Celtic and Old English Saints 4 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Lugid of Clonfert * St. Sithney =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
St. Lugid, Abbot of Clonfert, Ireland, Who Founded 120 Monasteries and Wrote a Very Ascetic Rule ------------------------------------------------ (also known as Molua, Lua, Da Lua, Luanus, Lugid, Lughaidh) Born in Limerick; died August 4, 622. Saint Molua was educated at Bangor under Saint Comgall and was known as a monk, hermit and builder. As Bernard of Clairvaux assures us, Molua founded over 100 monasteries in Ireland, including that of Killaloe (County Clare) and Cluain-Fearta Molua, on the borders of Ossory and Queen's County in Leinster. Saint Molua prescribes a most austere monastic rule that was long observed in Ireland. It enjoined the strictest silence and recollection, and forbade women from approaching the church of the monks. Despite his strict observance of the monastic discipline, he was a man of great tenderness to both man and beast. His principal disciple was Saint Flannan, who succeeded him in the governance of Killaloe. Molua's oratory on Friars' Island, a few hundred yards from the cathedral, was re-erected before the area was submerged by the Shannon hydro-electric works in 1929 (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Husenbeth). Troparion of St Lugid Tone 4 Renowned for thy virtuous life/ and thy zeal as a founder of monasteries,/ pray O Father Lugid, that God will raise up monastics in our day/ to instruct and guide the faithful in their struggles/ that many souls may be saved. St. Sithney (Sezni) ------------------------ Date unknown. The legend of Saint Sithney is an interesting adaptation of that of Saint Kieran of Saighir. According to a Breton folk story, God revealed to Sithney that he was to be the patron of young girls. The alarmed saint begged God to spare him from such an onerous task because they would plague him for husbands, fine clothes, and numerous other things and never allow him any peace. He said that he would rather look after mad dogs than women any day. From that day, sick and mad dogs have been taken to Sithney's well to drink. He is the patron of Sithney near Helston in Cornwall, England, where William Worcestre saw his tomb. His cultus is still alive at Guisseny (formerly Ploesezny) in Brittany (Farmer). Troparion of St Sithney Tone 4 Thou wast clothed in humility,/ patient in adversity and diligent in thy preaching,/ O Hierarch Sithney,/ and as a model of chastity and lover of austerity/ teach us to reject the glamour of worldliness,/ for love of Christ,/ that at the last we may receive mercy for our souls. Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *****************************************
