Celtic and Old English Saints 3 March =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Non of Wales * St. Owen of Lichfield * St. Sacer of Saggard * St. Winwaloe of Landevennec * St. Cele-Christ * St. Foila of Galway * St. Lamalisse of Lamlash =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
St. Non (Nonna, Nonnita) of Wales -------------------------------------------------------------- 6th century. Non is an obscure Irish saint of noble birth, or perhaps born of noble descent in Dyfed, Wales. She resided at a convent in Ty Gwyn near present-day St. David's in Wales. She was the unwed mother of St. David after being seduced by a local chieftain named Sant. As penance for this evil deed Sant founded a monastery at a place some eight miles from Altarnon now called Lezant. William of Worcester states that St David was born at Altarnon if so making him Cornish by birth. She died in Brittany. Her relics were enshrined in Cornwall until the time of the impious Reformation. (Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopaedia). She is also patron of this parish,Pelynt, near Looe http://homepages.tesco.net/~k.wasley/Altarnun.htm , She is also patron of the parish of Dirinon in Brittany. Alternon on Cornwall is the church where St Nonna's Altar stone is preserved. -oOo- Saint Nonna A Celebration of Tenacity ---------------------------------- Very little is known about the late-fifth-century Saint Nonna (or Nonnita in Welsh, Non) other than the fact that she was the mother of Saint David, Patron of Wales. She herself, however, is more closely connected with Altarnon in Cornwall, where a church and a well are dedicated to her. Her tomb lies in Dirinon in Brittany, where she died. Her strong connections in the three British Celtic lands with dedications in Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany suggest that she was an important saint in her own right and not simply the mother of a major patron. Evidently, she was a nun at least in the latter part of her life. The later legends show confusion on this last point, since to those writing them down in the medieval church celibacy was very much a factor, and the birth of Saint David had to be accommodated somehow. Some legends claim that she was a nun ravished by someone named Sant; but this explanation is too formulaic for mothers of major figures. Such stories attempt rather clumsily to show that the mother had not willingly conceived and was therefore pure, as was the Virgin Mary. The name Sant 'Saint' likewise arouses suspicions. The alternative story that she was the daughter of a powerful chieftain of the area around what is now St David's in Dyfed seems far more likely, given her importance in a wide area. At that time, the chief saints were often from the ruling families of Britain, and her membership in the "nobility" would certainly afford her movement between Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany. At this point, a pervasive and tenacious legend enters the picture one that is so persistent that it may well contain some factual basis. When she was pregnant with Saint David, for some reason she was out alone along the coast of Dyfed, on the peninsula now called St David's Head on the very edge of Wales. As some legends would have it, she was exiled from her home, perhaps because she was with child against the wishes of her family. On the eve of the first of March, a storm came crashing in from the sea. Such storms in that area are ferocious and terrifying, with waves breaking violently on the cliffs and coursing over them. Pelted by rain and whipped by fierce winds, she clung to a rock throughout the night. In the morning, the sun rose and her child was born. There is still a rock standing there with indentations claimed to have been made by Nonna's hands. A short distance away is St David's Cathedral. The Symbol The symbol of Saint Nonna is a rock, with two indentations on the sides, representing the grasp the saint maintained on that rock. The rock itself is the Rock of Christ the unswerving faith in his Word to which Saint Peter (whose name means 'the rock') and Saint Nonna clung so tenaciously. Within the rock is the Trinity knot, the never-ending connectedness of God the Creator, the Redeemer, the Sustainer all of one essence. Upon this rock is the cross of the Celtic Church, being also of one essence with the rock itself. Thus it is that our tenacious grasp on the rock of faith is inspired by the Trinity and is both what makes up Christ's Holy Church and what holds it up as well. -oOo- Troparion of St Non tone 3 Having given birth to the patron of the Welsh, most pious Non,/ thou didst rejoice to serve Christ God in thine appointed station./ Wherefore, O Saint, intercede for us that we may be saved/ from the worldly spirit of dissatisfaction/ and through God's mercy be found worthy of eternal salvation. Kontakion of St Non tone 7 With joy thou didst instruct thy son/ in our saving faith, O holy Non,/ teaching him in all things to obey the commands of Christ's Gospel/ by becoming a missionary and messenger of salvation./ All praise and honour is thy due,/ therefore we sing: Alleluia. St. Non's chapel, Wales http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~dvess/ids/medieval/stdavids/snchap.htm