Celtic and Old English Saints 16 March =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Aristobulus of Britain * St. Boniface Curitan of Ross * St. Patrick of Auvergne * St. Abban of Kill-Abban * St. Abban of Magheranoidhe * St. Finnian Lobhar =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
St.Aristobulus, One of the Seventy, Bishop and Martyr in Britain ----------------------------------------------------------- Feastday also 15 March and 31 October. 1st century. Saint Aristobulus is one of the 72 disciples commissioned by our Lord Jesus to preach the coming of the Kingdom. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:11. He has been identified with Zebedee, the father of the "sons of Thunder," Saints James and John. He is said to be St. Peter's father-in-law, and to have been followed to Britain by his brother Barnabas. Like the others, Barnabas returned, but Aristobulus is said to have met a martyr's death at the age of 99 in the mountainous heart of Wales.(Benedictines). 'Ireland & the Celtic Church' by G.T.Stokes Page 6 which says:- Aristobulus of Romans XVI said by the Greek Menaea to have been ordained Bishop for the Britons by St.Paul. >From Chapt 10 of Fr.Lionel Smithett-Lewis's Book entitled "St.Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury." 'The Greek Menology for March 15 says: Arsitobulus was one of the 70 Apostles and a follower of St.Paul. He was chosen by St.Paul to be a Missionary Bishop for Britain.' St.Dorotheus Bp.of Tyre AD303 says that 'Aristobulus who Paul saluted, writing to the Romans, was Bishop of Britain. '(Synopsis de Apostol,Synops.23 "Aristobulus"). Hippolytus makes reference to Aristobulus as being Bishop of the Britons. St.Ado Abp. of Vienne (AD800-874) in the Adonis Martyrologia for March 17 says: "Natal Day of Aristobulus Bp.of Britain." Said to be brother of Barnabas and father-in-law of St.Peter. Achau Saint Prydain (Genealogies of the Saints of Britain): "There came with Bran the Blessed from Rome to Britain -- Arwystli Hen (Aristobulus the Aged), Ilid Cyndaf man of Israel (Joseph of Arimathea) and Mawan (Josephes son of Joseph)." Traditions of The early British Church http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-archive/message/1947 Icon of St. Aristobulus: Icon of St. Aristobulus: http://saints.oca.org/IconDirectory/LG/october/1031aristobulos.jpg http://tinyurl.com/6ef5j Smaller version: http://saintgeorge.org/images/saint_of_the_day/10oct/oct_31_apostle_aristobu lus_of_the_seventy_small.jpg http://tinyurl.com/4eqmp St. Boniface or Curitan, Bishop of Ross (Kyrin, Kyrstin) ------------------------------------------- Born in Rome, Italy; died at Rosmark, Scotland, c. 630. Early in the eighth century, about the year 710, King Nectan of the Picts sent to Coelfrid at Wearmouth asking for guidance over the new usages that had been agreed fifty years before at the Council of Whitby. He also asked for help in building a church "in the Roman Style" which he wanted to dedicate to St Peter. Coelfrid who was abbot of the double monastery of St Peter Wearmouth and St Paul Jarrow, sent back a long letter explaining the Roman method of determining the date of Easter and how the tonsure favoured in the Western Church differed from the Celtic one. This letter is recorded in full by Bede and it is probable that he composed it for his abbot. With the letter Coelfrid sent a group of monks led by a Pict called Curitan who was zealous for the Roman way and had chosen for himself a Latin name, Bonifacius. This particular name seems to have been a popular one for those with good relations with the Holy See and was given to Winfrid by Pope Gregory II in 718. Pope Boniface V had written letters to King Edwin of Northumbria and S. Ethelburga his Queen to support the mission of S. Paulinus which would be remembered at Wearmouth. It was however the desire to model their lives on that of Christ, who the Apostle Peter said,"went about doing good" (bene faciendo) and whom he adjured Christians to follow,"to eschew evil and do good" (faciat Bonum), that made the name so attractive to those who wanted to be right with the successors of Peter. Curitan and his party sailed up the Tay and landed at Invergowrie where they built a church. The site of this church is marked by ruins at Dargi e and Kingoody is a corruption of Kill Curdy. An ancient carved stone from this site is now in the National Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh and one of the three figures on it probably is of St. Curitan. Having met with King Nectan, Curitan then moved on to Forfar and the church he built at Restenueth is thought to be the one the King had desired taking the name of Egglespether, Peter's Church. The monks now journeyed northward