The feast of the Chair of Peter is an important liturgical feast that highlights the office of the successor of the Prince of the Apostles. The chair of Peter symbolizes the authority of the Bishop of Rome, who is called to perform a special service for the whole People of God.

 

Our Holy Father, Benedict XVI asked us last year: “Dear brothers and sister, this feast provides me with the occasion to ask you to accompany me with your prayers, so that I may faithfully carry out this great task, entrusted to me by Providence, as successor to the Apostle Peter.
 

Prayer
Lord Jesus, we entrust to your care and grace the great responsibility that you have given to our Holy Father Benedict XVI, with the care of the universal Church. May he find the strength he needs in his union with your Sacred Heart.

Chair of Peter - A portable chair preserved at the Vatican, believed to have been used by St. Peter the Apostle. The feast of the Chair of St. Peter commemorates the date of his first service in Rome. A similar feast of the Chair of St. Peter commemorates the foundation of the See of Antioch.
© Modern Catholic Dictionary, Eternal Life Publications