[celt-saints] 10 September
Celtic and Old English Saints 10 September =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Finian of Moville * St. Frithestan of Winchester * St. Otger of Northumbria * St. Egwin of Worcester * St. Ethelwold of Winchester =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Finian of Magh Bile (Moville), County Down Born about 495; died 589. Though not so celebrated as his namesake of Clonard, he was the founder of a famous school about the year 540. He studied under St. Colman of Dromore and St. Mochae of Noendrum (Mahee Island), and subsequently at Candida Casa (Whithern), whence he proceeded to Rome, returning to Ireland in 540 AD with an integral copy of St. Jerome's Vulgate, a work of translation which Jerome had completed in 404 AD** (See below). St. Finnian's most distinguished pupil at Moville (County Down) was St. Columba, whose surreptitious copying of the Psaltery led to a very remarkable sequel. What remains of the copy, together with the casket that contains it, is now in the National Museum, Dublin. It is known as the Cathach or Battler, and was wont to be carried by the O'Donnells in battle. The inner case was made by Cathbar O'Donnell in 1084, but the outer is fourteenth-century work. So prized was it that family of MacGroarty were hereditary custodians of this Cathach, and it finally passed, in 1802, to Sir Neal O'Donnell, County Mayo. St. Finnian of Moville wrote a rule for his monks, also a penitential code, the canons of which were published by Wasserschleben in 1851. His festival is observed on 10 September. Troparion of St Finian Tone 8 Having been nourished in the faith at Candida Casa, O holy Finian,/ thou didst return to thy native Ireland as the sower of seed which bore fruit an hundred-fold./ In thy love and wisdom intercede with our merciful Creator/ that He will so nourish us with true faith and piety, devoting ourselves only to Him,/ that we may receive the reward of the righteous. ** It is interesting to look at the contents of the Vulgate which Finnian brought to Ireland. The Vulgate of Saint Jerome While revising the text of the Old Latin Version, St. Jerome became convinced of the need in the Western Church of a new translation directly from the Hebrew. His Latin scholarship, his acquaintance with Biblical places and customs obtained by residence in Palestine, and his remarkable knowledge of Hebrew and of Jewish exegetical traditions, especially fitted him for a work of this kind. He set himself to the task A.D. 390 and in A.D. 405 completed the protocanonical books of the Old Testament from the Hebrew, and the deuterocanonical Books of Tobias and Judith from the Aramaic. To these were added his revision of the Old Latin, or Gallican, Psalter, the New Testament, revised from the Old Latin with the aid of the original Greek, and the remaining deuterocanonical books, and portions of Esther, and Daniel, just as they existed in the Itala. Thus was formed that version of the Bible which has had no less influence in the Western Church than the Septuagint has had in the Eastern, which has enriched the thought and language of Europe and has been the source of nearly all modern translations of the Scriptures. The Hebrew text used by St. Jerome was comparatively late, being practically that of the Massoretes. For this reason his version, for textual criticism, has less value than the Peschitto and the Septuagint. As a translation it holds a place between these two. It is elegant in style, clear in expression, and on the whole, notwithstanding some freedoms in the way of restricted or amplified readings, it is faithful to the sense of the original. At first it met with little favour. It was looked upon by some as a perversion suggested and encouraged by the Jews. Others held it to be inferior to the Septuagint, and those who recognized its merits feared it would cause dissensions. But it gradually supplanted the Old Latin Version. Adopted by several writers in the fifth century, it came into more general use in the sixth. At least the Spanish churches employed it in the seventh century, and in the ninth it was found in practically the whole Roman Church. Its title Vulgate, indicating its common use, and belonging to the Old Latin until the seventh century, was firmly established in the thirteenth. See http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15367a.htm St. Frithestan (+932), Bishop of Winchester, England -- St. Otger of Northumbria (+8th c.), Monk and Missionary -- Disciple of St Wiro and St Plechelm See Lives for 8 May http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/798 Translation of the Relics of St. Egwin, Bishop of Worcester Main commemoration is 30 December http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/666 Translation of the Relics of
[celt-saints] 7 September
Celtic and Old English Saints 7 September =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Alcmund Bishop of Hexham * St. Tilbert of Hexham * St. Grimonia of Picardy =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Alcmund (Ealhmund), Bishop of Hexham Died September 7, 781. Alcmund was consecrated the seventh bishop of Hexham in 767, and was succeeded by Saint Tilbert in 781. Their sanctity is celebrated by Simeon of Durham, Roger of Hoveden, the Annals of Peterborough, and many martyrologies. Although Alcmund was buried beside Saint Acca outside the church; the site of his grave was lost during the Danish invasions. In 1032, following a revelation they were found and reburied within the church. In 1154, the relics of all the saints of Hexham were translated to a single shrine, as was recorded by a canon regular of Hexham, an eye-witness, but they were scattered by the Scots in 1296 (Benedictines, Farmer, Husenbeth, Raine). St. Tilbert (Gilbert, Tileberht), Bishop of Hexham - Died 789. Saint Tilbert succeeded Saint Alcmund as bishop of Hexham (781-789). In the chronicles he is called saint and beloved father, but he had no known cultus and no details are known about his life (Benedictines, Farmer, Husenbeth). St. Grimonia (Germana) of Picardy, Virgin Martyr -- 4th century (or 560?). Although born of an illustrious Irish family, Saint Grimonia, consecrated herself to God and migrated to Laon, Picardy. On the spot where she was martyred in defence of her chastity, a chapel was built for her relics. The miracles of healing that occurred there led to pilgrimages and the growth of the town called Capelle. In the wars in the fifteenth century her relics were translated to the abbey of Hennin Lictard, between Douay and Lens where she is honoured together with Saint Proba her fellow martyr (Benedictines, Husenbeth). Sources: Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. Raine, J. (ed.). (1863). The Priory of Hexham. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 9 September #2
Celtic and Old English Saints 9 September =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise (see #1) * St. Bettelin of Croyland * St. Osmanna of Brieuc * St. Wilfrida of Wilton * St. Wulfhilda of Barking =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Bettelin of Croyland, Hermit -- (also known as Beccelin, Bertelin, Berthelm, Bertram, Bethlin, Bethelm) 8th century. Saint Bettelin, a disciple of Saint Guthlac, was a hermit who practised the most austere penances and lived a life of continual prayer in the forest near Stafford, England. He received counsel from his master on his deathbed and was present at his burial. After the death of Guthlac, Bettelin and his companions continued to live at Croyland under Kenulphus, its first abbot. There are unreliable legends about Bettelin, including a later one that he had to overcome temptation to cut Guthlac's throat while shaving him. They also say that Bettelin was the son of a local ruler who fell in love with a princess during a visit to Ireland. On their return to England, she died a terrible death. He left her in the forest when she was overcome by labour pains, while he had gone in search of a midwife. During his absence she was torn to pieces by ravenous wolves. Thereafter, Bettelin became a hermit. Another legends relates that Saint Bettelin left his hermitage to drive off invaders with the help of an angel, before returning to his cell to die. Some of his relics may have been translated to Stafford before the plunder and burning of Croyland by the Danes. He is the patron of Stafford, in which his relics were kept with great veneration (Benedictines, Delaney, Farmer, Husenbeth). St. Osmanna (Argariarga) of Brieuc, Virgin --- Died c. 650. Saint Osmanna was descended from an illustrious Irish family. She migrated to Brittany in northern France to live as a consecrated virgin and served God with fervour in solitude until her death near Saint Brieuc. Until the Reformation, her relics were enshrined in a chapel under her patronage in the abbatial church of Saint Denys near Paris; but some of them were dispersed by the Calvinists in 1567 (Benedictines, Husenbeth). St. Wilfrida of Wilton, Abbess (also known as Wulfritha, Wulfthryth) - Died c. 988. Saint Wilfrida was a novice at the convent of Wilton when she caught the eye of the King Saint Edgar the Peaceful, who had been rejected by her cousin, Saint Wulfhilda. She became his concubine and bore his daughter, Saint Edith of Wilton, out of wedlock. Shortly after Edith's birth, she returned to Wilton with her child. There she took the veil at the hands of Saint Ethelwold. As a nun, and later as abbess, Wilfrida did penance and made ample amends for the irregularity of her liaison with Edgar (Benedictines, Farmer). St. Wulfhilda of Barking, Abbess Died c. 980-1000; other feasts include that of her translation on September 2, c. 1030 (with the relics of Saints Hildelith and Ethelburga), as well as on March 7 and September 23 at Barking. Saint Wulfhilda was raised in the abbey of Wilton. When she was a novice, King Saint Edgar sought her hand in marriage, but she had a vocation that was irrevocable. Her aunt, Abbess Wenfleda of Wherwell, invited the young novice to become her successor, but it was just a ploy to lure her from Wilton. When she arrived at Wherwell, she found the king waiting for her and her aunt willing to allow him to seduce her. Wulfhilda escaped through the drains despite the chaperons inside and the guards outside the convent. The king pursued her back to Wilton and caught her in the cloister, but she escaped his grasp and took refuge in the sanctuary among the altars and relics. Thereafter Edgar renounced his claim on her and took her cousin Saint Wilfrida as his mistress instead. Wulfhilda went on to found and serve as the first abbess of the convent of Horton in Dorsetshire. Later she was appointed abbess of the convent of Barking, which had been restored by King Edgar and endowed with several churches in Wessex towns. During this period she was credited with several miracles, including the multiplication of drinks when King Edgar, Saint Ethelwold, and a naval officer from Sandwich visited the abbey. After Edgar's death, his widowed queen, Elfrida (Aelfthryth), conspired with some of Wulfhilda's nuns, to drive her out of Barking. She retired to Horton for the next 20 years until she was recalled to Barking by King Ethelred. For the last seven years of her life, Wulfhilda served as abbess of both Horton and Barking. Goscelin wrote her vita within 60 years of her death. (Benedictines, Farmer). Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints
[celt-saints] 9 September #3
The Holy Monastery of Clonmacnoise This Thursday (9 September) is the commemoration of one of Ireland's most beloved Saints, Ciaran (Kieran) of Clonmacnoise (+549). Here is a brief article about his remarkable monastery. Through his prayers, may God send peace upon Ireland. Amen. The Holy Monastery of Clonmacnoise Situated on the Shannon, about half way between Athlone and Banagher, King's County, Ireland, and the most remarkable of the ancient schools of Erin. Its founder was St. Ciaran, surnamed Mac an Tsair, or Son of the Carpenter, and thus distinguished from his namesake, the patron saint of Ossory. He chose this rather uninviting region because he thought it a more suitable dwelling-place for disciples of the Cross than the luxuriant plains not far away. Ciaran was born at Fuerty, County Roscommon, in 512, and in his early years was committed to the care of a deacon named Justus, who had baptized him, and from whose hands he passed to the school of St. Finnian at Clonard. Here he met all those saintly youths who with himself were afterwards known as the Twelve Apostles of Erin, and he quickly won their esteem. When Finnian had to absent himself from the monastery, it was to the youthful Ciaran that he deputed his authority to teach and give out the prayers, and when Ciaran announced his intended departure, Finnian would fain resign to him his cathair, or chair, and keep him in Clonard. But Ciaran felt himself unripe for such responsibility, and he knew, moreover, he had work to do elsewhere. After leaving Clonard, Ciaran, like most of the contemporary Irish saints, went to Aran to commune with holy Enda. One night the two saints beheld the same vision, of a great fruitful tree, beside a stream, in the middle of Ireland, and it protected the island of Ireland, and its fruit went forth over the sea that surrounded the island, and the birds of the world came to carry off somewhat of its fruit. And when Ciaran spoke of the vision to Enda, the latter said to him: The great tree which thou beholdest is thou thyself, for thou art great in the eyes of God and men, and all Ireland will be full of thy honour. This island will be protected under the shadow of thy favour, and multitudes will be satisfied with the grace of thy fasting and prayer. Go then, with God's word, to a bank of a stream, and there found a church. Ciaran obeyed. On reaching the mainland he first paid a visit to St. Senan of Scattery and then proceeded towards the middle of Ireland, founding on his way two monasteries, in one of which, on Inis Ainghin, he spent over three years. Going farther south he came to a lonely waste by the Shannon, and seeking out a beautiful grassy ridge, called Ard Tiprait, or the Height of the Spring, he said to his companions: Here then we will stay, for many souls will go to heaven hence, and there will be a visit from God and from men forever on this place. Thus, on 23 January, 544, Ciaran laid the foundation of his monastic school of Clonmacnoise, and on 9 May following he witnessed its completion. Diarmait, son of Cerball, afterwards High King of Ireland, aided and encouraged the saint in every way, promising him large grants of land as an endowment. Ciaran's government of his monastery was of short duration; he was seized by a plague which had already decimated the saints of Ireland, and died 9 September, 544. It is remarkable that a young saint dying before he was thirty-three, should have been the founder of a school whose fame was to endure for centuries. But Ciaran was a man of prayer and fasting and labour, trained in all the science and discipline of the saints, humble and full of faith, and so was a worthy instrument in the hands of Providence for the carrying out of a high design. St. Cummian of Clonfert calls him one of the Patres Priores of the Irish Church, and Alcuin, the most illustrious alumnus of Clonmacnoise, proclaims him the Gloria Gentis Scotorum. His festival is kept on 9 September, and his shrine is visited by many pilgrims. Ciaran left but little mark upon the literary annals of the famous school he founded. But in the character which he gave it of a seminary for a whole nation, and not for a particular tribe or district, is to be found the secret of its success. The masters were chosen simply for their learning and zeal; the abbots were elected almost in rotation from the different provinces; and the pupils thronged thither from all parts of Ireland, as well as from the remote quarters of France and England. From the beginning it enjoyed the confidence of the Irish bishops and the favour of kings and princes who were happy to be buried in its shadow. In its sacred clay sleep Diarmait the High King, and his rival Guaire, King of Connaught; Turlough O'Conor, and his hapless son, Roderick, the last King of Ireland, and many other royal benefactors, who believed that the prayers of Ciaran would bring to heaven all those who were buried there. But Clonmacnoise was not
[celt-saints] 6 September
