In the Gospels St Peter stands out as the member of the twelve apostles who most frequently took the initiative while they were with Jesus; he took a prominent part in the Last Supper; the Acts of the Apostles portray him as the undisputed leader of the early Church, undergoing enormous hardships and fearlessly facing persecution for the sake of Christ. He was a man of action, sometimes impetuous, an ardent lover of Christ. He spent his last years in Rome, where tradition states he was martyred during the persecutions of Nero, in the year 64 or 65.

St Paul, who was well versed in rabbinical learning at first zealously persecuted the Christians until he had a vision of Christ which instantaneously changed his entire life. After three years in solidarity retirement in the desert of Arabia, he plunged into a life of intense missionary activity, during the course of which he was several times beaten up and imprisoned by the authorities. Tradition says he was martyred in Rome about the year 67. His life was dominated by an ardent love of Christ, who was at the centre of his life and preaching; His famous hymn to charity (1 Cor. 13) is also a portrait of the man.