St. Peter, Patron of the House of Peter

St. Peter, patron of The House of Peter:

Simon was a simple fisherman when he received the call from Christ to come follow him and be “fishers of men.” Christ changed Simon’s name to Peter (meaning “rock”) for “on this rock I will build my church.” Peter showed his leadership in following Christ: Peter boldly stepped out onto the waters to take Christ’s hand in a storm (Mt 14.28) and he recognized Christ as the Savior, “you are the Messiah” (Mt
16.16). Even when fear caused Peter to deny Christ three times, Christ forgave
him and called Peter to take a leadership role as the shepherd of Christ’s church
“feed my lambs, feed my sheep” (Jn 21.15-17). At the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, Peter inspired the crowds with his witness to Christ, “they were filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2). Peter and the first Disciples began building a strong Christian community, converting others not just by their words but also through their actions. Peter was arrested and jailed by the Romans, but miraculously escaped the jail cell. Later, Peter was again arrested by the Romans and put to death, crucified on a cross. Peter is recognized by the Catholic Church as the first leader of the Church and his feast day is June 29.

House Seal Image:

The House of Peter is the Red house. The Red color of our shield signifies the
martyrdom of Peter. Peter was willing to be crucified in his strong witness to Christ who is the one, true God, the light of the world.

The Three Stars on the upper left of the shield refer to our School Flag emblem and our identity as Tennesseans (three stars are incorporated in the Tennessee state flag).

The Rooster signifies Peter’s betrayal of Christ (denying Christ three times before the cock crowing), but it also refers to Peter’s strong discipleship in spreading the Good News, the Light of Christ, for the rooster is the first to herald the breaking dawn of the day.

The Knight’s Helmet reflects our school mascot and our school’s emphasis on the knight’s quest for excellence in all areas. The House of Peter is a strong competitor (warrior), but we also recognize that there are many gifts of the spirit, and we challenge each other to develop these gifts to their fullest potential.

The Bishop’s Mitre represents Peter’s role as the first bishop, leader, of the Church.

The center of the shield is intersected by a Cross and a Chi-Rho symbol. The
Chi-Rho is an early Christian abbreviation of the first letters of the Greek words
for Jesus Christ. The X stands for chi and the P stands for Rho. It is significant
that Christ is the center of our shield as he should be the center of our lives.
The bottom of the Chi-Rho has been adapted to include a Key because Christ
gave Peter the “keys to the kingdom of heaven.”

A Linked Chain surrounds the shield and just as the closely linked chains used
in knights’ chain mail armor provided great protection, each individual in our

House is a link that grows in strength as we are linked to each other in spirit; through teamwork we support each other to accomplish goals. Oak Leaves are entwined in the linked chain image, again referring to strength (oak trees are sturdy trees).

The motto beneath the shield, Pauci, Superbi, Petri, is Latin for the phrase
“The Few, the Proud, the Peter (rock).” Members of our House are selected, the few,

just as the first disciples were chosen by Christ. Members of the House of Peter are
proud, strong in our united spirit and identity as a community. Our strength, our
identity as the The House of Peter, is founded on Christ, in a similar way that Christ changed the apostle’s name to Peter (meaning Rock) to signify that “on this rock I will build my Church.”

History of the House:

The House of Peter slowly evolved as it began establishing its identity.

In more recent years, the strengths of the House emerged from student initiatives.

The House of Peter has defined itself as a powerful leader in school activities, especially in community service projects, such as Relay for Life and the Canned Food Drive. We are a House that has great heart, compassion, for each other and in our
outreach to the community.