Celtic and Old English Saints 6 September =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Bega of Saint Bee's Head * St. Maccallin of Lusk * St. Magnus of Fussen * St. Chainoaldus of Laon * St. Felix and St. Augebert =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Bega (Bee), Nun Hermitess 7th century; she is probably identical with the Saint Bega celebrated on October 31. Saint Bega or Saint Bee was an Irish princess, whom a Norwegian prince sought in marriage. She, however, had already pledged herself and her virginity to Jesus and been given a bracelet by an angel marked with a cross as a token of her heavenly betrothal. On the eve of her wedding, as her father and her groom were celebrating in the hall, she escaped with the help of the bracelet. Seated on a clod of earth, she was taken across the sea to the coast of Cumberland. There she lived as an anchoress, who was fed by the wild birds and, if left in peace, would have continued in this fashion. After being attacked by marauders, King Saint Oswald of Northumbria advised her to enter a convent. She therefore received the veil from Saint Aidan and established a monastery at Saint Bees (Copeland near Carlisle) which later became a cell of the great abbey of Saint Mary at York. While the details as related above may be uncertain, Saint Bega is venerated in Northumbria. The promontory on which she lived is named Saint Bee's Head, and she is the patroness of the local people who were injured by the exactions of their lords and the invasions of the neighbouring Scots. In her hermitage at Saint Bees (Cumbria) was kept what is presumed to be her miraculous bracelet, which has the Old English name beag that so closely resembled her that it may have given rise to her cultus. Oaths were sworn on the bracelet. The people treasured equally the stories of how Saint Bega in her earthly life had been devoted to the poor and oppressed and had cooked, washed and mended for the workmen who built her monastery. There is also a place in Scotland called Kilbees, named after this saint (Benedictines, Farmer, Delaney, Husenbeth, Walsh). For a fictionalised account of her life and the 664 Synod of Whitby read Malvyn Bragg's novel Credo, published in the States as The Sword and the Miracle. Through the intercessions of St Bee and of all the Saints of Britain, Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! St. Maccallin of Lusk, Bishop (also known as Maccallan, Macculin, Macoulmdus) - Died c. 497. The Irish Calendar commemorates Saint Maccallin, bishop of Lusk, who is also venerated in Scotland which he once visited (Benedictines, Husenbeth). St. Magnus of Fussen, Abbot (also known as Magne, Magnoaldus, Maginold, Mang) --- Died c. 666. Saint Magnus was a fellow missionary with Saints Columbanus and Gall. He founded and became the abbot of a transalpine cloister at Fussen, in Bavaria, which served pilgrims (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia). St. Chainoaldus, Bishop of Laon (also known as Cagnoald, Cagnou) Died 633. Saint Columbanus's monastery at Luxeuil was such a source of holiness that by the mid-seventh century it was the most important one in France. It produced a stream of saints who led the clergy and people to new height of spiritual awareness. Two of these men were brothers, Saints Faro and Cagnoald, sons of King Dagobert's chancellor. Faro became bishop of Meaux, while Cagnoald was bishop of Laon (their sister, Saint Burgundofara (April 3) founded the convent of Faremoutiers). When Columbanus angered King Theodoric II by criticizing his immoral life, he was banished from his realms in 610. Saint Cagnoald left his see, followed Columbanus, and worked with him as a missionary near Lake Constance. When Theodoric gained control of that area, too, they were again banished. Yet the saints remained charitable, even to such a determined enemy. King Theodebert II of Neustria had given them refuge during the time of their missionary activities around Lake Constance. Columbanus's anxieties caused him once to dream that he saw Theodebert and Theodoric fighting. He awoke and told Cagnoald his dream. Let us pray, then, that Theodebert may defeat our enemy Theodoric, said Cagnoald. Columbanus responded, Certainly not. In no way would such a prayer please God. He has ordered us to pray for our enemies. So the two men travelled on to Italy, where Saint Columbanus founded the famous Bobbio monastery. Cagnoald had not personally been banned from France, but followed his friend out of love. He returned to France after the death of Columbanus and resumed his bishopric (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley). St. Felix and St. Augebert, Martyrs
[celt-saints] 3 September #1
Celtic and Old English Saints 3 September =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. MacNisse of Connor * St. Balin of Techsaxon * St. Cuthburga of Wimborne * St. Quenburga of Wimborne * St. Hereswitha of Chelles * St. Edward of England * St. Lon-garadh (see #2) * St. Gregory the Great (see #3) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. MacNisse, Bishop of Connor, Dalriada (Macnisius, Aengus McNisse. Macanisius) --- Died 506-514. Saint MacNisse, a disciple of Saint Olean (Bolcan?), was said to have been baptized as an infant by Saint Patrick. After MacNisse made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Rome, Patrick consecrated him the first abbot-bishop of Kells, which became the diocese of Connor, Ireland. His life is filled with miracles, such as changing the course of a river for the convenience of his monks and rescuing a child about to be executed for his father's crime by causing him to be carried by the wind from the executioners to his arms. Various ancient lists record different dates for his death (Benedictines, Delaney, Husenbeth, Montague). Troparion of St MacNis tone 8 Having learned thy faith from Ireland Enlightener, O holy MacNis,/ thou didst found a shining beacon of the True Faith, the Monastery of Kells,/ from which was bequeathed to Christ's church a treasure of piety and wonder, which is with us to this day./ Inspired by thine example, O Saint, we beseech thee to intercede with Christ our God/ that we may be given grace to follow thee in the way of salvation. Some miracles of St MacNisse: In the Feilire of St. Oengus, yet in a very enigmatical form, the feast of St. Mac Nisse is entered at the 3rd of September. Thus rendered in Dr. Whitley Stokes' English translation: Colman of Druim Ferta : Longarad a delightful sun; Mac Nisse with thousands, from great Conderi. The birth of Macnessius is said to have been manifested to St. Patrick, and long before the time of its occurrence. St. Macnessius, also written Mac Nissi', or Nisa, was the son of Fobrec or Fobreach, as stated in the Annals of Tigernach. His mother was named Cnes, a daughter to Conchaid or Conchaide of Dal Cethern. The original name of this saint is said to have been Oengus. .. In a fountain of water, which miraculously sprung from the earth, it is stated, that our saint was baptised by the Apostle of the Irish nation. Afterwards, he was known as Mac Cneise or the son of Cnes. He was placed under the charge of Bishop Bolcan - a disciple of St. Patrick - while he was still very young. To him, the son of Ness was entrusted as a foster-child, and from that holy bishop his education had been received. When young, he was sent to take charge of certain cows and their calves. A deep slumber then oppressed him. Meantime, the calves took advantage of their youthful herdsman's sleep to approach the cows, and to draw the accustomed sustenance from them. We are told, that the Bishop's mother - also the nurse of our saint - felt displeased at his neglect, and struck the child. This, however, she did not with impunity; for that hand, with which she chastised the youth, became powerless. Whereupon, the Bishop required his foster-son to pray for her. Immediately on complying with such request, the offending member was again restored to its former strength. From such a circumstance, and owing to other .miracles of a similar nature, the fame of this youthful soldier of Christ was greatly extended. Our saint was a most docile pupil to his master, while going through the course of elementary studies. When St. Patrick was on a journey through Dalaradia, having met Bolcan with our saint, he thus addressed the former : You and your successors shall always be subject to the rule of this your companion and to his successors. The Apostle's allusion, in this prophetic declaration, referred to the Bishopric subsequently obtained. The latter illustrious man gave certain particular charges, regarding the education and training of the child. These trusts, on being assumed, were faithfully observed and fulfilled. It would appear, from some remarks in the Irish Apostle's life, that the saint, when a boy, carried his master's books in a leather case ; that he had been entrusted with the care of those articles necessary for Divine service ; and that he probably attended the Bishop in the capacity of servitor at his different episcopal ministrations. Having proved himself perfect in every good work, according to tradition, St. Macnessius had been raised to the episcopal dignity by St. Patrick. We know not the year of St. Macnissius' ordination ; Ware informs us, however, that he was advanced to the episcopal dignity in the fifth century. St. Macnessius is said to have made a pilgrimage to the seat of the Apostles, and to Jerusalem, visiting also other remarkable places in the Holy Land The holy Bishop was distinguished for the
[celt-saints] 3 September #2
Celtic and Old English Saints 3 September =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. MacNisse of Connor * St. Balin of Techsaxon * St. Cuthburga of Wimborne * St. Quenburga of Wimborne * St. Hereswitha of Chelles * St. Edward of England * St. Lon-garadh (see #2) * St. Gregory the Great (see #3) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Saint Lon-garadh of Kilgorey (Garadh, Lon) --- Also 24 June There is also another very interesting Irish saint commemorated on 3rd September, St Lon-garad, styled the 'Augustine of Ireland' for his knowledge and love of books. It appears that he perhaps guarded his books a little too jealously and fell foul of St Columbcille who had something of a track record in wanting access to the libraries of others! St Lon's Life is covered in O'Hanlon's Lives of Irish Saints, but this account gives more direct quotations from the sources: St. Garadh, Lon, or Lon-garadh, an Ossory Saint of early date, distinguished as well for his great learning as for his eminent virtues, was the founder and patron of the church of Cashel (or Coshel, as the name is locally and correctly pronounced). He was the contemporary of St. Columbkille, and pre-deceased him, so that his death must have occurred before the year 597. He is commemorated in the Martyrology of Tallaght, on the 24th of June, as Lon of Cill-Gabra, that is, of Kilgorey, in the parish of Doonane, on the borders of time the parish of Clough. The Martyrology of Donegal also commemorates him on the 24th of June, as Lon of Cill-Gohhra,' (from which it may be concluded that his festival was kept at Kilgorey, on the 24th of June); and again on the 3rd Sept., thus: Lon-garadh of Sliabh Mairge, or of Magh Tuathat. Lon-garadh Coisfinn [i.e. of the white foot], of Disert Garadh, in the north of Ossraighe, i.e. of Magh-Garadh in Ui-Faircheallaigh, and of Cill-Gabhra, in Sliabh Mairge. It is said that the book-satchels of Erinn, and the Gospels, and the lesson-books of the students, fell from their racks on the night of Lon-garadh's death, so that no person should ever understand them as Lon-garadh used to understand them. It was of this was said:- Lon died, [Lon died,] Garadh was unfortunate; He is a loss to learning and schools Of Erinn's isle to its extremities. A very ancient old-vellum-book, which we have mentioned under Brighit, at 1st Feb., and under Patrick, 17th March, states, that Lon-garadh, in his habits and life, was like to Augustine, who was very wise. The Feilire of Aengus, at same date (Sept. 3rd), has: Longarad, a delightful sun. On this passage, the Scholiast in the Leabhar Breac thus comments: Longarad, i.e. of Sliabh Mairge or in Mag Tuathat in the north of Ossory. Longarad the white-legged in Mag Tuathat in the north of Ossory, i.e. in Ui-Foirchellain, i.e. in Mag Garad in Disert Garad especially, and in Cell Gabra, in Sliabh Mairge, in Les Longaradh. Whitelegged, i.e. great white hair through his legs. Or bright-white were his legs. A sage of learning and jurisprudence and poetry was he. To him Colombcille chanced to come as a guest, and he hid his books from Colomb, and Colombcille left his curse on Longarad's books, to wit, 'May that,' quoth he, 'as to which thou hast shown niggaradliness be of no profit after thee.' And this was fulfilled. For the books still remain and no man reads them. Now when Longarad was dead, men of lore say this, that the book-satchels of Ireland fell down on that night. Or it is the satchels wherein were books of every science in the cell where Colombcille was that fell then, and Colombcille and everyone in that house marvel, and all are silent at the noisy shaking of the books. So then said Colombcille: 'Lon-garadh in Ossory,' quoth he, 'a sage of every science, has now died.' 'May it be long till that comes true,' quoth Baithin.' Unfaith on the man in thy place,' says Colombcille et dixit Colombcille:- 'Dead is Lon Of Cell garad--great the evil! To Erin with her many homesteads It is ruin of learning and schools. 'Died hath Lon In Cell garad--great the evil ! It is ruin of the learning and schools Of Erin's island over her border.' The Saint's church of Disert-Garadh though described so minutely above as in Magh-Garadh, in the territory of Magh-Tuathat otherwise Ui-Foircheallain, in the north of Ossory, has been hitherto sought for in vain. Its position is, however, no longer doubtful. It stood within the churchyard of Cashel, on the south bank of the river Nore, in the original Ui-Foircheallain. The Irish name of this churchyard, as still traditionally handed down in the locality, is Coshel-Gorra, which exactly represents Caipeal-Sapad, or St. Garadh's Cashel. Source: Carrigan The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory, Vol 2 (1905) http://www.irishmidlandsancestry.com/content/laois/community/parishhistories/castletown_parish.htm
[celt-saints] 3 September #3
Celtic and Old English Saints 3 September =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Gregory the Great =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Gregory the Great, Pope of Rome, also known as Gregory the Dialogist - Born in Rome, Italy, c. 540; died there March 12, 604. His major feast day is March 12. The Feast today commemorates the day he was chosen as Bishop of Rome. The Holy Bible is like a mirror before our mind's eye. In it we see our inner face. From the Scriptures we can learn our spiritual deformities and beauties. And there too we discover the progress we are making and how far we are from perfection. --Saint Gregory. _ Pope Gregory the Great and the Irish John R C Martyn Abstract Pope Gregory the Great's apparently close links with Columban and the Irish clergy between 592 and 601 are revealed through five of his letters: 2.43 (July 592), an encyclical sent to the Irish clergy, almost certainly including Columban; 4.18 (March 594) about an Irish priest valuable to the Pope in Rome; 5.17 (November 594) about Columban's reception of Gregory's 'Pastoral Care'; 9.11 (October 600) praising Columban; and 11.52 (July 601) about an Irish Bishop Quiritus. My version of Columban's letter to the Pope follows, with brief analysis of his irony, word-play and literary style. It shows how the Irishman's erudite and very rhetorical letter would have tickled the Pope's fancy rather than offend him. Full paper available here: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~medieval/jaema1/martyn.html Where does one begin to recite the glories of a man who excelled at many things in so many ways? His greatness is emphasised by contrast with the time in which he lived, when everything was in decline. He was prefect of Rome when he wrote: Everything is at the mercy of the barbarians, the cities are undermined, the citadels are destroyed, the provinces are depopulated, there are no more farmers in the country. And every day the idolaters exert their power and gratify their rage by assassinating the faithful. We see what has become of her who once appeared as mistress of the world. She is broken by all she has suffered from immense and manifold misfortunes. . . . We, the few who are left, are menaced every day by the sword and innumerable trials. . . . Saint Bede described Gregory as the man England may and ought to call our Apostle, because he made our nation, till then given up to idols, the Church of Christ, and Gregory's tomb in Rome bears the inscription: He taught the Christian truth to English Saxons. He was a distinguished Roman, born of a senatorial Christian family, and owed much to his mother, Saint Sylvia and two of her sisters who are regarded as saints. His father, Gordianus, who was descended from an earlier pope, was a lay administrator of one of the seven archdeaconries of Rome. Trained in Rome as a lawyer, by 571 (age 30) he had become its prefect. He seems to have acquitted himself well in that post, despite his tendency toward austerity. Historians refer to the splendour of his robes in contrast with the habit he wore in later years. On the death of his father, he gave most of his inheritance to the poor and the Church, which included the founding of six monasteries in Sicily. About 574, he converted his family mansion on the Caelian Hill into the monastery of Saint Andrew, placed it under the direction of Valentius, and resigned his office to become a monk. Gregory mitigated the characteristic Eastern ascetic practices, which made the rule more acceptable to Western conditions. At this time, there was an impermeable boundary between monks and priests; a priest who became a monk was expected to cease his priestly ministry because priests were viewed as worldly; monks, other-worldly. Gregory's later determination to free monks from episcopal control was definitely contrary to tradition. The Council of Chalcedon (451) had ordered monks to remain under obedience to their bishops. Gregory, however, in the Lateran Council of 601, caused a decree to be issued to all bishops exempting monks from their authority. Part of the reason for this was to keep monks in their monasteries and prevent them from wandering from place to place. Pope Gregory wrote to Bishop Castorius of Ariminum: On the death also of an abbot, let not the bishop on any pretext intermeddle in the scheduling or taking charge of the property of the monastery, acquired, or given, or to be acquired. We also entirely forbid public Masses to be celebrated by him in a convent, lest in the retreats of the servants of God and their places of refuge any opportunity for a popular concourse of women should ensue, which would be by no means of advantage to their souls. Nor let him dare to place his episcopal chair there, or have any power whatever of command, or of holding any
[celt-saints] 3 September #4
