Celtic and Old English Saints 26 January =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Conan of Iona * St. Tortgith of Barking =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
St. Conan (Conon) of Iona, Bishop ------------------------------------------------ Died on the Isle of Man, c. 648. We know that Conan actually lived, but everything else is uncertain. He was probably from Scotland or Ireland, where he is said to have been a model of piety from his infancy. He may have taught Saint Fiacre (f.d. September 1) during the latter's childhood (according to some "vitae" of Fiacre). He apparently lived and worked in the Hebrides, Scotland, and the Isle of Man, where he finished the evangelization of the people begun by Saint Patrick, because various places bear his name. He was probably consecrated bishop of the Isle of Man, where he is venerated as the first bishop of Sodor, which, anachronistically, is a Viking term denoting 'southern islands' as distinct from the Shetlands and Orkneys, which were 'northern islands.' The veneration of Saint Conan throughout the Hebrides continued after the destruction wrought by the Reformation (Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Husenbeth, Montague). Troparion of St Conan tone 1 We celebrate thy radiant memory,/ all honourable Hierarch Conan,/ consolation of the afflicted, teacher of the true faith/ and shepherd of souls on the Isle of Man./ Pray for our efforts, feeble as they are,/ and save our souls. St. Tortgith of Barking (Theorigitha, Thordgith, Thorctgyd) ----------------------------------------------------------- Died c. 681-700; feast day sometimes given as January 25. Tortgith, novice-mistress of Barking Abbey under Saint Etheldreda (f.d. June 23), was the friend of its founder, Saint Ethelburga (f.d. October 12). She is described as a miracle of patience under suffering, zeal, and care for the young. She suffered paralysis for six years (669-675) and experienced a vision of Ethelburga just before the abbess's death. Three years later, after losing her power of speech, too, she had another vision and spoke with Ethelburga about her imminent death. Her words but not those of Ethelburga were recorded by witnesses and sent to the Venerable Bede (f.d. May 25). (Benedictines, Farmer). Sources: ======== Attwater, D. (1983). The Penguin Dictionary of Saints, 2nd edition, revised and updated by Catherine Rachel John. New York: Penguin Books. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Coulson, J. (ed.). (1960). The Saints: A Concise Biographical Dictionary. New York: Hawthorn Books. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 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 ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
