Celtic and Old English Saints 17 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Madern of Cornwall * St. Maildulf of Malmesbury * St. Cathan of the Isle of Bute * St. Maw of Saint Mawes =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
St. Madron (Maden, Madern) of Cornwall, Hermit --------------------------------------------- Died near Land's End, Cornwall, c. 545. Saint Madron, a hermit in Brittany of Cornish descent, is the patron of many churches, including the site of his hermitage at Saint Madern's Well in Cornwall and two parishes in Saint-Malo. Many miracles are ascribed to Saint Madron, but still little is known about the saint except for the dedications in Cornwall and Brittany. He has been identified as Saint Medran (f.d. July 7), the disciple of Saint Kieran (f.d. March 5), the Welsh Saint Padarn (f.d. April 15), or a local man who accompanied Saint Tudwal (f.d. December 1) to Brittany (Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, Husenbeth). Troparion of St Madern tone 2 Out of pagan darkness in the land of Cornwall/ thou didst shine as a witness to Christ./ Holy hermit Madern, entreat Him/ that the light thou didst kindle may ever shine in our hearts. St. Maildulf (Maeldubh) of Malmesbury, Abbot --------------------------------------------- Died at Malmesbury Abbey, England, in 673. The Irish monk Saint Maildulf left his homeland to spread the Gospel in England. He settled in the lonely forest country that in those days lay in the northeast of Wiltshire. After living for a time as a hermit, he gathered the children of the neighbourhood for instruction. In the course of time his hermitage became a school, where he had Saint Aldhelm (f.d. May 25) among his disciples. The school and foundation flourished even after his death, acquiring fame as a community of scholars known as Malmesbury (Benedictines, Husenbeth, Montague). St. Cathan (Catan, Cadan), Bishop --------------------------------------------- 6th or 7th century. According to the Scots, the relics of Bishop Saint Cathan rest on the Isle of Bute, where he may have been bishop. They were so famous that the land was often called Kilcathan. His tomb is also shown at Tamlacht near Londonderry. There is the possibility that there were two saints by this name (Benedictines, Husenbeth). St. Maw ------------------------------------------------------------ Born in Ireland. Only Husenbeth mentions this saint, whose name in Cornish means "a boy." He appears to have left his homeland in search of solitude in Cornwall. In his hermitage on the sea near Falmouth, he lived a life of prayer and austere penance at Saint Mawes. A church, chair of solid stone in the churchyard, and a holy well still bear his name. Leland writes that Maw had been a teacher and later a bishop in Britain (Husenbeth). Sources: ======== Attwater, D. (1983). The Penguin Dictionary of Saints, NY: Penguin Books. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1966). The Book of Saints. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell. Coulson, J. (ed.). (1960). The Saints: A Concise Bographical Dictionary. New York: Hawthorn Books. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue & Co. Montague, H. P. (1981). The Saints and Martyrs of Ireland. Guildford: Billing & Sons. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm An Alphabetical Index of the Saints of the West http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/saintsa.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
