Bartholomew was the son of Talmai. He lived in Cana of Galilee. He was known as a missionary in Armenia. Scripture shares that Jesus called him a man with no deceit. Bartholomew was introduced to Jesus Christ through Saint Philip and is also known as "Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee," notably in John's Gospel. Saint Bartholomew is credited with many miracles related to the weight of objects.

Andrew was the first apostle Jesus called and the first apostle to claim Jesus was the Messiah.

Despite his seemingly important role as an early follower of Christ, Andrew is only mentioned 12 times in the entire New Testament—and four of those times are simply lists of the 12 apostles. He comes onto the scene early in the gospels, but only plays a minor role. However, his prominence in the lists of disciples and the few glimpses we get of him seem to suggest he was one of the main apostles—even if he wasn’t one of the “pillars of the church”

James the Lesser, also known as James the Just, was called "the Lesser" to distinguish him from James, son of Zebedee. James the Lesser was one of the pillars of the early Church and was present for significant events such as the feeding of the five thousand. He was also called the brother of Jesus.

Judas Iscariot is notorious for betraying Jesus. Judas’s surname is more probably a corruption of the Latin sicarius (“murderer” or “assassin”) than an indication of family origin, suggesting that he would have belonged to the Sicarii, the most radical Jewish group, some of whom were terrorists. Other than his apostleship, his betrayal, and his death, little else is revealed about Judas in the Gospels. Always the last on the list of the Apostles, he was their treasurer. John 12:6 introduces Judas’s thievery by saying, “as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it.”

Peter, also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church. He appears repeatedly and prominently in all four New Testament gospels as well as the Acts of the Apostles. Catholic tradition accredits Peter as the first bishop of Rome‍—‌or pope‍—‌and also as the first bishop of Antioch.

John was the brother of James and the son of Zebedee, and came from a family of fisherman. He was one of Jesus' closest confidants, along with Peter and James, and was present at many important events in Jesus' ministry. He is traditionally believed to be the author of several New Testament works, including the Gospel of John, the three Letters of John, and the Revelation to John. He is also known as John the Divine and St. John

Thomas, also known as Didymus, meaning "twin" in Greek and Hebrew. He was a missionary from Galilee, Roman Empire (modern-day Israel). Thomas is mentioned in the listings of the apostles in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Gospel of John, Thomas plays a particularly distinctive part, and is often condemned for his lack of belief, but was equally courageous and relentlessly sought the Truth.

Philip, the Apostle, is one of four people named Philip in the Bible, and he’s often confused with Philip the Evangelist, who plays a minor role in Acts. (The other two Philips are both sons of King Herod the Great.)

Church tradition identifies Philip as the missionary to Greece, Syria, and Phrygia, but even early on, Philip the Apostle was frequently confused with Philip the Evangelist (also known as Philip the Deacon), which makes it hard to distinguish which details describe which Philip. Add to that the legendary accounts from the Acts of Philip and Letter from Peter to Philip, and it becomes difficult to separate fact from fiction, too.

James the Greater was the brother of St. John the Evangelist. James and John, along with the Apostle Peter, were part of Jesus’ “inner circle,” witnessing key events that the other apostles did not witness.

After James was martyred, legend places his remains in Spain, where they are supposedly enshrined in a cathedral known as the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Since the Middle Ages, people have walked from certain starting points across Europe to his tomb along pilgrimage routes that have become known as the Way of St. James.

Matthew, also known Levi, is traditionally regarded as the author of the Gospel of Matthew. When Jesus called Matthew to follow him, he was a tax collector (or “publican”)—one of the most reviled professions in ancient Judaism.

Little is known about this apostle. Aside from a handful of mentions in the gospels, he’s a surprisingly obscure New Testament figure. And despite the fact that the church has long considered him the author of the Gospel of Matthew, little else is known about him.

While Matthew is honored as a martyr, no one knows for sure where or how he died. Various accounts say he was beheaded, stoned, burned, or stabbed—one even suggests he died of natural causes like John.

Jude is the reputed author of the canonical Letter of Jude that warns against the licentious and blasphemous heretics. The devotion to him as patron saint of desperate causes began in France and Germany in the late 18th century.

St. Jude is distinguished in John 14:22 as Judas but “not Iscariot” to avoid identification with the betrayer of Jesus. Indeed, the tradition of calling him “Jude” rather than the Scriptural “Judas” likely started to avoid such confusion. He is listed in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13 as “Judas of James,” and, depending on the Bible consulted, he is probably the son (Revised Standard and New English) or brother (Authorized and Douay) of St. James the Less, son of Alphaeus. Jude is more probably identified with Thaddaeus (Lebbaeus) in Mark 3:18 and Matthew 10:3 and less probably with Jesus’ “brother” Judas (Mark 6:3, Matthew 13:55).

Simon, also called the Zealot, is mentioned in the lists of apostles provided in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as well as in the Book of Acts. His epithet, "the Zealot," distinguishes him from Simon Peter, another of the twelve apostles.

The term "Zealot" refers to a political movement among Judeans that existed during the 1st century, which advocated for the violent overthrow of Roman rule in Judea. However, it is not definitively established whether Simon was actually a member of this movement. The label "Zealot" could indicate his zealous nature or fervent devotion to the Jewish faith and cause rather than membership in a specific political group. Simon the Zealot is often considered to have preached the Gospel in different regions, including Egypt and Persia, where he is sometimes said to have been martyred.