Celtic and Old English Saints 3 September =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. MacNisse of Connor * St. Balin of Techsaxon * St. Cuthburga of Wimborne * St. Quenburga of Wimborne * St. Hereswitha of Chelles * St. Edward of England * St. Lon-garadh (see #2 and #4 * St. Gregory the Great (see ##) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Lon-garadh of Ireland (Lon, or Loman, also called Lon-garadh, of Disert-Garadh, or of Magh Tuathat) --- 6th century. September 3 is also the feastday of a less well-known Irish scholar saint, Lon-garadh, 'the Augustine of Ireland'. Below are two accounts of his life, the first from O'Hanlon's Lives of the Irish Saints, which includes an interesting diversion to Ethiopia, and the second, which quotes from the Martyrology of Oengus, from a history of the area in which the saint flourished. 1. St. Lon, or Loman, also called Lon-garadh, of Disert-Garadh, or of Magh Tuathat In the ancient monastic schools of Ireland, learning and piety were admirably combined ; and this too at a very early period, as we can learn from the traditional and written accounts regarding the present devout scholar. In the Feilire of St. Oengus, at the 3rd of September, Longarad, a delightful sun, is mentioned, as having had his commemoration. We find a festival recorded, also, in the Martyrology of Donegal, at the same date, and in honour of Lon-garadh. In the manuscript copy of that calendar, a space had been left after the insertion of his name, to fill in the title of his dignity, the O'Clerys being uncertain as to whether they should style him priest, abbot, or bishop. His original name seems to have been Lon, or Loman, to which the name of his place was afterwards added. It is possible, that he may be the same as Lon or Lonn of Cill Gobhra, who is venerated on the 24th of June. The present Lon-garadh is said to have belonged to Sliabh Mairge, or to have been of Magh Tuathat. He is called Lon-garadh Coisfinn, of Disert Garadh, in the north of Osraighe. He was surnamed Garadh, from Disert Garadh, in the Queen's County, where he probably had a cell. Lon-garadh was denominated of the White Legs, either because they were covered with a whitish hair, or because they were smooth and very white. Lon is said to have been a doctor in teaching, in history, in laws and in poetry. This saint was regarded, likewise, as the Augustine of Ireland; such was the depth and range of his ecclesiastical knowledge. He was passionately addicted to a love of literature; but, it would seem, he was not remarkable for lending his much-prized books to others who desired their use or possession. The most valuable codices, especially the copies of Gospels and ritual Books, were often kept in polaire or leathern cases and in tiaga or satchels. These latter usually hung from pegs fastened in the walls of the old Irish monasteries. In the time of St. Patrick, a legend is related, that the Irish Apostle desired a skin on which he slept and stood, while celebrating the holy sacrifice of the Mass, to be converted into a sack or satchel, which might serve to hold books. These were then fastened to the girdles of six attendant boys, who accompanied six Irish clerics, on a Roman pilgrimage. This saint is said, likewise, to have been a great lover and collector of books. St. Columkille once paid him a visit ; but, according to the legend, Lon-garad hid his books, and his visitor predicted that after Longarad's death, no man would be able to read the works which were in his possession, and which were so inhospitably withheld, from one who could so thoroughly appreciate their value. It is a curious remark, how many similar ancient customs have prevailed, and in countries so very far remote, when we undertake the task of making antiquarian comparisons. At the present time, in the Abyssinian monasteries and notably in that of Souriani the disposition of the monks' manuscripts is to Europeans very original. Those manuscripts are usually hung in leather cases or satchels, tied with leather thongs, and having straps attached to the cases. By these, the books contained in them depend from long wooden pegs, fastened in the walls. Those wooden pegs project underneath a shelf, carried in the Egyptian style around the walls, and at the height of the door-top. Three or four manuscripts are hung on one peg, or even on more, if the Cordices be small. The usual size of these books is that of a small and very thick quarto. The books of Abyssinia are bound in the ordinary way; sometimes in wooden boards, which occasionally are elaborately carved in rude and coarse devices. The straps, attached to the book cases, were intended also to support these, and the manuscripts were carried over the shoulders. A very interesting account is given about the manner in which Abyssinian manuscripts are written; most usually on skins or vellum, but occasionally, too, on charta
[celt-saints] 1 September
Celtic and Old English Saints 1 September =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Lythan of Llandaff * St. Drithelm of Maelros * St. Fiacre of Breuil =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Lythan of Llandaff, Wales - St. Drithelm (+c. 700), Hermit of Maelros (Melrose) - Who Saw Hell as Related by Saint Bede See 17 August http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/2024 St. Fiacre of Breuil (Fiachra, Fiaker, Fiacrius, Fialer, Fevre) - See his life 30 31 August These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 30 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 30 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Fiacre of Breuil * St. Rumon * St. Loarn of Downpatrick * St. Ayle of Bavaria * St. Modan of Killmodan * St. Guthlac of Crowland =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Fiacre of Breuil, Kilfiachra (Ireland) (Fiachra, Fiaker, Fiacrius, Fialer, Fevre) - See yesterday's posting St. Rumon (Ruan) - 6th century. This patron of the abbey of Tavistock and Romansleigh in Devonshire, and of Ruan Lanihorne, Ruan Major and Minor in Cornwall is reputed to have been a brother of Saint Tudwal (f.d. November 30). William of Malmesbury tells us that his vita was destroyed by the wars, but that Rumon was a bishop of an unidentified see. About this time a well-meaning canon provided a vita from Rumon by taking an abbreviated life of the Breton Saint Ronan (f.d. June 1) and changing the name to Rumon throughout. It does, however, describe the translation of Rumon's relics on January 5, 981, from Ruan Lanihorne, a Celtic monastery and the most ancient centre of his cultus, to Tavistock. Saint Rumon was highly venerated at Tavistock, the earl Ordulf built a church under his invocation in the 10th century and requested his relics, which remained there throughout the Middle Ages. Glastonbury also claimed Rumon's relics. He may have been a monk at Glastonbury, who founded a monastery on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall. He is also venerated in Norwich and Ramsey (Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Husenbeth). St. Loarn of Downpatrick - Born in western Ireland, 5th century. Saint Loarn was a disciple of Saint Patrick, whom some describe as a regionary bishop of Downpatrick (Benedictines). St. Ayle of Ireland, Missionary to Bavaria (Agilus Aile, Ail, Aisle, Ayeul, Ely) of Rebais, Abbot - Born c. 580; died 650. Saint Agilus, son of Childebert II's courtier Agnoald, followed the models of virtue found in his family. Upon the advice of Saint Columbanus (f.d. November 23), his parents consecrated him to God in the monastery of Luxeuil. After his father's death, Saint Columbanus had no defender in the Austrasian court leaving the way open for Brunehault to persecute the saint for refusing admittance of women into his monastery. Saint Agilus intervened by seeking an audience with King Thierry and convinced him to leave the monks in peace. Eventually, however, Columbanus was forced out and made his way to Bobbio, Italy. Saint Agilus remained at Luxeuil even after Saint Eustatius (f.d. March 29) succeeded its founder. After studying Scripture and the ways to Christian perfection, he and Saint Eustatius responded to the call of the bishops for evangelists to preach the Gospel in Bavaria. After a successful mission, Saint Agil returned to France and resumed his penitential exercises, until he was called to undertake the governance of the monastery of Rebais in the diocese of Meaux near Paris, which had been founded by Saint Ouen (f.d. August 24), where he was abbot until his death (Benedictines, Husenbeth). St. Modan, Hermit of Killmodan, Ulster, Ireland -- St. Guthlac, Priest monk of Crowland, Lincolnshire Translation of his Relics -- His Life, 11th April, is archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/1514 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. Encyclopedia of Catholic Saints, August. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. Montague, H. P. (1981). The Saints and Martyrs of Ireland. Guildford: Billing Sons. Roeder, H. (1956). Saints and Their Attributes, Chicago: Henry Regnery. 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 *
[celt-saints] 29 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 29 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Fiacre of Breuil, Kilfiachra * St. Sebbi of the East Saxons * St. Edwold of Carne * St. Velleicus of Kaiserswerth * St. Winnoc of Rath-Easpuic Innic =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Fiacre of Breuil, Kilfiachra (Ireland) (Fiachra, Fiaker, Fiacrius, Fialer, Fevre) - Born in Ireland; died c. 670; feast day formerly August 30. The Irish hermit of Kilfiachra, Saint Fiacre, migrated to Gaul about 626 where he was given hospitality and a piece of land by Saint Faro (f.d. October 28) at Meaux, which was part of his own patrimony. Tradition has it that Bishop Faro offered him as much land as he could turn up in a day, and that Fiacre, instead of using a plough, drove furrows into the ground with the point of his staff. He cleared the land of tree and briars, made himself a cell and garden, and built an oratory to the Blessed Virgin. Thus, Fiacre's hermitage arose, which became the abbey of Breuil to house his many disciples, and a hospice for travellers. Although many sought his advice, and the poor and sick looked to him for relief, he strictly guarded his hermitage and chapel from women. Stories are told about the fates of those females who trespassed--even after his death. There was a persistent tradition that Fiacre had been offered and declined the throne of Scotia (Ireland). He has one of the strongest cults in France, one that had already started within his own lifetime because of his extraordinary sanctity, concern for the poor and suffering, and remarkable cures. His chapel and shrine, eventually at Meaux, were much visited by those seeking healings, especially those suffering from haemorrhoids. After the Battle of Agincourt, Henry V allowed his soldiers to pillage Fiacre's shrine, but the cart bearing his relics could not be moved beyond the boundary of Fiacre's monastery. It is said that Henry died of haemorrhoids on the Feast of Saint Fiacre. Three towns (in Brie, Plougat, and Brittany) bear his name, as do 30 churches in France. He has another shrine in Ireland at Kilkenny, and Saint Fickers Bay near Aberdeen, Scotland, also bears his name as does a church a few miles away. When cabs for hire first appeared in Paris in 1620, their stand was close by the Hotel Saint-Fiacre: from this came the French fiacre for a taxi. Thus, the name of an Irish saint is perpetuated in the French language (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Montague, White). In art, Saint Fiacre is portrayed as an abbot carrying a shovel. He might also be shown in a Benedictine habit with a heavy staff, interceding for the sick, with pilgrims in the background, and a basket of vegetables in the foreground (Roeder). He is venerated at Kilfiacha, Ireland, and Saint Fiacre at Seine-et-Marne, France. He is the patron of cabdrivers, gardeners, florists, trellis-makers, boxmakers, brass-beaters, coppersmiths, lead-founders, needle-makers, hosiers, tile-makers, and potters. He is also the protector of field and garden fruits (because of the vegetables he grew around his hermitage), and invoked against fistula, haemorrhoids, tumours, colic, headache, sterility, and sickness (Roeder). Brief Life of the Gardener Saint by Richard Marius http://tinyurl.com/jrqhz A Garden Plaque, and other scraps of information on St. Fiacre: http://saintspreserved.com/fiacre.htm St. Sebbi, King of the East Saxons, Monk of London (Sebba, Sebbe) Died c. 694. Sebbe, king of the East Saxons (Essex, Hertfordshire, and London) during the time of the Heptarchy, was the uncle of King Sighere who married Saint Osyth (f.d. October 7). He sustained Bishop Jaruman of Mercia in his evangelization of his people after the apostasy of Sighere. After reigning for 30 years (664-694), Sebbe retired to London where he lived as a hermit, known for his prayers, penance, and almsgiving. Saint Bede (f.d. May 25) gives an account of his dignified death. Sebbe was buried in Old Saint Paul's in London by the north wall. He is reputed to have built the first monastery at Westminster (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Farmer). St. Edwold, King and Hermit of Carne, Dorsetshire, England, Brother of Saint Edmund the Martyr Died 871; Farmer gives him two feast days: August 29 and the feast of his translation, August 12. Saint Edwold is reputed to be the brother of Saint Edmund the Martyr, king of East Anglia. He lived on bread and water as a penitential recluse near Cerne in Dorsetshire. He worked many miracles and was buried in his cell near which the abbey of Saint Peter's was built. His relics were later translated into its church (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Farmer). St. Velleicus (Willeic) of Kaiserswerth, Abbot 8th century. The
[celt-saints] 28 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 28 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Emmon of Besancon * St. Flannon of Killaloe =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Emmon of Besancon -- In the old monastery of Luxeuil (Luxovium), in the diocese of BesanР·on, Saint Emmon, monk. The Acts of Saint Adelph (11 September) teach us that when that saint came to see his brethren of Luxeuil, to die among them, Emmon was the one that had the blessing of taking care of the illustrious ill. St. Flannon of Killaloe -- 7th century. In Killaloe, a small town of Ireland, in Co. Munster and Co. Clare, Saint Flannan, first bishop of that See and confessor. Son of King Theodoric (probably Theodoric II, 4th king of Orleans, 3rd king of Burgundy and 7th king of Metz or Austrasia (587-613), he was consecrated, c. 639, by Pope John IV, and endowed the Church greatly. He was entombed in his cathedral of Killaloe. Lives kindly supplied by: Petits Bollandistes, 7th edition, Bar-le-Duc 1876 These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 27 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 27 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Decuman of Dunster * St. Malrubius of Merns =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Decuman (Dagan) of Wales, Martyr -- Died 716; feast day in Norwich and Roscarrock is August 30. A 15th-century vita tells us that Saint Decuman was a Welsh monk from Rhoscrowther (Llandegyman), Pembrokeshire (Dyfed), who settled as a hermit near Dunster in Somersetshire, where he was beheaded by an assassin while in prayer. The legend continues that he carried his own head to a nearby well. He appears to have had a well-established cultus in Cornwall, Wales, and Somerset, where there are dedications in his honour. He is the patron of Watchet and Saint Decumans in Somerset, England (Benedictines, Farmer). In art, Saint Decuman is portrayed as hermit holding a processional cross (Roeder). St. Malrubius, Hermit Died c. 1040. Malrubius, an anchorite in Merns (Kincardineshire), Scotland, was entirely occupied by penitential exercises and meditation. During the Norwegian incursion he left his cell to minister to his countrymen. He also tried to use the opportunity to preach the Gospel to the intruders, but instead he was martyred (Benedictines, Husenbeth). Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm Orthodox Ireland Saints http://www.orthodoxireland.com/saints/ These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 24 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 24 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Irchard of Scotland * St. Patrick the Elder =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Irchard, Bishop of the Picts of Scotland (Erthard, Yrchard) - Born in Kincardineshire, 5th or 7th century. Saint Palladius (f.d. July 7) is reputed to have sent Saint Servanus (f.d. July 1) to preach in the Orkney Islands and Saint Ternan (f.d. June 12), titular patron of Abernathy cathedral, to the Picts. Saint Irchard, according to some, was Ternan's disciple, possibly consecrated bishop by him or possibly consecrated bishop by Saint Gregory the Great (f.d. September 3) in Rome. There is some debate over the exact period of his life (Benedictines, Husenbeth). Troparion of St Ychard Tone 1 Ordained by St Ternan, with him thou didst labour/ and preach the Gospel to the heathen Picts./ Pray for the faithful who celebrate thy memory and cry:/ Rejoice, O Father Ychard. St. Patrick the Elder (Sen-Patrick), Abbot - Died c. 450. This is another confusing saint with conflicting traditions. He may have been a kinsman and contemporary of Saint Patrick of Ireland or the abbot of a monastery in Nevers, France (Benedictines). Sources: Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 25 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 25 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Michan of Dublin * St. Ebba of Coldingham * St. Edbert of York * St. Hilda of Whitby =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Michan of Dublin -- Date unknown. Nothing is known about Saint Michan except that there is a church dedicated to him in Dublin, which is known for the incorrupted bodies of Norman knights entombed within it. Some of the bodies are 800 years old. The church itself was confiscated by the Protestants during the Reformation (Montague). St. Ebba, Abbess of Coldingham, Northumbria, Sister of King Oswy (Aebbe, Ebbe, Tabbs) --- Died 683; feast of her translation is November 2. Saint Ebba, the daughter of King Ethelfrith of Northumbria, fled to Scotland with her brothers Saint Oswald (f.d. August 9) and Oswy, when their father died in battle in 616 against King Saint Edwin (f.d. October 12). She received the veil from Saint Finan (f.d. February 17) at Lindisfarne. With the generous help of her brother, Ebba founded a convent on the Derwent, named Ebchester after her. She also established the double monastery at Coldingham in the marshes of Scotland's Berwickshire. This holy abbess governed Coldingham's nuns until her death, basing their organisation on that of Whitby. When Saint Etheldreda (f.d. June 23) separated from King Egfrith in 672, she went first to her Aunt Ebba, where she lived until she founded Ely Abbey. In 681, Egfrith visited Coldingham with his second wife Ermenburga, who suddenly fell ill. Ebba interpreted the illness as God's punishment for Egfrith's imprisonment of Saint Wilfrid (f.d. October 12) and Ermenburga's theft of Wilfrid's relics and reliquaries. Ermenburga recovered after her husband released Wilfrid and she restored his relics. Shortly thereafter a priest named Adomnan admonished Ebba for the relaxed state of her community. The sisters were spending their time weaving fine cloth to adorn themselves to attract attention. Both the men and women neglected their prayers and vigils. After the warning, the community reformed its ways for a short time, but later reverted to type--Ebba was not suitable as an administrator. Although her monastery burned down in 686, her name lived on at Ebchester Abbey, Saint Abb's Head (where the ruins of a fort may indicate the site of her monastery), and a street and church in Oxford. Her relics were discovered late in the 11th century and shared between Durham and Coldingham, which is more than a mile away from Ebba's Coldingham. Her cultus spread at that time and her feast was widely celebrated throughout northern Britain (Benedictines, Farmer, Husenbeth). Holy Mother Hilda, pray to God for us! Service to our Venerable Mother Ebba (+683), Abbess of Coldingham http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/servebbo.htm There are nine icons of St. Hilda, and a picture of the ruins of Whitby Abbey, on the Western Saints Icon Project: http://www.allmercifulsavior.com/icons/Icons-Hilda.htm St. Edbert of York, King and Monk of Northumbria -- At York, Translation of the Relics of St. Hilda, Abbess of Whitby -- Main Feastday is 17 November See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/627 Sources: Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. Montague, H. P. (1981). The Saints and Martyrs of Ireland. Guildford: Billing Sons. