Saint Peter's Chapel.

This Chapel dedicated to Saint Peter, is put aside for private prayer,
and is used daily by many people who come into the cathedral.
It is a place of peace and tranquility where people can lift before God
those who are in need of healing, and those who need God’s help.

The C. E. Kemp Windows dedicated to Saint Peter.

The top section of the first window, that is the window furthest from the altar, depicts the call of Peter as written in Matthew’s Gospel Chapter 16. Peter having recognised Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” kneels at Jesus’ feet. Jesus responds “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” Did you know that the church today is still built on the rock that is Peter? Our bishops are still said to be part of the apostolic succession, that is, the line of succession directly from Peter.

The bottom section of the first window depicts Peter’s miraculous release from prison as told in the Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12. Herod is holding Peter captive, awaiting trial. He is asleep in his prison cell and is chained between two guards. The Bible goes on to tell us that “Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him.” Peter then continued out of the city to safety. His Lord had truly saved him.

The top section of the second window, moving towards the altar, depicts the continuation of the story of Peter’s call. Jesus can be seen handing Peter the keys of Heaven. The Gospel text in Matthew 16 tells us what Jesus said: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven.” Jesus had great plans for Peter, but would Peter be able to cope with the pressure?

The bottom section of the second window depicts Peter on the morning of Pentecost, when he speaks to the crowd as they look on at the miracle that is taking place. Within the picture we can see the people from many different regions, as they look on in wonder. The Bible tells us that, “Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine”.” It is at this point that Peter stands up to address them. Peter speaks to them with boldness; he clarifies just what is going on, he tells them the good news of Jesus Christ, and as the picture shows us he tells them “the promise is for you”. For all that repent and are baptised in the name of Jesus Christ will receive forgiveness, and will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Do you know that this promise still stands today?

Have you asked God to forgive you?

Have you received the gift of the Holy Spirit?

You might be thinking to yourself,

“What chance have I got to receive God’s forgiveness? 

I’m not like Peter, I haven’t always been good like him,

and I’ve made lots of mistakes in my life.”

Peter too made mistakes!

Let’s look at our third window, so that we can have a glimpse of the real Peter, the man that Jesus would use to build his church. The top section of our third window depicts the moment when Peter denied even knowing Jesus. He turned his back on his friend, and pretended that he didn’t know him. Jesus can be seen in the picture being held by his captors. His look is that of sadness as he witnesses Peter’s denial. In the background, just above Peter’s head, we can see the cockerel, which has just crowed three times, as Jesus predicted. Peter walks away ashamed, knowing that he has done the one thing he promised Jesus he would never do.

So does Jesus hold this against Peter? No! In the bottom section of the third window, we see Jesus giving Peter his commission. The event takes place after Jesus is resurrected from death. Jesus appears on the seashore whilst the disciples are fishing from their boat. Once again he beckons for them to cast their nets over the other side and they catch a vast number of fish. Only when this happens do they recognise who Jesus is. Peter is the first to jump out of the boat to meet Jesus, and it is while they are eating together on the seashore, that Jesus gives Peter this commission: “Feed my sheep.”

Our fourth and final window, the one closest to the altar, once again shows Peter failing to achieve the things that Jesus asked of him. The top section of this window takes us back to the moment in the garden of Gethsemane when Jesus asked his disciples to watch and pray. The text reminds us of Jesus’ words, when he returns to find Peter and the disciples asleep once again. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “Are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?” Peter had once again let Jesus down, but it doesn’t seem to have made any difference. Jesus still loved him, and he still had a job for him. Peter, even though he had failed, would still be the rock on which Jesus would build his church. He still had the qualities which Jesus liked. He wasn’t perfect, but he was the right man for the job.

The bottom section of this fourth and final window dedicated to Peter depicts the legendary story of “Domine Quo vadis”, which can be found in the Apocryphal Acts of Saint Peter. It is believed to represent Peter meeting the risen Christ on the Appian Way. Jesus can be seen carrying his cross; his hands and feet bear the marks of the crucifixion. Peter calls out to Jesus, “Lord, where are you going.” Peter’s faith story is, to me, very encouraging. Here we have a very ordinary man, who makes many mistakes, and yet is still loved by God. His life and the way he behaved can give hope to so many of us. For Peter was just like you and me. He tried his best to do what was right, to do what Jesus wanted, but he often did the wrong thing, he often failed. Peter didn’t let his failure get in the way of what he knew he had to do. Jesus didn’t let it either. He rebuked Peter on occasions, he told him when he was wrong, and then he picked him up and set him on the right path again. Because of this, Peter’s faith grew and grew till eventually he was afraid of no man. He would preach about Jesus wherever he went.

Do you let your mistakes hold you back?

Perhaps now is the time for you to learn
from your mistakes, like Peter did,
so that you can move on and grow in your faith.

You might even find that Jesus has a special job
for you to do, just like he had for Peter.

Take some time today to think about it!

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