Celtic and Old English Saints 8 January =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Athelm of Canterbury * St. Ergnad of Ulster * St. Erhard of Ratisbon * St. Pega of Peakirk * St. Wulsin of Sherborne * St. Albert of Cashel * St. Nathalan of Aberdeenshire =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
St. Athelm (Atheim), Bishop --------------------------------------- Died 923. Paternal uncle of Saint Dunstan, Athelm entered the abbey of Glastonbury, became its abbot, and was appointed to be the first bishop of Wells in Somerset. In 914 he was transferred to the see of Canterbury (Benedictines). St. Ergnad (Ercnact) of Ulster ------------------------------------------------------ Born in Ulster, Ireland in the 5th century. Ergnad is said to have received the tonsure from Saint Patrick (Benedictines). Troparion of St Ergnag tone 3 Turning thy back on the glamour of the world,/ O wise Father Ergnag,/ thou wast clothed as a monk, by Saint Patrick./ By fulfilling thy obedience thou dost teach us the virtue of humility./ Wherefore, O righteous one, pray that we may be granted grace to accept spiritual guidance for the salvation of our souls. Kontakion of St Ergnag tone 8 Adornment of Ireland and joy of monastics,/ O Father Ergnag,/ thou didst trample on the fiery passions which war against the soul./ O conqueror of them all and champion of purity,/ we praise thee as is due,/ and in thine honour,we sing Alleluia. St. Erhard of Ratisbon (Regensburg), Bishop -------------------------------------------------------- (also known as Albert, Erhart) Died c. 686. Erhard is described as another of the many Irish missionary bishops who crossed over to the continent and evangelized Bavaria, especially in the region around present-day Regensburg. Many miracles are attributed to his prayers. Erhard is mentioned in still strong local traditions. After his death a group of women formed into a religious group called the Erardinonnen (the Nuns of Erhard), to pray perpetually at his tomb in Regensburg, which they did until the Reformation (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Montague). In art Saint Erhard is portrayed as a bishop baptizing Saint Odilia, thereby restoring her sight. He is venerated at Regensburg (Roeder). St. Pega, Virgin ---------------------- Born in Mercia, England; died in Rome, Italy, c. 719. Saint Pega, the virgin sister of Saint Guthlac of Croyland, had her hermitage in the Fens (Peakirk = Pega's church in Northhamptonshire) near that of her brother. When he realised that his death was near (714), he invited her to his funeral. In order to get there, Pega is said to have sailed down the Welland, and cured a blind man from Wisbech en route. Guthlac bequeathed to her his psalter and scourge, both of which she gave to the monastery that grew up around his hermitage. After Guthlac's death, she is said to have made a pilgrimage to Rome and to have died there. Ordericus Vitalis claimed that her relics survived in an unnamed Roman church in his day and that miracles occurred there (Attwater, Benedictines, Colgrave, Farmer). St. Wulsin of Sherborne, Bishop ---------------------------------------------- (also known as Wulfsin, Wulfsige) Died January 8, 1005. Saint Wulsin is described as "a loyal and trusty monk whom Saint Dunstan loved like a son with pure affection." When Dunstan restored Westminster Abbey, he appointed Wulsin superior there (c. 960) and finally abbot in 980. In 992, Wulsin was consecrated bishop of Sherborne, but he also continued to serve as abbot of Westminster. The following year Bishop Wulsin introduced a monastic chapter within his see. Wulsin rebuilt the church at Sherborne and improved its endowment. He was a great Benedictine prelate even in that age of distinguished monks. Several pieces of correspondence with Wulsin are still extant. There is a letter from the scholar Aelfric (then abbot of Cerne) introducing his collection of canons for the instruction of priests. William of Malmesbury records that Wulsin warned his monks that having the bishop as their abbot would cause difficulty in the future. Wulsin's pastoral staff and other pontificalia survived at Sherborne and were notable for their simplicity, which matched his general austerity. Another second-degree relic not mentioned by William of Malmesbury is the famous Sherborne Pontifical, which belonged to him and is a rich example of Winchester illumination. Wulsin's bodily remains, together with those of Saint Juthwara, were translated to Sherborne c. 1050. Wulsin is venerated at Sherborne, Westminster, Abbotsbury, and Worcester (Benedictines, Farmer). St. Albert, Bishop of Cashel, Ireland --------------------------------------------------- He was a Bishop in Munster in the 8th.Century. St. Nathalan, Bishop of Aberdeenshire, Scotland ---------------------------------------------------- Born of a noble family at the beginning of the 7th.C. on the East Coast of Scotland. Nathalan decided to show his devotion to God by spending his life cultivating the earth. As a result,he grew vegetables enough to feed people in times of famine. He preserved Scotland from Pelagianism. He resided at Tullicht, now in the Diocese of Aberdeen of which he became Bishop. He built churches in Tullicht, Bothelim and Hill. He reposed in the late 7th.C. and was buried in the Church at Tullicht. His name appears in the Aberdeen Breviary. 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. Encyclopaedia of Catholic Saints, October. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Montague, H. P. (1981). The Saints and Martyrs of Ireland. Guildford: Billing & Sons. Roeder, H. (1956). Saints and Their Attributes, Chicago: Henry Regnery. 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 ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
