Everliving God,
your apostle Andrew obeyed the call of your Son
and followed him without delay;
grant that we like him may give ourselves readily
to do what you command;
through our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Andrew the Apostle is brother of Saint Peter (Matthew 4:18). They were fishermen. Orthodox refer to him as the First-Called (Πρωτόκλητος, Prōtoklētos) and understand the successor of St Andrew to be the Patriarch of Constantinople.
Advent begins on the Sunday nearest to St. Andrew’s Day, 30 November. [This means Advent begins on the Sunday between 27 November and 3 December.] Both East and West commemorate Andrew on 30 November.
Pope Gregory the Great had a strong devotion to St Andrew and dedicated the monastery that he founded in his home to St Andrew. From this monastery Augustine was sent to England.
St Andrew was a member of the inner circle of Jesus’ twelve.
Andrew is a Greek name meaning manly. He is is the brother of Simon (who was given the name Peter). Simon is Aramaic. No other name is given for Andrew. This implies an openness of his family to non-Jewish cultures.
Andrew is Peter’s brother. Peter is never referred to as Andrew’s brother. In s Acts Mark 3:16-19 and 1:13, Andrew comes after Peter, James, and John – this seems to place Andrew after them in ranking.
Andrew was the son of John (John 1:42) or Jonah (Matthew 16:17).
Different gospels differ in the information about Andrew. In John’s Gospel, before Andrew met Jesus, he was a disciple of John the Baptist John (1:35–42). Andrew begins his missionary work by bringing Peter to Jesus.
Early tradition is that Andrew was crucified. Later tradition developed this into an X-shaped cross.
This collect was produced for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer:
ALMYGHTIE God, which hast geven suche grace to thy Apostle saynct Andrew, that he counted the sharp and painful death of the crosse to be an high honour, and a great glory; Graunt us to take and esteme all troubles and adversities which shal come unto us for thy sake, as thinges proffytable for us toward the obtaining of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lorde.
The 1552 Book of Common Prayer changed it to reference more biblical information about Andrew:
ALMIGHTY God, whiche didest geve suche grace unto thy holy Apostle saincte Andrew, that hee redily obeied the callyng of thy Sonne Jesus Christe, and folowed him without delaie, graunt unto us all that we beyng called by thy holie worde, may furthwith geve over our selves obediently to folowe thy holy commaundementes, through thesame Jesus Christ our lord. Amen.
The collect for Saint Andrew is the only new addition to the collects in 1552. Note the “without delay” (Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, Luke 5:2-11) which connects to the Advent collect (“that we may cast away… now”).
image source: St. Andrew, one of the Twelve Apostles, depicted with an X-shaped cross. Exterior mosaic next to the cathedral at Amalfi, Italy.