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 20 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 20 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Oswin of Deira * St. Edbert of York =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Oswin , King and Martyr of Deira, Northumbria -- Died at Gilling, Yorkshire, England, on August 20, 651; feast of his translation on March 11 is kept at Durham, Saint Albans, and Tynemouth. When his father, King Osric of Deira (roughly the county of Yorkshire), was killed by the pagan Welsh King Cadwallon in 633, he was taken to Wessex for safety, baptized, and educated there by Saint Aidan (f.d. August 31). When his cousin Saint Oswald (f.d. August 9) was killed in battle against King Penda of Mercia in 642, Oswin became king of Deira, which Oswald had united to Bernicia, and his cousin Oswy (Oswiu) became king of Bernicia. Saint Bede (f.d. May 25) tells us that Oswin was handsome in appearance and of great stature, pleasant in speech and courteous in manner. He was generous to high and low alike and soon won the affection of all by his kingly qualities of mind and body so that even men of very high birth came from nearly every province to his service. . . . and among his other qualities of virtue and moderation the greatest was humility. Oswin had reigned successfully for about nine years, when Oswy declared war on him. Rather than precipitate a bloody battle when he realised that his army was vastly outnumbered, Oswin went into hiding with one trusted soldier at the estate of his best friend, Earl Hunwald, at Gilling near Richmond, York. Hunwald betrayed him and he was murdered at Gilling, Yorkshire, by Ethelwin on orders from Oswy. Oswin, buried at Tynemouth, has been venerated as a martyr since his death, because he died, if not for the faith of Christ, at least for the justice of Christ, as a 12th-century preacher explained. In expiation for his crime, Oswy built a monastery at Gilling, but Oswin's relics remained at Tynemouth. Later the church was subject to the Viking raids and Oswin's tomb was forgotten until it was found in 1065. At that time the relics were translated. (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopaedia, Farmer). Troparion of St Oswin tone 1 Courtesy and humility shone from thee,/ O radiant Martyr Oswin./ Trained by Saint Aidan as a Christian ruler,/ thou didst illumine northern Britain./ Glory to Him Who has strengthened thee; glory to Him Who has crowned thee;/ glory to Him Who through thee works healings for all. Icon of St. Oswin http://htmadmin.phpwebhosting.com/images/a-357.jpg Homesite for icons http://htmadmin.phpwebhosting.com/mounted.htm St. Edbert of York, King and Martyr of Northumbria -- Died 768. King Saint Edbert succeeded Saint Ceolwulph (f.d. January 15) in Northumbria. After reigning successfully for 20 years he abdicated and retired to York abbey, where he spent his last ten years in prayer (Benedictines). Sources: Attwater, D. (1983). The penguin dictionary of saints, NY: Penguin Books. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The book of saints: A dictionary of servants of God canonized by the Catholic Church extracted from the Roman and other martyrologies. NY: Macmillan. Delaney, J. J. (1983). Pocket dictionary of saints, NY: Doubleday Image. Encyclopaedia of Catholic saints, August. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford dictionary of saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm Orthodox Ireland Saints http://www.orthodoxireland.com/saints/ These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 21 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 21 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Moghtewe, Abbot in Ireland * St. Hardulf of Breedon =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Hardulf of Breedon, Leicestershire, England Holy Hill of Breedon One of the few remaining landmarks of the vanished kingdom of Mercia is this hilltop site in north west Leicestershire. Though only about 180 feet higher than the surrounding countryside, the limestone outcrop is visible for several miles around. A Saxon monastery once sat atop the hill, founded around 675 after the kingdom's conversion from paganism, and mentioned by Bede as Brindun. The church there today has an odd dedication - to St. Mary and St. Hardulf. St. Hardulf is a somewhat mysterious figure. A text of 1541 refers to St. Hardulche in a place named Bredon and tells of his life in a cell carved into a cliff. Earlier, Hugh Candidus, a 12th century chronicler, wrote that buried at Breedon lay Sanctus Aerdulfus Rex. Was Breedon the resting place of a sanctified minor member of the Mercian royal family? http://www.penda.org.uk/breedon.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 22 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 22 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Sigfrid of Wearmouth * St. Andrew of Ireland * St. Arnulf of Eynesbury * St. Ethelgitha of Northumbria * St. Maelrubha of Applecross =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Sigfrid, Abbot of Wearmouth - Died on August 22, 688. Nothing is known about the early life of Saint Sigfrid, a disciple of Saint Benedict Biscop (f.d. January 12). He was known for his knowledge of Scripture, his temperance, and obedience. During Benedict's absence on his fifth visit to Rome, Saint Esterwine (f.d. March 7) died. Saint Ceolfrid (f.d. September 25) and the other monks elected the deacon-monk Sigfrid to take Esterwine's place as coadjutor abbot of Jarrow and abbot of Wearmouth in 686. Both saints fell deathly ill upon Benedict's return to Jarrow. Knowing that their earthly lives were about to end and wanting a final meeting to inquire about the welfare of each other and their monks, Sigfrid, suffering from a lung disease, was carried on a stretcher to Benedict's cell. They were both too weak to even embrace one another unaided. After consulting Sigfrid, Benedict sent for Ceolfrid and appointed him abbot over both monasteries. Benedict and Sigfrid, of one heart in life, died the same year. Sigfrid was buried by Saint Ceolfrid in the abbey-church of Saint Peter next to his master, Saint Benedict, and his predecessor, Saint Esterwine. Saint Bede (f.d. May 25) testifies to the date of his death and the development of a cultus at Wearmouth and Jarrow (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Walsh). St. Andrew of Ireland (of Tuscany) (of Fiesole), Abbot - Born in Ireland or Scotland; died at Fiesole, Tuscany, Italy, c.880. The story of St. Andrew is hard to determine with certitude. Some say that he was a pilgrim who became the abbot-restorer of San Martino Abbey in Mensula. Beyond that all we have is embellished legend. He is reputed to be an Irish travelling companion of Bishop Saint Donatus of Fiesole (f.d. October 22), who later became the bishop's archdeacon. Donatus was one of the many Irishmen who journeyed on the continent in the early Middle Ages. Nevertheless, Saint Andrew is included on the calendar, and has several churches dedicated to him (Attwater, Benedictines, Husenbeth, Montague). Generally, he is portrayed as a deacon curing a paralytic girl. Sometimes he is shown (1) appearing to a sleeping priest; (2) with his sister St. Brigid miraculously transported to his death-bed by angels; or (3) with an Irish wolfhound at his feet (Roeder). He is venerated in the environs of Florence: Fiesole, Settignano, San Martino e Mensola (Roeder). St. Arnulf of Eynesbury, Hermit - 9th century. Saint Arnulf's relics were venerated in Arnulphsbury (Eanulfesbyrig or Eynesbury), Huntingdonshire, before the Danish invasions. He seems to have been forgotten by about 1000 AD, because On the resting-places of the saints mentions Saint Neot (f.d. July 31) but not Arnulf. He is described as an English hermit of the area, but he may well be a duplicate of Saint Arnulf of Metz (f.d. July 18), which would explain why he was forgotten (Benedictines, Farmer). St. Ethelgitha of Northumbria, Abbess - Died c. 720. Saint Ethelgitha was a holy abbess of a convent in Northumbria, England (Benedictines). St. Maelrubha (+722), Abbot of Applecross, Isle of Skye, Scotland - His main feastday is April 21 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/1525 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. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1966). The Book of Saints. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell. 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. Doble, G. H. (1931). Saint Symphorian. Encyclopedia of Catholic Saints, August. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. Montague, H. P. (1981). The Saints and Martyrs of Ireland. Guildford: Billing Sons. Roeder, H. (1956). Saints and their Attributes, Chicago: Henry Regnery. Walsh, M. (ed.). (1985). Butler's Lives of the Saints. San Francisco: Harper Row. Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived
[celt-saints] 23 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 23 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Tydfil of Glamorgan * St. Eugene of Tyrone =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Tydfil of Glamorgan, Martyr Died c. 480. Saint Tydfil, one of the daughters of the prolific Saint Brychan of Brecknock (f.d. April 6). She is venerated at Merthyr-Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales, where she was killed by pagans (possibly either the marauding Picts or Saxons) and buried (Benedictines, Farmer). St. Eugene, Bishop of Tyrone (Eogain, Eoghan, Euny, Owen) Born in Leinster, Ireland; died 618 (or 570). Saint Eugene is another of the many Irishmen who laboured in the mission fields of England and the Continent. Thereafter he returned to Ireland, where he became the first bishop of Ardfrath (Ardstraw), on the river Derg in Tyrone, which is now the see of Derry. The rest of what we know derives from unreliable sources. These say that Eugene was an excellent and assiduous preacher, born of the royal blood of Leinster and related to Saint Kevin (f.d. June 3). They report that, like Saint Patrick in reverse, he was kidnapped as a child and taken into slavery in Britain and then removed to Brittany with Saint Tigernach (f.d. April 4) and Coirpre (who later became bishop of Coleraine). Eventually they were manumitted by their master and all returned to Ireland. He then spent 15 years with Saint Kevin at Kilnamanacg, helped Tigernach found Clones Monastery about 576, and then was consecrated bishop c. 581. He was buried in his own churchyard, over whose sepulchre a chapel was afterward built. He is the patron of the diocese of Derry (Benedictines, Delaney, Husenbeth, Montague). Troparion of St Eogan tone 4 O great traveller Eogan who didst traverse Christian Europe in thy zeal for Christ,/ trained by Saint Ninian thou wast a wise teacher of the Faith./ Glory to God Who has glorified thee. Some miracles from the Life of St Eugene: While St. Tigernach and St. Eugene were sojourning at the Little Wood, when the latter was about to depart for Ardstraw, they both took a ramble towards a small eminence, where sitting down they entered on a course of pious conversation. Then having separated, a minister of Eugene recollected that he had left behind a small vessel, from which it was his custom to sprinkle infirm persons with holy water. The next day, Eugene and his minister returned to that same place, when to their great surprise, a fox was found dead, with the vessel belonging to Eugene near him, and which he had attempted to gnaw. It was perfectly preserved, however, owing to the saint's merits. Even a thong of leather attached was found uninjured between the animal's teeth. Another time, when both of those holy prelates were on a customary visitation of a small nunnery, they found the minister of the Abbess Mossera and of her nuns dead. However, St. Tigernach desired Eugene to place his baculus on the body of the deceased. A great miracle followed, when that servant came to life, and he was restored to his former state of health. In the monastery at Ardstraw, Eogan led a most holy life, being distinguished for his miracles and for a spirit of prophecy. Instances of the latter gift are furnished, in the case of a wicked Gentile prince, named Amalgid, who had ordered a spear having five points on it to be made, and with this he resolved on immolating innocent victims, in accordance with some pagan custom or superstition, which held possession of his mind. On hearing about such intent, the charitable Abbot went to him, entreating that he should not put it into execution ; nevertheless, the cruel tyrant would not be diverted from his purpose. The saint declared, that should he do so, on the third day after the evil deed had been committed, the prince himself must die pierced by that same spear. Such prediction was accordingly fulfilled. Various of his miracles are related in the old Acts ; but, as some of those marvels are of a legendary character, they may be passed over as not worthy of being here recorded. It is told, that in a certain town named Lettach,one hundred persons of both sexes had been surrounded by pirates; but, having sent word to the holy man, that they were likely to be captured or in danger of perishing, he passed unnoticed through the enemy's camp, and having baptized them, all were brought away unseen by the pirates and were thus saved. Again, it is stated, that while Eugene was travelling through a great wood, which stretched for sixty thousand paces along the River Bann, he met a miserable pauper, who was a leper, on the way. As a charity, he bestowed the two chariot horses he used on that poor mendicant. Such self-sacrificing act was made known by a revelation to St. Corpre, Bishop of Coleraine, who sent two other horses to supply the place of
[celt-saints] 18 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 18 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Daig of Iniskin * St. Evan of Ayrshire * St. Helena =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Daig Maccairill, Bishop of Iniscaoin-Deghadh(of Iniskin) (Dagaeus, Daganus) --- Died c. 560. Son of Cayrill, Daig was a disciple of Saint Finian. As Irish bishop of Iniskin (Inis Cain Dega) he founded and governed a monastery. The Book of Leinster makes him one of the Three Master Craftsmen of Ireland. (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia). Troparion of St Daga tone 6 O Daga thou Hierarch beloved by thy flock,/ thou didst raise Saint Cairlon of Cashel to life/ and thy piety enlightened Ireland./ Pray to Christ our God for us all. St. Evan (Inan), Hermit in Ayrshire, Scotland --- 9th century. Scottish hermit who lived in Ayrshire, where several churches are dedicated to him (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia). St. Helena, Empress and Widow -- Died 19 August 330. In the Orthodox Churches her feast is observed on 21 May. Helena (or Helen) was born about 255, and married to the Roman general Constantius Chlorus, who became emperor of Britain, Gaul, and Spain when Diocletian divided the Empire. In 274 she bore him a son, Constantine, but in 292 he divorced her in order to cement a political alliance by another marriage. Most historians say that she was born in Drepanum (now Helenopolis) in Asia Minor; but an old tradition asserts that she was born in Britain, in Colchester (51:54 N 0:54 E), and was the daughter of the chieftain Cole, remembered today as Old King Cole. If so, she may have been a Christian from birth, since Christianity was well established in that region. In 306, after the death of Constantius, the army at York proclaimed Constantine emperor in his father's place, and by 312 he was master of the Western Empire and issued an Edict of Toleration that made the practice of Christianity legal for the first time in over 200 years. Helena worked enthusiastically to promote Christianity, and eventually went to the Holy Land, where she spent large sums on the relief of the poor and on building churches on sacred sites. She is particularly associated with the discovery at Jerusalem, near the site of Calvary, of the cross on which the Lord Jesus was crucified. At least two prominent English novelists have written about her. Evelyn Waugh wrote a novel called Helena, and Dorothy L Sayers wrote a play called The Emperor Constantine for the 2000th anniversary of the founding of the city of Colchester. I have not read the former, but can recommend the latter as interesting and informative, both historically and theologically. From: http://www.rowan.edu/~kilroy/JEK/ *** The twelfth-century historian, Geoffrey of Monmouth, claimed that Helen, mother of the Emperor Constantine and discoverer of the true Cross, was a British woman, daughter of King Coel of Colchester. In the Welsh Mabinogion, she is described as a Welsh princess, bride of the self-styled emperor, Magnus Maximus, who was led by a dream to find her. This belief was strong enough for the belief to grow up that she was responsible for the Roman roads (now marked on Ordnance Survey maps as the Sarn Helen) which link Wales from the north to south. Kontakion of Ss Constantine and Helena tone 3 Today Constantine and Helena his mother expose to our veneration the Cross, / the awesome Cross of Christ, / a sign of salvation to the Jews/ and a standard of victory:/ a great symbol of conquest and triumph. Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 13 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 13 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= *St. Muredach of Killala =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Murtagh (Muredach) of Killala, Bishop Died c. 455. The foundation of the diocese of Killala dates from the time of St. Patrick, who placed his disciple St. Muredach over the church called in Irish Cell Alaid. In a well that still flows close to the town, beside the sea, Patrick baptized in a single day 12,000 converts, and on the same occasion, in presence of the crowds, raised to life a dead woman whom he also baptized. Muredach is described as an old man of Patrick's family, and was appointed to the Church of Killala as early as 442 or 443. His feast-day is 12 August. It is probable that he resigned his see after a few years, and retired to end his life in the lonely island in Donegal Bay which has ever since borne his name, Innismurray. It was at Killala that Patrick baptized the two maidens whom he met in childhood at Focluth Wood by the western sea, and whose voices in visions of the night had often pathetically called him to come once more and dwell amongst them. Life kindly supplied by: These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 12 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 12 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Porcarius and Companions * St. Merewenna * St Just of Penzance * St. Jambert of Canterbury =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Porcarius and Companions, Martyrs Died c. 732. Abbot Porcarius governed Lerins Abbey on an island off the coast of Provence, France, now known as Saint-Honorat, at a time when the monastery included over 500 monks. About 732, Porcarius was warned by an angel that they were threatened by the descent of barbarians from the sea. Immediately the abbot heeded the warning and sent off to safety all the young students at the abbey and 36 of the younger religious. When the ship left fully loaded, he set about preparing the rest of the community for death. The community was attacked by the Saracens, probably Moors from Spain or North Africa, and were massacred, except four who were taken into slavery. Their feast is kept in the diocese of Frejus, France (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Walsh). St. Merewenna, Virgin Date unknown. There are many saints by this and similar names that are totally confused. This Merewenna is said to have been one of the daughters of Brychan of Brecknock (f.d. April 6). She is the titular saint of Marhamchurch near Bude, Cornwall (Benedictines). St Just (Ust, Justus) of Penzance Date unknown. Saint Ust has been described as a hermit or a martyr or even a bishop, but nothing is known with certainty. His various stories may have been an amalgam of those of several holy men. Nevertheless, he is the patron of the church of Saint Just near Penzance (Benedictines). Church of Saint Just-in-Roseland http://homepages.tesco.net/~k.wasley/justrose.htm St. Jambert of Canterbury, Bishop Died 790. Jambert, abbot of Saint Augustine's, succeeded Saint Bregwin (f.d. August 26) as archbishop of Canterbury (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia). Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://users.erols.com/saintpat/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 11 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 11 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Blane of Bute * St. Attracta of Drum * St. Lelia of Limerick * St. Digna of Northumbria =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Blane of Scotland (of Kinngaradha) Bishop (Blaan, Blain) Late 6th century; second feast on July 19; feast day celebrated on August 10 in some places. Saint Blane, a disciple of Saint Comgall (f.d. May 11) and Saint Canice (f.d. October 11), was nobly born on Bute Island, Scotland. He returned home to finish his education under his uncle Bishop Saint Cathan (f.d. May 17), was ordained to the priesthood, founded a monastery at Kingarth (Bute), and evangelized among the Picts. He made a pilgrimage to Rome. Later in Scotland, Blane became bishop, probably at Dunblane, where he is buried and his bell is preserved. This became the site of Dunblane cathedral. Several hymns, a catechism, and other extant works are attributed to him, and several places bear his name on Bute and other parts of Scotland (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Husenbeth, Montague). Troparion of St Blane tone 5 Drifting over the sea in a boat without oars/ thou wast directed by God to the Island of Bute, O Hierarch Blane,/ where thou didst devote thyself to apostolic labours./ O worker of miracles,/ thou art worthy to be praised as Equal to the Apostles./ Wherefore we beseech thee pray to Christ our God/ that He will raise up labourers to re-cultivate that northern part of His Vineyard,/ so long overgrown with the darnel of heresy and apostasy,/ which thou didst once tend with such care,/ that again many may be lead into the way of salvation. St. Attracta, Abbess of Drum (of Achonry) (Adhracht, Araght, Athracht) 5th century. Saint Attracta seems to have been a contemporary of Saint Patrick (f.d. March 17), although she may have lived a century later. Tradition tells us that she was born into a noble Irish family. When she was refused permission to enter the convent, she fled to Saint Patrick and received the veil from him at Coolavin. She was definitely a hermit at Killaraght on Lough Gara in Sligo, and later at Drum near Boyle. Convents developed at both locations under her direction. The hospice she founded for travellers at Killaraght endured for a thousand years and was well reputed for its hospitality and charity to the poor. Saint Attracta is venerated throughout Ireland, but especially in the west, both for the lasting foundations she made and for the spectacular miracles attributed to her intercession, especially those of healing. She is the patroness of the Diocese of Achonry and her name is popular among Irish girls. (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Montague). More information: The Virgin heroine was a native of Ulster and the daughter of a chieftain named Talchan, of the race of Ir.. She was, we are told, endowed with great beauty and singular attractions. Naturally, her hand was sought by many suitors. Among the rest came a young chieftain. He was brave, chivalrous, skilled in arms, and fearless on the field of chase. The saint's ambitious parents, proud of securing so worthy an alliance, consented without much hesitation to his proposal, and without, it would seem, paying any attention to the inclinations of their child. When Attracta assured her father that in such a matter she could not yield to him that implicit obedience with which she had ever complied with his wishes, the chief could not brook the unexpected refusal, and insisted in stern tones that his commands should be obeyed. Attracta bore his wrath meekly; gently assuring him that she had already plighted her heart to the Spouse of Virgins, whose love she prized more than that of any earthly suitor. In the worldliness of his heart the proud father hoped that time, reflection and further persuasion would alter the decision of his daughter. His expectations, however, were doomed to disappointment. Having secured for her protection the services of an old and trusted servant, and bringing with her a devoted female attendant, Attracta stole away and journeyed to the plains of Boyle. St. Patrick was preaching in this district at the time, and our saint made no delay in seeking an interview with the great apostle, and making known her desire of receiving the habit of religion and consecrating her virginity to God. ..Mitain -the faithful servant of Attracta, who had accompanied her from home-when the day came on which Attracta was publicly to renounce the world-knelt beside her voung mistress as a companion to her sacrifice. This event took place at Gregraighe (the plain of the Greeks), near Lough Gara (Technet) whose surplus waters supply the River Boyle, and thence fall into Lough Key. The Book of Armagh (the oldest Book in Ireland) tells how, at the profession of St.
[celt-saints] 9 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 9 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Nathy of Achonry * St. Phelim of Kilmore =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Nathy (Dathy, David) Cruimthir of Achonry, Bishop --- Died c. 610. Saint Finian of Clonard (f.d. December 12) built a church in 530 and appointed his disciple, Saint Nathy, as its pastor. His surname (Comrah or Cruimthir) in Erse signifies a priest. In Saint Finian's vita he is styled a priest; however, in that of Saint Fechin (f.d. January 20), he is a bishop or abbot. There is considerable disparity over Nathy's status within the hierarchy; he may never had been consecrated as bishop, although Achonry is a bishop's see. Nevertheless, Saint Nathy had a powerful influence in Connaught and is the patron of the diocese of Achonry, Sligo, Ireland. St. Phelim, Bishop of Kilmore (Fedlimud, Felim, Felimy, Fidleminus) --- Died 6th century. Saint Phelim is said to have been Saint Dermot's (f.d. January 10) brother and a disciple of Saint Columba (f.d. June 9). He seems to be the bishop of Cluain (Clunes) near Lough Erne, who was buried near Saint Tigernach (f.d. April 4), the first bishop of that see. The city of Kilmore (which means 'great church') rose up around the site of his cell. As the principal patron of Kilmore, his feast is celebrated with solemnity throughout the diocese (Benedictines, Husenbeth). Troparion of St Phelim Tone 4 Thou wast a jewel in the diadem of spiritual athletes/ as bestowed on the Bride of Christ by Iona's Monastery, O Hierarch Phelim,/ Wherefore we pray thee to intercede with Christ our God for us,/ lax and unworthy as we are,/ that we may be granted great mercy. Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm Orthodox Ireland Saints http://www.orthodoxireland.com/saints/ These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints
[celt-saints] 7 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 7 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Claudia =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Christian faith came to England in the first century AD. Tertullian wrote a tract against the Jews about 200 AD and mentions that there were areas in Britain that were inaccessible to the Romans but had been conquered by Christ. The first notable Christian was probably a man named Bran, who was the father of Caractacus, king of the Silurian tribe in Britain. He, and his family were taken captive to Rome in 50 AD, and faced a public execution. Included in this party were Bran's father Llyr Llediaith, his son Caractacus, and the children of Caractacus who included the beautiful Claudia and probably Linus. When they arrived in Rome, in chains, the emperor Claudius had Caractacus brought before the Roman Senate. There he made an impassioned speech and as a result was not only given a pardon but also a pension and rooms in the Imperial palace. Caractacus was eventually returned to England as a puppet king but his family were retained in Rome as surety for his loyal behaviour. They were allowed to live normally in Rome. It was probably during this time that the whole family became Christians. We do know from Paul's epistle to the Romans, written in 58 AD, that there were several Christians in Caesar's household at this time. It is very likely that these people shared the Christian gospel with the Royal hostages who were also living in the imperial palace. It is possible that it was this same Linus who became one of the leading members of the church in Rome. A Linus eventually became its senior elder or bishop in the latter half of the first century. Clement, the early church father, who lived in Rome at this time wrote of the saintly Linus, brother of Claudia. Bran, Linus and Claudia's grandfather, eventually returned to Britain in AD58 where he was the focus for the church that developed around him. The ancient Welsh Triads tell us that, Bran brought the faith of Christ to the Cambrians. It was likely that this same Claudia married a young Roman Senator named Pudens, whose full name was Rufus Pudens Pudentia. His family owned a large home in the centre of Rome. A Spanish poet, called Martial, lived in Rome at this time. He was not only a contemporary of Pudens but also his friend. He usually wrote short scurrilous poems but he treats his friends marriage with great respect. Several of his poems mention this marriage. O Rufus, my friend Pudens marries the foreigner Claudia. Although Claudia was a relatively common name, the following poem suggests that this Claudia was the daughter of Caractacus. Concerning Claudia Rufina - Seeing Claudia Rufina has sprung from the azure Britons, how come she has the feeling of a Latin maid? Thanks to the gods, she has borne many children to her holy husband. The description of a Roman Senator as being 'holy' is most unusual and taken together with other information does suggest that he had become a Christian. This affluent couple used their home as a Christian centre, and it is likely that Paul might have visited their house. At first this house, which still stands in Rome was called the 'Palatium Britannicum', presumably because of the link with the family of Caractacus. Another name was the 'Hospitium Apostolorum', or 'Apostles House'. The apostles referred to probably included Paul and Peter. Today the house is called 'St. Pudentiana'. There is an inscription on the wall of this house saying, This is the house of Sanctus Pudens, in which many martyrs were buried by Pudentiana and Praxedes themselves. Praxedes was one of the sons of Pudens and Claudia. It is known that the children of this couple were martyred for their Christian faith. Another interesting fact is that Emperor Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman Emperor, was himself a fourth generation descendant of Caractacus through another of his sons, Cyllinus. Cyllinus' son was named Coel, who during his short reign founded the fortress town of Colchester in Essex, which still bears his name. Most people know of him as 'Old King Cole' of nursery rhyme fame! Coel's daughter, Helen, was a Christian and she became the mother of Constantine the Great. Although the precise details of this story are not proven, it does demonstrate how active the early church was. It is also fascinating because Paul mentions the names of these leading Roman Christians in one of his epistles to Timothy. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers. (2 Timothy 4 v. 21) Another Life: 1st century. Saint Claudia, mother of Pope Saint Linus, is said to have been the daughter of the British king Caractacus, who was sent to Rome with his family in chains when he was defeated by Aulus Plautius. Released by Emperor Claudius, one of his daughters took the name Claudia, remained in Rome, was baptized, and is the Claudia mentioned in Saint Paul's
[celt-saints] 5 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 5 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Oswald of Northumbria * St. Abel of Rheims * St. Gormgal of Ardoilen =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Oswald, Missionary and Martyred King of Northumbria - Born, probably, 605; died 5 Aug., 642. The second of seven brothers, sons of Ethelfrid, who was grandson of Ida, founder of the Kingdom of Northumbria in 547. Oswald's mother was Acha, daughter of Ella or Alla, who, after Ida's death, had seized Deira and thus separated it from the Northern Bernicia. The years of Oswald's youth were spent at home, as long as his father reigned, but when, in 617, Ethelfrid was slain in battle by Redwald, King of the East Angles, Oswald with his brothers fled for protection from Edwin, their uncle, Acha's brother, to the land of the Scots and were cared for at Columba's Monastery at Hii, or Iona. There they remained until Edwin's death in the battle of Heathfield (633). Eanfrid, his elder brother, then returned to accept the Kingdom of Deira, whilst Osric, cousin of Edwin, received Bernicia. The kingdom was thus again divided and both parts relapsed into paganism. In the following year Osric was slain in battle, and Eanfrid treacherously murdered by the British king, Cadwalla. Oswald thereupon came down from the North, and in 635 a small but resolute band gathered round him near the Roman Wall at a spot seven miles north of Hexham, afterwards known as Hevenfelt, or Heaven's Field. Here, encouraged by a vision and promise of victory from St. Columba, who shrouded with his mantle all his camp, Oswald set up a cross of wood as his standard -- the first Christian symbol ever raised in Bernicia -- and gave battle to the Britons, who were led, probably, by Cadwalla. The Britons were completely routed, and thenceforth could only act on the defensive. Oswald's victory reunited the Northumbrian Kingdom not only because he delivered it from the humiliating yoke of the Mercians and Britons, but also because on his father's side he was a descendant of Ida of Bernicia and on his mother's of the royal house of Ella of Deira. Thus united, Northumbria could not fail to become the chief power in a confederation against Penda of Mercia and the Britons of Wales. Oswald was thoroughly grounded in the principles of the Christian religion, and, though but twelve nobles with whom he returned from exile were Christians, far from abandoning his faith, his first care was to spread it among the Bernicians, thus confirming the political union effected by Edwin with a religious union unknown before. Edwin, it is true, had himself received the Faith in 627, through the influence of his wife Ethelburga, sister of the Kentish King, who had brought St. Paulinus to the North, but his example was followed only by the people of Deira. Oswald, brought up in Columba's monastery at Iona, naturally looked to the North for missionaries. The first preacher who set forth soon returned, having found the Northumbrian people too barbarous and stubborn. Then Aidan was sent, a man of singular meekness, piety and moderation, who established his episcopal see at Lindisfarne, in 635. Oswald's zealous co-operation with the monk-bishop soon filled the land with churches and monasteries, and the church at York, begun by Edwin, was completed. Moreover, his wonderful humility in the midst of success, his charity, and his piety soon had their effect in turning his subjects from Woden to Christ. We are told that the king in his Court acted as the interpreter of the Irish missionaries who knew not the language of his thanes. It was Oswald's work to add to the warlike glory of his father Ethelfrid and the wise administration of his uncle Edwin the moral power of Christianity, and to build up a great kingdom. Edwin had gathered the whole English race into one political body and was overlord of every English kingdom save that of Kent. The Venerable Bede (III, 6) says that Oswald had a greater dominion than any of his ancestors, and that he brought under his sway all the nations and provinces of Britain, which are divided into four languages, namely the Britons, the Picts, the Scots, and the English. He had great power in the North-West, as far south as Chester and Lancashire, and was probably owned as overlord by the Welsh Kingdom of Strath Clyde, as well as by the Picts and Scots of Dalriada. In the East he was supreme in Lindsey, and the words of Bede seem to imply that he was overlord of Mercia, which was still ruled by Penda; but this could have been scarcely more than nominal. The West Saxons in the South, influenced by the fear of Penda, readily acknowledged Oswald, their allegiance being strengthened, in 635, by the conversion of King Cynegils, of Wessex, at whose baptism Oswald stood sponsor, and whose daughter he married. Both sovereigns then established Bishop Birinus at Dorchester. This vast
