Celtic and Old English Saints 31 October =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Erth of Cornwall * St. Foillan of Fosses * St. Bega =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
St. Erth of Cornwall (of Slane) (Erc, Ercus, Herygh, Urith) ----------------------------------------------------- Died c. 512; feast in Ireland is November 2. Saint Erth, the brother of Saint Uny and Saint Ia (Ives) (f.d. February 3), was the only person to give homage to Saint Patrick during the latter's confrontation with the druids on the Hill of Slane. Patrick later ordained him a priest and bishop. A distich ascribed to Saint Patrick relates: "Bishop Erc, Whatever he judged was rightly judged: Whosoever gives a just judgement Shall receive the blessing of bishop Erc." Erth is said to have trained the young Saint Brendan the Navigator (f.d. May 16) at his church in Tralee. Saint Erth is also responsible for establishing the famous school at Slane, where King Dagobert II is said to have received his early education. The 12th-century martyrology of Gorman calls him 'Erc of Slane, bishop of Lilcach and from Ferta Fer Feic beside Sid Truim from the West.' He apparently crossed from Ireland to Cornwall, where a church and the village of Saint Erth are dedicated under his patronage (Benedictines, Farmer, Montague). Troparion of St Herygh tone 8 For four score years and ten thou didst grace the Cornish land with thy godly presence, O Father Herygh./ Therefore pray to God for us,/ that we may devote every year of our lives to His service,/ that at the end we may be found worthy of eternal salvation. St. Foillan (Faillan) of Fosses, Abbot ----------------------------------------------------- Born in Ireland; died in Belgium, c. 655. Among the brothers of Saint Fursey (f.d. January 16) were Foillan and Saint Ultan (f.d. May 1), who went to England with Fursey about 630. There they built a monastery at Burgh Castle in Suffolk near Yarmouth, and were missionary monks under him among the East Angles. When Fursey departed for Gaul, Foillan succeeded him as abbot, but the destruction of their monastery and the depredations of the Mercians under Penda, drove Foillan and Ultan to follow their brother across the sea. They were welcomed to Neustria by King Clovis II. Abbess Blessed Ida of Nivelles (f.d. May 8) gave Foillan land at Fosses, Belgium, where he set up a monastery and did missionary work among the Brabanters of the surrounding country, on whom he made a lasting impression. He kept up close relations with Saint Gertrude's establishment at Nivelles, and this was the occasion of his untimely end: It was when returning from saying Mass at Nivelles that he was set upon by robbers in the forest of Seneffe and murdered with three companions. Their bodies were not found until nearly three months later. Ultan succeeded Foillan as abbot of Fosses, and he too was revered as a saint. In September every seventh year at Fosses, there is a spectacular procession, called the March of Foillan, to honour the saint. Foillan's relics are honoured by an official mounted guard and salutes are fired seven times along the route of the procession. (Attwater, Delaney, Encyclopaedia, Montague). Foillan is depicted as a bishop with two armed men under his feet. Sometimes he is shown (1) refusing the cup at the table of Pepin; (2) carrying hot coals in his vestment for incense; (3) praying before the church while the city burns; (4) kneeling, pierced by a spear; (5) beaten with a club; or (6) with sword and palm (Roeder). Foillan is the patron of children's nurses, dentists, surgeons, and truss-makers (Roeder). He is widely honoured in both Ireland and northern France (Montague). Troparion of St Foillan tone 8 Pagan robbers bestowed upon thee the crown of martyrdom, O righteous Foillan,/ for thy life was a reproach to the impious and cruel men./ Having laboured with thy holy brother, our Father Fursey,/ in East Anglia and later in the Netherlands,/ pray to God for us, we beseech thee, that both in word and deed/ our lives may be a missionary witness, that we may be found worthy of His great mercy. St. Bega, Anchoress of St Bee's Head Cumberland, Founder of a Monastery Near Whitehaven (Bee, Begh, Begha, Begu), Virgin ----------------------------------------------------- Main day of commemoration is 6th September http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/1286 Died in Cumberland, 681. This is another of those problematic saints, mixing fact and fiction and, perhaps, the stories of more than one person of the same name. One Bega is Irish; the other Anglo-Saxon. As always, there appears to be some basis for the stories, but it is impossible to sort or determine to whom each element of the story relates. So, I give you what each of the sources has said. The