Photographs of St. Non's well, nearby St. David's cathedral, Wales http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/%7Edvess/ids/medieval/stdavids/snwell.htm St. Owen (Owin, Ouini) of Lichfield, Hermit -------------------------------------------------------------- Died 680. Bede mentions Owen as a monk of great merit who forsook high office and a distinguished career for the love of his Lord. He came with Queen Etheldreda from East Anglia, and was her prime minister and the governor of her household. To these great employments he brought not only a high sense of duty, but also, under the influence of St. Chad (f.d. March 2) and other Celtic missionaries, a growing sense of Christian faith and obligation, until there came a day when he resolved to surrender his secular offices and devote himself entirely to the service of God. He did not go about this matter without careful thought, for a man does not lightly cast aside rank and honour for the humble and anonymous role of a serving monk in a religious community, nor does he easily shed the habits of a secular life. The story of his arrival at the monastery of Lastingham is worth recalling. One day a stranger was observed at its gates seeking admittance. He was plainly dressed, but obviously, he was no common pilgrim, and in his hand he carried an axe and a hatchet. When asked his business, he replied that he had come with all he possessed, having quit all that he had, and that he had come not to live idly but to work, hence the axe and the hatchet, which he would wield industriously in the service of the monastery. "For as he was less capable of meditating on the Holy Scriptures, he the more earnestly applied himself to the labour of his hands." Moved by his sincerity and humility, those who received him took him before the bishop, who was none other than the saintly Chad, and he, seeing before him in the guise of a labourer the former chamberlain of Queen Etheldreda, welcomed him gladly into their fellowship. Thus, Owen became their handyman. When the bell sounded, calling the monks to their studies, he took his tools and laboured in the fields: cutting wood, mending walls and fences, and doing it to the glory of God. He was of those of whom it is written: "In the handiwork of their craft is their prayer" (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Gill). St. Sacer (Mo-Sacra) of Saggard, Abbot -------------------------------------------------------------- 7th century. An Irish saint, Sacer was the abbot-founder of the monastery of Saggard, Dublin (Benedictines). St. Winwaloe (Guenole) of Landevennec, Abbot -------------------------------------------------------------- Born in Brittany; died c. 532. Born of exiled English parents, St.Winwaloe was consecrated to God from his birth and placed in a monastery at an early age. He became a disciple of St. Budoc (f.d. December 9) on Isle Verte. He thought for many years that he would follow St. Patrick's (f.d. March 17) steps in Ireland, but eventually founded the monastery of Landevennec near Brest in Breton Cornouaille, which he ruled as abbot. There are several Cornish churches dedicated to St. Winwaloe, including Landewednack on the Lizard Peninsula in British Cornwall and Gunwalloe nearby, which seems to indicate that he had some connection with the area. A long "Life of Winwaloe" was written at Landevennec in the 9th century, but it is primarily a collection of legends. The cultus of St. Winwaloe is still alive in Brittany. There is some confusion as to whether there are one or two saints of the period named Guenole. Other variations of his name include Guengaloeus, Gwenno, Wonnow, Wynwallow, Valois, among others (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopedia). St. Cele-Christ (Christicola), Bishop -------------------------------------------------------------- Died c. 728. St. Cele-Christ ('worshipper of Christ) led an eremitical life for many years until he was forced to accept the bishopric of Leinster (Benedictines). St. Foila (Faile) of Galway, Virgin -------------------------------------------------------------- 6th century. St. Foila is said to have been the sister of St. Colgan (f.d. February 20). The two were patrons of the parishes of Kil-Faile (Kileely) and Kil-Colgan in Galway. Kil-Faile has been a noted place of pilgrimage (Benedictines). St. Lamalisse of Lamlash, Hermit -------------------------------------------------------------- 7th century. St. Lamalisse was a Scottish hermit who has lent his name to an islet (Lamlash) off the coast of the isle of Arran (Benedictines). Sources: ======== Ansterbery, Jennie. Chad, Bishop and Saint Attwater, D. (1983). The penguin dictionary of saints, NY: Penguin Books. Benedictine Monks of Saint Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Delaney, J. J. (1983). Pocket Dictionary of Saints, NY: Doubleday Image. Encyclopaedia of Catholic Saints, March. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Gill, F. C. (1958). The Glorious Company: Lives of Great Christians for Daily Devotion, vol. I. London: Epworth Press. 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! 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