[celt-saints] 3 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 3 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Mancus of Cornwall * St. Senach of Clonard * St. Trea of Ardtree =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Mancus (Manaccus), Bishop - Date unknown. Mancus is the titular patron of Lanreath church in Cornwall, where, according to William Worcestre, his relics were venerated. His image appears in a 16th-century window at Saint Neot's Church in Cornwall (Farmer). St. Senach (Snach), Bishop of Clonard --- 6th century. A disciple of Saint Finnian (f.d. December 12) and his successor at Clonard (Benedictines). St. Trea of Ardtree, Hermitess -- 5th century. After her conversion to Christianity by Saint Patrick (f.d. March 17), Saint Trea became a recluse at Ardtree in Derry, Ireland (Benedictines). Troparion of St Trea tone 3 Angels rejoiced in thy life of prayer, fasting and seclusion/ for the love of Christ our Saviour, O holy Trea./ Aware of our worldliness and lack of resolution,/ we turn to thee, O blessed one, beseeching thee to intercede for us with Christ our God that He will grant us great mercy. Sources: Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1966). The Book of Saints:. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. For All the Saints: http://users.erols.com/saintpat/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 2 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 2 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Etheldritha of Croyland * St. Plegmund of Canterbury * St. Alban, Finding of his Relics * St. Wulvella =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Etheldritha of Croyland, Nun Virgin (also known as ?lfryth, Alfrida, Alfreda, Althryda, Ethelfreda) -- Died 834. Saint Etheldritha was daughter of King Offa of the Mercians and his queen, Quindreda. She was betrothed to King Ethelbert of the East Angles, who was killed by her father's treachery. Because she had wanted to consecrate her life entirely to the service of God, she left the court and established herself about 793 in a small cell on Croyland Island in the desolate marshes of Lincolnshire. There she lived as a recluse for forty years devoting herself to assiduous prayer and the practice of Christian virtue. Several miracles attested to her eminent sanctity, however, she was best known for her prophesies. Her tomb was among those arranged around that of Saint Guthlac, but her relics were lost during the ravages of the Danes when they destroyed Croyland Abbey in 870 (Benedictines, Farmer, Encyclopaedia, Husenbeth). St. Plegmund, Bishop of Canterbury Born in Mercia, England; died at Canterbury, England, on August 2, 914. Saint Plegmund was a hermit on an island near Chester, called Plegmundham after him and later Plemstall, who was noted for his holiness and scholarship. He was called to the court of Alfred the Great to be his tutor. He helped Alfred write the Old English version of Pope Saint Gregory the Great's On Pastoral Care (Liber regulae pastoralis) and may have been responsible for the compilation of the Anglo-Saxon chronicle. At that monarch's request, in 890, he was consecrated archbishop of Canterbury by Pope Formosus in Rome. He crowned Edward the Elder at Kingston in 901, and consecrated the Newminster at Winchester in 908. Plegmund travelled to Rome again in 908, probably to secure approval of his bishopric by Pope Sergius III, because the consecrations of Formosus were condemned in 897 and 905. He returned from Rome with some of the relics of Saint Blaise. Archbishop Plegmund divided the Wessex dioceses of Winchester and Sherbourne into Winchester, Ramsbury, Sherbourne, Wells, and Crediton (which was later called Exeter) and consecrated bishops for each of them (plus two others) on the same day. His episcopacy was noted for promoting learning and developing Canterbury's metropolitan jurisdiction. (Benedictines, Delaney, Farmer). Service to our Holy Father Plegmund Archbishop of Canterbury http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/servpleg.htm Finding of the Relics of Alban, Protomartyr of Britain - See 22 June for his Life http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/1591 St. Wulvella (6th c.), Sister of St Sidwell -- See yesterday's Life. Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 1 August
Celtic and Old English Saints 1 August =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Kenneth of Wales * St. Aethelwold of Winchester * St. Peregrinus of Modena * St. Rioch of Innisboffin * St. Aled of Brecknock * St. Sidwell * St. Secundel of Brittany =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Kenneth of Wales, Hermit (Cenydd, Kyned, Kened, Keneth, Kined) - Died 6th century; feast of his translation is June 27. Saint Kenneth is believed to have been a Welsh hermit, the son of a chieftain. Welsh tradition, however, makes him the son of Saint Gildas (f.d. January 29), one of the most important Welsh monks. He married and had at least one son then became a monk under Saint Illtyd (f.d. November 6). Thereafter, Kenneth was a hermit who made his cell among the rocks in the peninsula of Gower and founded Llangenydd. He later went to Brittany, where Ploumelin is the centre of his cultus. An extraordinary event is connected with Kenneth's name that is recorded in Welsh sources. Kenneth was born a cripple in Brittany, placed in a cradle of osiers, and dropped into a stream, like Moses, which took him to the island of Henisweryn. He survived there because of a series of miracles and angelic interventions. Educated as a Christian, he became a hermit and was joined by a servant. This man stole the lance of some robbers to whom Kenneth had extended hospitality. Later, Saint David of Wales (f.d. March 1) cured Kenneth of his deformity, but the saint was displeased and asked that it be restored as it was before. A breast-shaped bell figures prominently in this unfinished tale, which ends abruptly without resolution. Saint Kenneth, however, is no legendary figure. The calendar and place-names point to his existence. His feast is celebrated in Wales, Brittany, and England (Benedictines, Farmer). Icon of St Kenneth http://www.thehtm.org/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=27_50_87products_id=311osCsid=51ab970b75244b5095adcbe8ed16a1cb Troparion of St Kenneth tone 2 Rejecting thy princely dignity and worldly position,/ thou didst retire to the desert, O righteous Kenneth, / and as we rejoice in thy God-pleasing asceticism,/ beseech Christ our God that He will save our souls. St. Aethelwold of Winchester, Bishop (Ethelwold) Born in Winchester, England, c. 908-912; died at Beddington, 984; feast at Abingdon is August 2; feast of his translation is September 10; Ely used to keep a commemoratio on October 8 in his honour, while Deeping and Thorney Abbeys observed an exceptio on October 23. Together with Saint Dunstan (f.d. May 19) and Saint Oswald of York (f.d. February 28), Aehelwold was a leader in the revival of English monasticism in the 10th century following its near eradication by the Danes during their raids. He served at the court of King Athelstan (924-39), but left to seek priestly ordination at the hands of Saint Alphege the Bald (f.d. April 19) on the same day as his friend Saint Dunstan. When Dunstan became abbot of Glastonbury in 943 and restore Benedictine observance there, the priest Aethelwold joined the community and became one of its deans and prior. Not entirely satisfied with the reformation at Glastonbury, he asked to be allowed to go to France to study the reforms initiated at Cluny. Instead, in 955, King Edred made him abbot of the derelict Abingdon Abbey in Berkshire and entrusted to Aethelwold its restoration. He added to the community monks from Glastonbury and priests from elsewhere, and built a new church that incorporated elements of the old. He sent his disciple Osgar to study at Fleury in his place. When Dunstan was exiled by King Edwy about 956, Aethelwold became the most important figure in the monastic reformation. He also came near secular power in his role as tutor to the future king, Saint Edgar the Peaceful (f.d. July 8). In 963, he was consecrated bishop of Winchester in Wessex. The following year King Edgar and Aethelwold replaced secular canons with Benedictines from Abingdon. In this way he founded the first monastic cathedral, a specifically English institution that lasted until the Reformation. The next year, Aethelwold replaced the priests with monks at Newminster. From this point the monastic reform became closely associated with the king, whose palace was very near the cathedral. He also founded or restored many abbeys, including those of Newminster and Nunnaminster in Winchester in 965, Milton Abbas (Dorset) in 964, Chertsey, Peterborough (966), Thorney (972), and Ely (970). Aethelwold sometimes spent the entirety of Lent in seclusion at Thorney Abbey, where he built a church with an apse at both ends. His charter survives for the endowment of Peterborough with land, serfs, cattle, church plate, and 20 manuscripts. This austere, able, and dynamic priest was given the nickname, The Father of Monks. The scribe of his Benedictional called him a Boanerges (son
[celt-saints] 31 July #1
Celtic and Old English Saints 31 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Germain of Auxerre * St. Neot of Cornwall * St. Joseph of Arimathea =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Germanus (Germain), Bishop of Auxerre Bishop of Auxerre, born at Auxerre c. 380; died at Ravenna, 31 July, 448. He was the son of Rusticus and Germanilla, and his family was one of the noblest in Gaul in the latter portion of the fourth century. He received the very best education provided by the distinguished schools of Arles and Lyons, and then went to Rome, where he studied eloquence and civil law. He practised there before the tribunal of the prefect for some years with great success. His high birth and brilliant talents brought him into contact with the court, and he married Eustachia, a lady highly esteemed in imperial circles. The emperor sent him back to Gaul, appointing him one of the six dukes, entrusted with the government of the Gallic provinces. He resided at Auxerre and gave himself up to all the enjoyments that naturally fell to his lot. At length he incurred the displeasure of the bishop, St. Amator. It appears that Germain was accustomed to hang the trophies of the chase on a certain tree, which in earlier times had been the scene of pagan worship. Amator remonstrated with him in vain. One day when the duke was absent, the bishop had the tree cut down and the trophies burnt. Fearing the anger of the duke, who wished to kill him, he fled and appealed to the prefect Julius for permission to confer the tonsure on Germain. This being granted, Amator, who felt that his own life was drawing to a close, returned. When the duke came to the church, Amator caused the doors to be barred and gave him the tonsure against his will, telling him to live as one destined to be his successor, and forthwith made him a deacon. A wonderful change was instantly wrought in Germain, and he accepted everything that had happened as the Divine will. He gave himself up to prayer, study, and works of charity, and, when in a short time Amator died, Germain was unanimously chosen to fill the vacant see, being consecrated 7 July, 418. His splendid education now served him in good stead in the government of the diocese, which he administered with great sagacity. He distributed his goods among the poor, and practised great austerities. He built a large monastery dedicated to Sts. Cosmas and Damian on the banks of the Yonne, whither he was wont to retire in his spare moments. In 429 the bishops of Britain sent an appeal to the continent for help against the Pelagian heretics who were corrupting the faith of the island. St. Prosper, who was in Rome in 431, tells us in his Chronicle that Pope Celestine commissioned the Church in Gaul to send help, and Germain and Lupus of Troyes were deputed to cross over to Britain. On his way Germain stopped at Nanterre, where he met a young child, Genevieve, destined to become the patroness of Paris. One of the early lives of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, tells us that he formed one of St. Germain's suite on this occasion. Tradition tells us that the main discussion with the representatives of Pelagianism took place at St. Alban's, and resulted in the complete discomfiture of the heretics. Germain remained in Britain for some time preaching, and established several schools for the training of the clergy. On his return he went to Arles to visit the prefect, and obtained the remission of certain taxes that were oppressing the people of Auxerre. He constructed a church in honour of St. Alban about this time in his episcopal city. In 447 he was invited to revisit Britain, and went with Severus, bishop of Tr?ves. It would seem that he did much for the Church there, if one can judge from the traditions handed down in Wales. On one occasion he is said to have aided the Britons to gain a great victory (called from the battle-cry, Alleluia! the Alleluia victory) over a marauding body of Saxons and Picts. On his return to Gaul, he proceeded to Armorica (Brittany) to intercede for the Armoricans who had been in rebellion. Their punishment was deferred at his entreaty, till he should have laid their case before the emperor. He set out for Italy, and reached Milan on 17 June, 448. Then he journeyed to Ravenna, where he interviewed the empress-mother, Galla Placidia, on their behalf. The empress and the bishop of the city, St. Peter Chrysologus, gave him a royal welcome, and the pardon he sought was granted. While there he died on 31 July, 450. His body, as he requested when dying, was brought back to Auxerre and interred in the Oratory of St. Maurice, which he had built. Later the oratory was replaced by a large church, which became a celebrated Benedictine abbey known as St. Germain's. This tribute to the memory of the saint was the gift of Queen Clotilda, wife of Clovis. Some centuries later, Charles the Bald had the shrine opened, and
[celt-saints] 31 July #2
Celtic and Old English Saints 31 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Joseph of Arimathea =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Saint Joseph of Arimathea Biblical Legendary Accounts by Robert Jones This excellent essay may be read on line at http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/joseph/joseph.htm Table of Contents Introduction Canonical Sources Characteristics of Joseph of Arimathea Involvement in the burial of Christ Joseph of Arimathea - coward or saint? Non-Canonical Sources The Gospel of Nicodemus The Narrative of Joseph The Passing of Mary Legendary Accounts Founder of the first Christian Church in England Joseph and the Holy Grail And did those feet in ancient times... Conclusions Sources About the author _
[celt-saints] 31 July #3
Celtic and Old English Saints 31 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Joseph of Arimathea =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Saint Joseph of Arimathea Biblical Legendary Accounts by Robert Jones This excellent essay may be read on line at http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/joseph/joseph.htm Alternative access to this monograph http://web.archive.org/web/20071012000550/http://sundayschoolcourses.com/joseph/joseph.htm - - -
[celt-saints] 30 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 30 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Tatwin of Canterbury * St. Ermengytha of Thanet =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Tatwin, Bishop of Canterbury (Tatuini, Tadwinus) - Died July 30, 734. Saint Tatwin, a monk of Bredon (Brenton) in Worcestershire, was described by Saint Bede (f.d. May 25) as a man of remarkable prudence, devotion, and learning. At the recommendation of the Mercian King Ethelbald, Tatwin was chosen to succeed Saint Brithwald (f.d. January 9) as archbishop of Canterbury in 731. This was the same year in which Bede finished his Ecclesiastical History. Thereafter he consecrated bishops for Lindsey (Lincolnshire) and Selsey (West Sussex). After his death miracles were wrought through his intercession, an account of which was written by Goscelin. Tatwin left several works including Riddles (Enigmata'), consisting of 40 acrostics similar to those of Saint Aldhelm (f.d. May 25). The Riddles are written in Latin hexameters and Tatwin's ingenuity is prominent: he makes the initials and finals of the first line of each riddle into an acrostic of hexameters. These were published by Giles in Anecdota Bed?, 1851. They treat of such diverse subjects as philosophy, charity, the alphabet, the pen, scissors, and swords. His Grammar (Ars Tatwini) expands upon that of Consentius and borrows from Donatus, Priscian, and other sources (Benedictines, Farmer). Tatwin was buried in the abbey church of Saint Augustine at Canterbury. His relics, as well as the others buried there, were translated in 1091 when the church was enlarged. The epitaph on his tomb praised him for the same qualities described by Bede Vir religione et Prudentia insignis, sacris quoque literis nobiliter instructus (a man notable for his prudence, devotion and learning). St. Ermengytha of Thanet, Virgin and Nun - Died c. 680. Saint Ermengytha was a nun at Minster in Thanet under obedience to her sister Saint Ermenburga (Domneva; f.d. November 19) (Benedictines). Lives kindly supplied by: 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 *
