Celtic and Old English Saints 1 April =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Cellach of Armagh * St. Tewdric * St. Caidoc and St. Fricor * St. Valery of Leucone =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
St. Cellach (Ceilach, Keilach, Kelly) of Armagh Bishop -------------------------------------------------- 9th century. It seems that Saint Cellach may have been the abbot of Iona. He also seems to have founded of the abbey of Kells before his consecration as archbishop of Armagh, Ireland (Benedictines). St. Tewdric (Theodoric), Hermit -------------------------------------------------- 5th to 6th century; feast day is sometimes listed as January 3. Saint Tewdric, prince of Glamorgan, is discussed in the "Book of Llan Dav," written much later. According to this source, in his later years he resigned his position in favour of his son Meurig in order to become a hermit at Tintern. During an invasion of the Saxons, he placed himself at the head of his people. In the ensuing battle, he was mortally wounded by a lance. Tewdric was buried at Mathern, near Chepstow, formerly called Merthyr Tewdrig, where the church still bears his name. He is the reputed founder of the churches at Bedwas Llandow and Merthyr Tydfil. In the early 17th century, Bishop Francis Godwin of Llandaff found the saints bones, including a badly fractured skull in the church at Mathern (Farmer). St. Caidoc and St. Fricor (Adrian) -------------------------------------------------- 7th century; they had four feast days at Centula: January 24, March 31, April 1, and May 30. The Irishmen Caidoc and Fricor evangelized the country of the Morini in Picardy, northern France, beginning about 622. Among the souls they won for Christ was the nobleman Riquier (Saint Ricarius; f.d. April 26), who intervened when some locals took offence to their preaching and took them into his home. Riquier became a fervent Christian, who engaged in penitential austerities and eventually was ordained. In 625, Riquier founded Centula based on the Rule of Columbanus, another Irishman. Their relics are still venerated at the parish church of Saint-Riquier in the diocese of Amiens, although they rested in Centula until the 17th century. Saints Caidoc and Fricor joined Riquier's community and remained there until they were buried in Saint Riquier's church (Benedictines, D'Arcy, Fitzpatrick2, McCarthy, Montague, O'Hanlon). St. Valery of Leucone, Abbot (Valerian, Walaricus, Walericus) -------------------------------------------------- Born in Auvergne, France; died in Leucone, Picardy, France, on December 12, c. 622; feast of his translation is December 12. Valery discovered Benedictine life at Issoire, developed it at Auxerre, fructified it at Luxeuil under Saint Columbanus (f.d. November 23), and multiplied it with missionary work at Leuconnais (Leuconay), in the Somme region of northern France. Born into a peasant family in the Auvergne, Valery tended his father's sheep in his childhood, which gave him plenty of time to develop his prayer life. Out of an ardent desire to grow in spiritual knowledge, he learned to read at an early age and memorised the Psalter. Dissatisfied with his life as a shepherd, he took the monastic habit in the neighbouring monastery of St. Antony's at Autumo. His fervour from the first day of monastic life led him to live the rule perfectly. Sincere humility permitted him to meekly and cheerfully subjected himself to everyone. Seeking a stricter rule, he migrated to the more austere monastery of St. Germanus, where he was received by Bishop Saint Anacharius of Auxerre (f.d. September 25). He was drawn to Luxeuil by the reputation of the penitential lives of its monks and the spiritual wisdom of Saint Columbanus. There he spent many years, always esteeming himself an unprofitable servant and a slothful monk, who stood in need of the severest and harshest rules and superiors. Next to sin, he dreaded nothing so much as the applause of men or a reputation of sanctity. At Luxeuil he also distinguished himself as a horticulturalist--the preservation of his fruit and vegetables against the ravages of insects that destroyed most other crops was considered miraculous. When Saint Columbanus was banished from Luxeuil by King Theodoric, the monastery was placed in Valery's hands until he was sent by Saint Eustasius (f.d. March 29) with his fellow-monk Waldolanus to preach the Gospel in Neustria. There King Clotaire II gave them the territory of Leucone in Picardy, near the mouth of the river Somme. In 611, with the permission of Bishop Bertard of Amiens, they built a chapel and two cells. Saint Valery by his preaching and the example of his virtue, converted many and attracted fervent disciples with whom he laid the foundation of a monastery. His fasts he sometimes prolonged for six days, eating only on the Sunday; and he used no other bed than twigs laid on the floor. His time was entirely occupied with preaching, prayer, reading, and manual labour. By this he earned something for the relief of the poor, and he often repeated to others, "The more cheerfully we give to those who are in distress, the more readily will God give us what we ask of him." When Valery died, cures took place at his tomb and his veneration grew, which eventually spread to England during the Norman Conquest. William the Conqueror exposed Valery's relics for public veneration. He was invoked for a favourable wind for the expedition in 1066, which sailed from Saint-Valery Valery is honoured at Chester Abbey in England and in France, where a famous monastery arose from his cells. His "vita" was carefully written in 660, by Raimbert, second abbot of Leucone after him. King Richard the Lion Hearted had his relics restored to Saint-Valery-en-Caux; however, his original abbey later recovered them. Two towns in the Somme district are called Saint-Valery after him, and there are several dedications to him in England as well (Attwater2, Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Husenbeth). Sources: ======== Attwater, D. (1958). A Dictionary of Saints. New York: P. J. Kenedy & Sons. [Attwater 2] Benedictine Monks of Saint Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of saints. NY: Macmillan. D'Arcy, M. R. (1974). The Saints of Ireland. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Irish American Cultural Institute. [This is probably the most useful book to choose to own on the Irish saints. The author provides a great deal of historical context in which to place the lives of the saints.] Encyclopaedia of Catholic Saints, March. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford dictionary of saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fitzpatrick, B. (1927). Ireland and the Foundations of Europe. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue & Co. McCarthy, E. L. (1927). Saint Columban. Society of Saint Columban. Montague, H. P. (1981). The Saints and Martyrs of Ireland. Guildford: Billing & Sons. O'Hanlon, J. (1875). Lives of Irish Saints, 10 vol. Dublin. 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! 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