Irish maiden Saint Bega, in legend a princess, fled on the eve of her marriage to a son of the king of Norway with a miraculous bracelet presented by an angel as a token of her betrothal to the Lord Jesus Christ. She was miraculously transported across the Irish Sea to Cumberland, England. She lived as a hermit for a while but on the advice of King Saint Oswald (f.d. August 9), she received the veil from Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne (f.d. August 31). Thereafter she founded a convent on the promontory of Saint Bee's Head (Copeland), in Cumberland, which flourished for 900 years with grants from Kings Saint Oswald, Saint Oswin (f.d. August 20), and others. As an abbess, she was venerated for her aid to the poor and the oppressed. The abbey still perpetuates her memory, as does also the name of the village, Kilbees, in Scotland. Two other saints of the same name are mentioned by hagiographers in Yorkshire and an abbess at Kilbees. An Anglo-Saxon nun, called Heiu or Begu, was also professed by Saint Aidan. According to Saint Bede (f.d. May 25), she abdicated her abbacy of Hartlepool Abbey in favour of the royal princess Saint Hilda (f.d. November 17). He also notes that while Begu was novice mistress in another convent, she saw a vision of her beloved Hilda, surrounded by heavenly light, ascend to heaven as the bells tolled to call the sisters to prayer. The community was immediately gathered in the chapel to pray for the repose of Hilda's soul. The following morning messengers arrived was the news of the death of the abbess of Whitby. About 1125, the monks of Whitby sought relics to replace those of Hilda, who had been translated to Glastonbury (they possessed those of Saint Caedmon (f.d. February 11), but few were interested in him). Through a revelation, a sarcophagus was found at Harkness with the inscription "Hoc est sepulchrum Begu" and its contents transferred to Whitby, where miracles were reported. The origin of the name of the village of Kilbees and headland on the coast of Cumberland is a matter of uncertainty. It seems more likely that they are named after the Irish Bega than after either of the two 7th century Northumbrian nuns, Begu and Heiu, mentioned by Bede. There is a medieval legend that oaths sworn on her bracelet were accepted without further question (Attwater, Benedictines, D'Arcy, Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Montague, Moran). ******************************************************** Through the intercessions of St Bee and of all the Saints of Britain, Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! ******************************************************** The village of Saint Bees http://www.thecumbriadirectory.com/Town_or_Village/St._Bees/St._Bees.php A book to read about Saint Bee:-- "CREDO" by Melvyn Bragg Two reviews: alan.dav...@... , August 14, 1997 Big, sweeping historical epic by a superior, literate writer This is a huge book (780 pages in paperback) which sprawls across England and Ireland circa 650AD. It is a highly literate (Bragg is a prominent UK arts broadcaster) fictional exploration of Saint Bega and other real life characters set against the religion and politics of the time [and the key players at the Synod of Whitby.] It is very readable with plenty of action, believable characters and fascinating historical observation. It is however a big novel so strengthen those wrist muscles first!. simonfunn...@... from London, England , July 11, 1999 7th century Britain's way of life is under attack... Melvyn Bragg's Credo is astonishing. It is so well researched and so well written that the characters live in your head long after you have closed the pages for the last time. It's a classical battle; between the Pagans and the Christians, and between the Christian Celts and the Christian Catholics, set in a violent and turbulent period of history. This book has been reprinted as "The Sword and The Miracle", but is also available as "Credo." ******************************** Suppliers of Icons of Celtic Saints for the church or the prayer corner at home. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/2875 ********************************* Sources: ======== 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. Bentley, J. (1986). A Calendar of Saints: The Lives of the Principal Saints of the Christian Year, NY: Facts on File. Delaney, J. J. (1983). Pocket Dictionary of Saints, NY: Doubleday Image. Encyclopaedia of Catholic saints, October. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Roeder, H. (1956). Saints and Their Attributes, Chicago: Henry Regnery. Montague, H. P. (1981). The Saints and Martyrs of Ireland. Guildford: Billing & Sons. White, K. E. (1992). Guide to the Saints, NY: Ivy Books. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