[celt-saints] 28 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 28 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Samson of Dol * St. Arduinus of Trepino =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Samson (Sampson) Bishop of Dol, Brittany -- Born in Glamorgan, Wales, c. 485; died at Dol, Brittany, France, July 28, c. 565. The existing vita of Saint Samson may be the earliest biography of a British Celtic saint, but scholarly opinion is divided on whether it was written in the 7th century (within 50 years of his death) or the 9th. The earliest manuscripts date only from the 11th century. He was one of the greatest missionaries ever to come from Britain. His parents--Ammon, a lord of Glamorgan, and Anna of Gwent-- dedicated him to the service of God because he was a child of promise after his parents prolonged period of childlessness. According to his biography he was raised in the abbey of Llanwit Major in Glamorgan, which at that time was ruled by Saint Illtyd (f.d. November 6), who ordained him deacon and priest. After Samson's ordination an attempt was made on his life by two nephews of Saint Illtyd, who were jealous of his ordination. So Samson left the community and lived for a time under Piro on the island of Caldey (Ynys Byr) off the coast of Pembrokeshire, where he served as cellarer. His father and his uncle, Umbrafel, joined him there after his father had recovered from a serious illness during which he received the last rites from his son. When Piro died, Samson succeeded him as abbot of Caldey Abbey, but he resigned after a preaching tour to Ireland. He returned to Wales, where he lived as a hermit with his father and two others in a retreat near the mouth of the Severn River. Then he travelled to Cornwall, where he was consecrated bishop of Saint Dyfrig (Dubricius; f.d. November 14), bishop of Caerleon, and appointed abbot of its monastery. Samson travelled throughout Cornwall where he worked as a missionary, founded monasteries and churches at Padstow, Saint Kew, Southill, and Golant, probably visited the Scilly Islands, and gathered to himself disciples, such as Saints Austell (f.d. June 28), Mewan (f.d. June 21), and Winnoc (f.d. November 6) (which doesn't make sense because Winnoc died in 717). Finally, Samson crossed the Channel to Armorica, where he landed at the mouth of the Guyoult, to continue his missionary activities in Brittany. Privatus, a Gallo-Roman, gave him a stretch of land nearby on which to build a monastery c. 525, and this became the site of the future town of Dol. Under his leadership, Dol became the spiritual centre of Brittany. A vigorous organiser and a zealous preacher, Saint Samson established numerous other abbeys, including Pental in Normandy, and spread the word of God far and wide. It appears that he exercised episcopal jurisdiction at Dol, although it was not a regular see until much later. He is probably the 'Samson peccator episcopus' who signed the acts of the Council of Paris (557). His concern for justice, as well as the temporal importance of his position as bishop and abbot, often involved him in political affairs. When Conomor (Conmor) murdered the king of Domnonia and usurped the throne that rightly belonged to the Breton ruler Judwal (Judual), Saint Samson journeyed to Paris where, with the support of Saint Germain (f.d. May 28) the bishop of Paris, he enlisted the help of the Frankish King Childebert. On his return he travelled down the Seine and founded an establishment for penitents at Vernier. On a second visit to Paris he was granted lands in the region of Rennes and was also given jurisdiction over the Channel Islands-- and indeed it was from the Isle of Guernsey, where one town bears his name, that he and Judwal embarked on their campaign to depose the usurper Conomor. After three battles, Judwal won back his kingdom and Samson returned to his bishopric and monastery at Dol. Towards the end of his life, when he felt that his end was near, he undertook an extensive journey throughout the whole of Neustria, a journey of which the Breton bards have left us a moving account. Accompanied by seven monks, seven disciples and seven escorts, he travelled slowly from parish to parish, often stopping to preach or to celebrate the Divine Offering, bringing his mission to an end only with his death. Many miraculous deed were attributed to Saint Samson, to which his anonymous biographer gives ample space. Recent research seems to demonstrate that Samson was the leading churchman of the colonists from Britain who founded Brittany, and a primary figure in the history of the evangelization of Cornwall and the Channel Islands. Some of his relics, including an arm and a crozier, were acquired by King Athelstan of Wessex (924-939), for his monastery at Milton Abbas in Dorset, which is why Samson's feast is kept in many places in England. In addition, there are six ancient dedications there to him, as well as others in
[celt-saints] 27 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 27 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Congall of Iabnallivin * St. Luican =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Congall of Iabnallivin - Date unknown. Before Congall's death he committed the governance of his monastery to his beloved disciple, Saint Fegnarnach. He is the patron of a parish on the upper part of Lake Erne (Husenbeth). St. Luican - Date unknown. All that is known of Saint Luican is that he is the patron of Kill-luicain parish in Ireland (Benedictines). Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://users.erols.com/saintpat/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 25 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 25 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Nissen of Montgarth =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Nissen, Abbot of Montgarth, County Wexford Ordained by Saint Patrick 5th century. An Irishman, he was converted by St. Patrick and later became abbot of Mountgarret monastery in Wexford. Troparion of St Nessan Tone 2 O thou who didst converse with St Patrick/ and follow in the monastic way:/ as thou didst guide monks to Christ our God,/ pray that our souls may be saved. These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 23 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 23 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Conan of Cornwall =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Conan -- The church at Washaway (Cornwall) is dedicated to St. Conan, an obscure saint thought to have been a companion of St. Petroc (4 June.) It is in this Egloshayle (the church by the estuary), at the place where Conan probably landed, that his feast is celebrated. The Celtic Year -Shirley Toulson These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 21 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 21 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Arbogast of Strasbourg =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Arbogast of Strasbourg, Bishop Born in Aquitaine, France; died c. 678. Although the Irish and Scottish both claim Arbogast as their own, the 13th-century Chronicle of Sens by Richer and the Life of Saint Florentius, his successor, strongly support the claim of Scotland. His acta, however, tell us that Arbogast was born of a noble family in Aquitaine, France. His vita, attributed to Bishop Utone of Strasbourg (died 965), tells us that Arbogast was living as a recluse in the Sacred Forest (Heiligesforst or Haguenau) of Alsace when King Dagobert took an interest in him. The holy hermit was often called to court to share his wisdom with the king, who, about 630, forced on Arbogast the see of Strasbourg. Shortly after his consecration, Arbogast raised Dagobert's son Sigebert to life when he had been killed by a fall from his horse. Many other miracles are ascribed to the saint, but he was loved and famed for humility and wisdom. Because of the king's affection for the bishop, the see was endowed with several large estates, including Rufach and the old royal palace of Isenburg. Arbogast founded or endowed several monasteries, including Surbourg, Shutteran, and possibly Ebersheimmunster (although Saint Odilia's father, Adalric, and Bishop Saint Deodatus of Nevers are the principal founders of this last one). Apparently Saint Arbogast retired before his death, because the year before Dagobert offered the see of Strasbourg to Saint Wilfrid, who was on his way to Rome to challenge the division of his see. When Wilfrid declined, Saint Florentius was consecrated. At Arbogast's request, he was interred on a mountain in the place set apart for the burial of criminals. The church of Saint Michael was built over his tomb and Saint Arbogast's Abbey rose nearby. His second successor translated his body with honour into the abbey church. A church was built in his honour in 1069, but it was destroyed by the Protestants in 1530. His relics were scattered during the Thirty Years War (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Husenbeth). In art, Saint Arbogast is a bishop walking dryshod over a river, sometimes with Saint Sebastian (Roeder). He is the patron of Strasbourg, but his feast is also kept in several Swiss cantons (Farmer). Sources: Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Encyclopaedia of Catholic Saints. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. Roeder, H. (1956). Saints and Their Attributes, Chicago: Henry Regnery. For All the Saints: http://users.erols.com/saintpat/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 22 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 22 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Dabius of Scotland * St. Movean of Innis-Coosery =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Dabius, Priest and Confessor in Scotland --- Date unknown. The Irish priest Dabius preached effectively in his homeland before migrating to Albany, Scotland. He is the titular patron of several churches, including the parish of Domnach Cluana in the County Down, and of Kippau in the Highlands. He may be identical with Saint Movean (Biteus), who was a disciple of Saint Patrick (Benedictines, Husenbeth). St. Movean (Bitteus), Abbot of Innis-Coosery, Ireland, Who Died a Hermit in Perthshire, Scotland, Disciple of Saint Patrick --- Date unknown. Movean was a disciple of Saint Patrick and abbot of Inis-Coosery in County Down. He seems to have also worked in Perthshire, where he is thought to have died as a hermit (Benedictines). Suppliers of Icons of Celtic Saints for the church or the prayer corner at home. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/2875 * Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://users.erols.com/saintpat/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 20 Jully
Celtic and Old English Saints 20 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Arilda of Gloucester * St. Etheldwitha of Winchester * St. Modmund of Gloucester =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Arilda, Virgin and Martyr of Gloucester --- Date unknown. Saint Arilda, Gloucestershire virgin, died in defence of her chastity. The church at Oldbury-on-the-Hill is dedicated to her (Benedictines). St Arilda of Oldbury on Severn, Gloucestershire by Jane Bradshaw http://people.bath.ac.uk/liskmj/living-spring/sourcearchive/ns5/ns5jb1.htm If books of saints mention St Arilda at all they say she is the patron saint of Oldbury on the Hill, Gloucestershire. This is quite true but she is also the patron saint of Oldbury on Severn, shortly to revert to Gloucestershire after twenty-one years in Avon. These are the only two churches dedicated to this saint but there are three other extant memorials to her. The first is on the reredos of the Lady Chapel of Gloucester Cathedral, the pre-Dissolution Benedictine Abbey of St Peter. This reredos is now, alas, only a framework of empty niches which originally held the statues of three major and thirty-six minor saints [1]. The central niche of the three minor ones on the extreme south edge once held a statue of St Arilda, and the mason's aide-memoire can still be seen scratched into the stone (see illustration, right). She has also been identified, less certainly in a light in the east window of the Lady Chapel. The glass in this window is made up of fragments of the pre-Dissolution stained glass windows. Rushforth [2] identifies St Arilda as sharing a light with St Lawrence, to whom Didmarton church, the neighbouring church to Oldbury on the Hill, is dedicated. The second memorial to her is a hymn and a collect for her feast which are written 'in a late thirteenth century hand' [3] on the flyleaf of a book which belonged to Thomas Bredon, abbot of Gloucester from 1224 to 1228. This book passed to the library of Hereford Cathedral after the Dissolution, where it is now in the Chained Library. St Arilda appears in the English Benedictine liturgical Kalendars as 'virgin and martyr' with a feastday on 20 July [4]. The hymn and collect have been transcribed and translated for use at Oldbury on Severn. So who was St Arilda, or Arildis, or plain Saxon Arild? From the hymn we deduce that she was a virgin consecrated to God (verses 2, 3 and 4); that she 'three times...fought the power of sin', though what this means we are not told; and that she is buried in Gloucester, where she is a guardian of 'this monastery' (verse 6 - the translation is rather free here to allow for the hymn to be sung at Oldbury). The Kalendars tell us she was a virgin martyr. Her name in the form Arild is Anglo-Saxon, connected with the name Hilda which means battle maiden. John Leland, the sixteenth-century traveller and writer gives us some more information, gathered during his visit to Gloucester Abbey. He tells us that St Arilda, 'martyred at Kington by Thornbury [and] translated to this monastery had done many miracles', and that she was martyred 'by one Muncius, a tyrant who cut off her head because she would not consent to lie with him' [5]. Kington near Thornbury is now in the parish of Oldbury on Severn (which itself was once a chapel of ease to Thornbury church), and here we find the third memorial to St Arilda: her well. A local tradition that the water runs red with her blood is well-founded, as the stones in the well's outflow are stained red, not with the iron associated with chalybeate springs [6], but with a freshwater alga rejoicing in the name of Hildebrandia rivularis. While willing to be corrected, and admitting that much of the following is guesswork, I would suggest that St Arilda was a consecrated virgin who, at some time before the Norman Conquest and perhaps even before the Anglo-Saxon invasions, lived by the well at Kington where she was martyred. Her body was then removed to the hilltop at Oldbury on Severn where the church dedicated to her now stands. A circular churchyard here indicates an ancient holy site, and Roman remains dug up there point to a possible pre-Christian origin, particularly as the hill itself has always been a navigation mark for shipping in the river. After the founding of St Peter's Abbey in the early part of the eleventh century and the later Norman Conquest the Benedictine monks there, following the policy of centralisation encouraged by the Normans (and probably with an eye to the prestige of the abbey) had her body removed to Gloucester and enshrined in the crypt there. We know from later records that at the Dissolution all the bones buried in the crypt were gathered together and placed in one of the crypt side-chapels, being transferred in the early twentieth century to an unmarked grave in the Cathedral precincts. The late rector of Oldbury on Severn, the Rev. Norman Stocks,
[celt-saints] 17 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 17 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Cynllo of Wales * St. Kenelm of Mercia * St. Turninus of Antwerp =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Cynllo of Wales - 5th century. Little is known of this saint who gave his name to several churches in Wales (Benedictines). St. Kenelm (Cynehelm), King of Mercia, Martyr at Gloucester Died c. 812-821. According to a popular legend of the Middle Ages, Kenelm was seven when his father, King Kenulf (Coenwulf) of Mercia, died, and he succeeded to the throne. His sister Quendreda (Cynefrith or Quoenthryth) bribed his tutor, Ascebert, to murder him in the forest of Clent so that she could claim the throne. Ascebert did, but when the body was discovered and enshrined at Winchcombe in Gloucestershire, all kinds of marvels occurred at his grave. All three are actual figures, but Kenelm did not die at seven and may even have died before his father. It is certain that he lived until his adolescence and may have been killed in battle (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopaedia). He was highly honoured in England during the Middle Ages as a saint and martyr, and still is venerated at Gloucester and Winchcombe, where his relics are enshrined (Encyclopaedia, Roeder). In art, Saint Kenelm is depicted as a young prince with a blossoming rod. The picture may also contain a dove with a letter in its mouth (Roeder). St. Turninus of Antwerp --- 8th century. Saint Turninus, an Irish monk and priest, worked as a missionary in the Netherlands with Saint Foillan, especially in the area around Antwerp, where he died. His relics were translated to Liege, where they are enshrined in a monastery on the Sambre (Benedictines, Husenbeth). Sources: Attwater, D. (1983). The Penguin Dctionary of Saints, NY: Penguin Books. Benedictine Monks of St. 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, July. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. 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 *