to the Murray Firth and there on the Black Isle at Rosemarkie St. Curitan settled, reviving the community started by St. Molnag. Here was built another of the numerous churches dedicated to St Peter for which the mission was responsible. The later Cathedral for the Diocese of Ross at Fortrose is also dedicated to St Peter but this time he is linked with S. Curitan under his name Boniface. The breviary of Aberdeen is obviously confused by the name Boniface and asserts that Curitan was an Israelite who had been Pope but left Rome to preach in Scotland. It also claims that he consecrated a hundred and fifty bishops, ordained a thousand priests, baptised thirty six thousand converts besides building a hundred and fifty churches. There is no doubt that he did a great deal to bring the Celtic church into the orbit of Western Catholicity, doing for Scotland what St. Wilfrid and St. Benedict Biscop did for England. He was a strong advocate for the Roman cause at the Synod of Birr in 697. At Invergowrie there is a great stone called the Paddock or Greystone and local folklore maintains that it is one of the rocks hurled by the devil at St. Curitan's band of missionaries coming up the river. The other is an island in the Tay and the story implies that the devil knew that their message was the truth. St. Curitan died at Rosemarkie and was buried before the altar of his church there. A number of place names in Glen Urquhart has his name in the Gaelic Churadain but others have the derivative Curdy (Towill, Barrett, Bede). St.Patrick of Auvergne, Bishop ----------------------------------------------------------- Date unknown. Saint Patrick is registered in the Roman Martyrology as bishop of Auvergne, but his name is not to be found in the lists of the sees of Auvergne. Quite probably the copyists wrote "Arvernia" for "Hibernia," i.e., Ireland, and thus duplicated the apostle of that country who is celebrated on March 17. At Malaga, Spain, a feast is kept on March 16 for Saint Patrick, a native and bishop of that city, who, according to the local tradition, fled to Auvergne, and died there c. 307 (Benedictines). St. Abban of Kill-Abban, Abbot ----------------------------------------------------------- 5th century. The Irish Saint Abban was a contemporary of Saint Patrick and nephew of Saint Ibar (f.d. April 23). He founded Kill-Abban Abbey in Leinster and the convent for Saint Gobnait of Ballyvourney (f.d. February 11) (Benedictines, Montague). Troparion of St Abban tone 8 In Ireland's fertile soil thou didst plant the seeds of monasticism, O Father Abban,/ and didst nurture a great flowering of God-pleasing virtue./ Continue steadfastly in thy enduring love, to lead mankind to God/ and by thy prayers may we be granted great mercy. St. Abban of Magheranoidhe ----------------------------- (Magheranoidhe is also rendered Murneave or Murnevin). Nephew of St. Ibar, the apostle of Wexford (a predecessor and contemporary of St. Patrick), flourished 570-620. He was the son of Cormac, King of Leinster, and he founded numerous churches in the district of Ui Cennselaigh, almost conterminous with the present County Wexford and Diocese of Ferns. His principal monastery was at Magheranoidhe, subsequently known as "Abbanstown," today, Adamstown; but he also founded an abbey at Rosmic-treoin, or New Ross, which afterwards became famous as a scholastic establishment. He died 16 March, 620. St. Finnian (Finan) Lobhar (the Leper), Abbot ----------------------------------------------------------- Born at Bregia, Leinster, Ireland; died February 2, c. 560. Little is authentically known about Saint Finnian because the records of his life are conflicting. He is said to have been the son of Conail and descendent of Alild, king of Munster. He may have been a disciple of Saint Columba (f.d. June 9) (or perhaps he was trained at one of Columba's foundations); others, that he was a disciple of Saint Brendan (f.d. May 16). He was ordained by Bishop Fathlad, and may have been consecrated by him. Finnian built a church that is believed to have been at Innisfallen in County Kerry and so is considered by some scholars to have been the founder of that monastery. Later he lived at Clonmore Abbey in Leinster and then went to Swords near Dublin, where he was made abbot by Columba when he left. Another account has him abbot of Clonmore Monastery, where he was buried, for the last thirty years of his life. Lobhar means "the Leper," a name he acquired when he reputedly assumed the disease of a leper to cure a young boy of an illness (Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Gill, Husenbeth). Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://users.erols.com/saintpat/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
