Celtic and Old English Saints 14 April =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Tassach of Raholp =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
St. Tassach (Asicus) of Raholp, Bishop --------------------------------------------------------- Died c. 495. Tassach was a disciple of Saint Patrick, who appointed him as the first bishop of Raholp, County Down, Ireland. He was a skilled artisan who made crosiers, patens, chalices, credences, shrines, and crosses for the many churches Patrick founded. Tassach's rule is for ever memorable for the fact that he was selected by the national Apostle to be with him in his last moments and to administer the Holy Viaticum to him. This event is thus chronicled in "The Martyrology of Donegall"; "Tassach of Raholp gave the Body of Christ to Saint Patrick before his death in the monastery of Saul". He is often confused with Saint Asicus of Elphin (f.d. April 27), who had the same skills and is said to have died the same year (Attwater2, Benedictines, D'Arcy, Delaney, Healy, Montague, O'Hanlon). Troparion of St Tassach tone 5 O holy Hierarch Tassach,/ thou wast one of the first to follow Saint Patrick/ and didst administer the Holy Mysteries to him at the last./ Like Moses' disciples/ adorning the tabernacle/ thou wast a skilled artist and craftsman,/ and art now thyself an adornment of Christ's Church. Sources: ======== Attwater, D. (1983). The Penguin Dictionary of Saints, NY: Penguin Books. Benedictine Monks of St. 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.] Delaney, J. J. (1983). Pocket Dictionary of Saints, NY: Doubleday Image. Healy, J. (1902). Ireland's Ancient Schools and Scholars. Dublin: Sealy, Bryers and Walker. 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 ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
