saints Sunday in their calendar). …

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