[celt-saints] 15 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 15 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Adalard the Younger * St. Donald of Ogilvy * St. Edith of Polesworth * St. Plechelm of Guelderland =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Adalard the Younger Died c. 824. Saint Adalard was a monk of Corbie Abbey under Abbot Saint Adalard. He was only 20 years old when he died (Benedictines). St. Donald of Ogilvy --- (also known as Donivald, Domhnall) Died early 8th century. Donald, a resident of Ogilvy in Forfarshire, Scotland, formed a religious group with his nine daughters (the Nine Maidens) on the death of his wife. They entered a monastery in Abernathy after his death (Benedictines, Delaney, Farmer). Icon of Saint Donald http://www.comeandseeicons.com/d/inp17.htm St. Edith of Polesworth, Widow -- Died 925? The identity of Saint Edith is very confused. She was definitely the widow of a king of Northumbria and died as a nun, perhaps the abbess, of Polesworth in Warwickshire. Some identify her as the sister of King Athelstan of England and wife of the Viking king, Sihtric. When Sihtric died the year after their marriage (926), she took the veil. Others believe that she was the sister of King Edgar the Peaceful and aunt of Saint Edith of Wilton. There is a possibility that there are two women named Edith of Polesworth (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopaedia). St. Plechelm of Guelderland, Bishop - Born in Northumberland; died c. 730. Plechelm was ordained a priest. He went to Rome with another Northumbrian priest, Saint Wiro, and a deacon named Otger. In Rome, Wiro and Plechelm were consecrated regionary bishops. After doing missionary work in Northumbria, they went to the Friesland area of the Netherlands, where they evangelized the inhabitants of the lower Meuse Valley under Saint Willibrord or Saint Swithbert, and built a church and cells at Odilienberg on land granted to them by Blessed Pepin of Herstal. They were martyred while preaching the Gospel (Benedictines, Delaney). Sources: Attwater, D. (1958). A Dictionary of Saints. New York: P. J. Kenedy Sons. Benedictine Monks of St. 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. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University 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 *
[celt-saints] 13 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 13 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Mildred of Thanet * St. Juthware of Devonshire * St. Dofgan of Wales =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Mildred of Thanet, Abbess of Minster, Translation of her Relics -- Read her life, 20th February http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/1459 Service to Saint Mildred http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/servmild.htm Icon of Saint Mildred http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/mildred.htm St. Juthware, Virgin of Devonshire, Sister of Saint Sidwell (Judith) (life legendary) Martyred, 7th century, Halstock (Holy Place) in northwest Dorset, England. Commemorated July 1, July 13 in Devonshire, England In art, she is shown as a Celtic-British maiden holding her severed head; sometimes shown with St. Sidwell (St. Sativola of Laneast in Cornwall?) as her sister; St Juthware's Well at Halstock sprang up where the saint's severed head fell, along with a miraculous oak tree. The Church of St. Mary's is built on the site, and has a chapel dedicated to Juthware. The Quiet Woman, Halstock http://www.pixart.info/darkdorset/LibraryDetail.php?ref=DD058 Until recently, Halstock had an inn called, 'The Quiet Woman,' with a sign outside depicting a headless woman. Though the pub has sadly gone, the gruesome tale it commemorated still haunts the village to this day. In the seventh century a baby girl called Juthware (pronounced Uth-are), was born in the village, but it was a difficult birth and her mother died leaving her to be brought up by Benna, the girl's father. Benna looked after his daughter as best as he could, but what the girl needed was a mother, and in time he relinquished his loss by taking another wife. This second wife was a Welsh woman called Goneril who was also a widow and had by her former husband a son called Bana. All was well at first, but as the years passed Goneril began to despise her step daughter, for not only was she beautiful, but she was a devoted Christian, often fasting and doing penance for her sins. Many pilgrims and wayfarers travelled the roads and would often seek shelter at Juthware's father's house. Benna was a good, but sick man and remembering the kindness of his first wife was always keen to show hospitality. And so while they ate Juthware would pass among them with drinking horns of wine and ale and listen to their wonderful stories of Our Lord's birth and life. When Benna died Juthware followed her father's example of hospitality. This angered Goneril who could not stand her stepdaughter's good qualities any longer and so she contrived a plan to be rid of her. Goneril's chance came one morning when Juthware came to her complaining of chest pains. She told Juthware to rub some cheese onto her chest and stomach first thing in the morning and last thing at night and the pains would go. When Goneril saw Juthware doing this she went secretly into the wood and there slaughtered a lamb and left it for the wolves. The next morning she went to Bana and told him that Juthware had given birth to a child in the wood and had fed it to the wolves. However, Bana would not believe her, so she took him into the wood and showed him the remains of the bloodied carcass. But still Bana would not believe it, so she brought Juthware to the wood and ordered her to remove her vest. Bana examined the garment and found the stains of motherhood. In a fit of rage he drew his sword and cut Juthware's head clean off. Goneril's face was triumphant, but as she revelled in her stepdaughter's death, to her horror Juthware's severed head called to her body. It jerked and slowly rising to its feet gathered the head and moved with measured mechanical steps down the hill and along the lane to the church and there placed her head on the altar before finally dying. Soon after, Juthware became known as Saint Juthware and a shrine was dedicated to her at the place of her martyrdom. But the gruesome tale doesn't end there, for at one o'clock in the morning on All Saints Day (1st November), Saint Juthware's ghost is said to return to repeat the incident. She is said to be seen carrying her head in the lane leading to Abbots Hill, alias Judith Hill. The public house 'The Quiet Woman' is no longer run as a pub, but is now run as a guest house for visitors by Gill and Paul Tebano visit their website for more information The Quiet Woman House. Legend of the Quiet Woman http://www.quietwomanhouse.co.uk/juthware.htm More on St. Juthware at: http://www.catholiconline.com/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4153 St. Dofgan, Martyr of Wales --- These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 11 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 11 July
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* St. Drostan of Dalcongail
* St. Turketil of Crowland
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St. Drostan, Abbot of Dalcongail, Aberdeenshire
---
Died.c. 610.
Irish born abbot, a disciple and nephew of the great Saint Columcille
(Columba), Drostan was a Prince of the royal blood, a member of the
royal Cosgrach family of Ireland. He was named the first Abbot of Deer
in Arberdeenshire (Dalcongaile). The early monastery of rude wooden
huts stood in the elbow of the river bank behind the present Parish
Church on the village of Old Deer.
Deer has long been the common spelling but Deir prevails in the oldest
writing. One tradition has the name coming from De a'r', a contraction
of De adhra - the worship of Good. Dair or Daire in old Gaelic and
Irish is an oak, and since the area was covered in oak forests in the
6th century, the name may simply mean Oakwood.
A much more romantic legend, and the one most people prefer to accept,
has it deriving from Deira, Gaelic for tears, telling how Columba
observed a tear on the cheek of his nephew Drostan when he took his
leave and declared This shall be known as the place of tears - that is
Deir.
In his old age St. Drostan lived as a recluse in a forest. He reposed in
809 near Glenesk, Angus. His is considered an apostle to Scotland.
His sacred remains were deposited in a stone coffin at Aberdeen. There
is a well is associated with him at Aberdour.
The Abbey of Deer
---
A once famous Scotch monastery. According to the Celtic legend St.
Columcille, his disciple Drostan, and others, went from Hy (Iona) into
Buchan and established an important missionary centre at Deer on the
banks of the Ugie on lands given him by the mormaer or chief of the
district whose son he had by his prayers freed of a dangerous illness.
This happened probably in the last quarter of the sixth century.
Columcille soon after continued his missionary journeys and left Drostan
as abbot at Deer. Drostan died here about 606. The legend receives
confirmation from the fact that the parish of Aberdour venerated St.
Drostan as patron. In later years the Normans had little sympathy with
the Celtic institutions, so we find the Earl of Buchan in 1219 founding
the Cistercian abbey of New Deer about two miles westward of
Columcille's foundation, granting to the new abbey a portion of the
lands of Old Deer, the rest going to the maintenance of a parochial
church.
More at
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04674b.htm
About Saint Drostan
http://www.drostan.org/Drostan/about.php
The Book of Deer
by Roy Ellsworth and Peter Beresford Ellis
(Library of Celtic Illuminated Manuscripts, Constable, 1994). PB; 79 ps
http://www.pictarts.demon.co.uk/reviews/c_brev22.htm
Information and photographs of the Book of Dear
http://www.bookofdeer.co.uk/bookofdeer.html
Some pages from the Book of Deer
http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/book_of_deer/double_page.php?select=3
http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/book_of_deer/double_page.php?select=30
Troparion of St Drostan tone 2
Abbot of Deer and disciple of Saint Colum Cille,/ who didst kindle
Christ's fire in the hearts of thy monks,/ pray for us, O Drostan, to
Christ our God,/ that our souls may be saved.
St. Turketil, Abbot of Crowland, Lincolnshire
--
The Abbey at Croyland had been destroyed by Danes in 870. In this
devastation the relics of Ss. Egbat,Tatwin,Bettelina Ethedrith were
lost and possibly reduced to ashes.
Then Turketill, the pious Chancellor of King Edred rebuilt the Abbey in
946. He was cousin to Athelstan, Edmund Edred(all successive kings).
He was the son of Ethelward. He was an accomplished General and won many
a battle against the Danes and extricated his cousins out of many
scrapes. He wearied of public life, gave 60 of his manors to the King
and 6 to Croyland, and paid off all his debts. He then went to Croyland
and took the habit. He was made Abbot in 948. He restored the house to
greatest splendour and having served God in that place for 27 years died
of a fever in 975 aged 68 ('Lives of the Saints' by Butler).
Lives kindly supplied by:
For All the Saints:
http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm
These Lives are archived at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints
*
[celt-saints] 7 July #1
Celtic and Old English Saints 7 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Maelruain of Tallaght * St. Illtyd of Llantwit Abbey (see #2) * St. Boisil of Melrose (see #2) * St. Medran and St. Odran of Muskerry * St. St. Merryn of Cornwall * St. Ercongota of Faremoutiers * St. Ethelburga of Faremoutiers * St. Hedda (Haeddi) of Winchester =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Maelruain of Tallaght, Abbot --- Died 792. Labour in piety is the most excellent work of all. The kingdom of heaven in granted to him who directs study, him who studies, and him who supports the student. --Saint Maelruain. Saint Maelruain was the founder and abbot of the monastery of Tallaght in County Wicklow, Ireland, on land donated by King Cellach mac Dunchada of Leinster in 774. Tallaght Abbey became the mother house of the Culdee movement, which Maelruain co-founded with Saint Oengus. The name Tallaght (Irish Tamlachta), derived from tam, plague, and lecht, stone monument, records the burial place of some of the earliest inhabitants of Ireland, the Parthalonians, who were swept off by a plague about 2600 BC. Tallaght is situated in the barony of Uppercross, 5 miles south of Dublin. The monastery the site was donated in honour of God and St. Michael the Archangel by Cellach (d. 18 July, 771) of the Ui Donnchada, grandson of a Leinster king, Donogh (d. 726). The Culdee movement, intended to regularise the rules of Irish monasticism according to traditional ascetical practices, was codified in several of the saint's writings: The teaching of Mael-ruain, Rule of the Celi-De, and the monastery of Tallaght, promoted both the ascetic and the intellectual life, promoted community prayer with repetitions of the Psalter and genuflections, insisted upon stability and enclosure, and called for clerical and monastic celibacy. In typical Irish fashion, the Culdee movement was marked by strong asceticism. Women were discussed as men's guardian devils. Ascetic practices included total abstinence from alcohol. Sundays were observed like the Jewish Sabbath. Vigils in cold water or with the arms extended in cruciform and self-flagellation were recommended. The movement failed because it lacked all constitutional means of making the reform permanent, although it called for tithes from the laity to support it. Like other Irish reformers, Maelruain emphasised spiritual direction and confession of sins by establishing rules for both. Tallaght's devotional life was marked by special veneration of both its patrons: the Blessed Virgin and Saint Michael the Archangel. Intellectual and manual work were integral to life at Tallaght. There are, Maelruain wrote, three profitable things in the day: prayer, labour, and study, or it may be teaching or writing or sewing clothes or any profitable work that a monk may do, so that none may be idle. Maelruain, with Oengus, was also the compiler of the martyrology named after that place. The movement led to the production of the Stowe Missal, formerly enshrined, which is a unique record of early Irish liturgical practices. See this at : http://www.geocities.com/Athens/3374/stowe.html The full text in ASCII: http://www.alltel.net/~gacanon/celtic.txt The Stowe-Lorrha Missal Shrine http://www.eskimo.com/~hmiller/cumdach.html A church was built in 1829 on the medieval remains of Maelruain's abbey. The locals maintained a long-standing custom of processing house-to-house, dancing jigs and drinking, on his feast, until it was suppressed by the Dominicans in 1856 (Benedictines, Farmer, Montague). The Rule of the Celi De: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/3374/culdee.htm William Reeve's The Culdees of the British Isles has been made available on the Net by Peter Farrington at his Celtica website http://www.celticorthodoxy.org An Essay on The Culdees http://www.knight.org/advent/cathen/04563b.htm A word so frequently met with in histories of the medieval Churches of Ireland and Scotland, and so variously understood and applied, that a well-informed writer (Reeves) describes it as the best-abused word in Scotic church-history. The etymology of the term, the persons designated by it, their origin, their doctrines, the rule or rules under which they lived, the limits of their authority and privileges have all been matters of controversy; and on these questions much learning and ability has been shown, and not a little partisan zeal. In the Irish language the word was written Ceile-De, meaning companion, or even spouse, of God, with the Latin equivalent in the plural, Colidei, anglicised into Culdees; in Scotland it was often written Kelidei. All admit that, in the beginning at all events, the Culdees were separated from the mass of the faithful, that their lives were devoted to religion, and that they lived in community. But the Scotch writers, unwilling to trace the name to an Irish source, prefer to derive it from cultores Dei, worshippers of God,
[celt-saints] 7 July #2
Celtic and Old English Saints 7 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Maelruain of Tallaght * St. Illtyd of Llantwit Abbey * St. Boisil of Melrose * St. Medran and St. Odran of Muskerry * St. St. Merryn of Cornwall * St. Ercongota of Faremoutiers * St. Ethelburga of Faremoutiers * St. Hedda of Winchester =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Illtud, Abbot - (also known as Illtyd, Iltut, Illtut) Died c. 505 (another source says 450-535). Illtud, clearly an outstanding figure and one of the most celebrated Welsh saints, laboured chiefly in the southeastern part of the country. His vita written circa 1140 has little historical value; but the Life of Saint Samson, composed about 500 years earlier, has some important references. This author names him as a disciple of Saint Germanus of Auxerre, who ordained him. It calls Illtud 'the most learned of the Britons in both Testaments and in all kinds of knowledge,' and speaks of his great monastic school. This establishment was Llanilltyd Fawr (Llantwit Major in Glamorgan), where other prominent saints besides Samson are said to have been Illtyd's pupils. The monastery of Llantwit survived in one form or another until the Norman conquest (1066). The author of Samson's Life also describes Illtud's death, in illustration of the saint's power of prophecy. The passage is an impressive one, but it does not state where or when the death took place. Nevertheless, most of his life is derived mainly from oral traditions. According to them, he was the son of a Briton living in Letavia, Brittany (some scholars believe Letavia is an area in central Brednock, England, rather than in Brittany), who came to visit his cousin King Arthur of England about 470. The later vita says that Illtud married Trynihid and then served in the army of a Glamorgan chieftain. When one of his friends was killed in a hunting accident, Saint Cadoc is said to have counselled him to leave the world behind. This is, of course, improbable because Cadoc would have been a mere lad. Illtud and Trynihid took Cadoc's advice and lived together as recluses in a hut by the Nadafan River until he was warned by an angel to separate from her. He left his wife to become a monk under Saint Dubricius, but after a time resumed his eremitical life by a stream called the Hodnant. He attracted many disciples and organised them into the Llanwit Major monastery, which, according to the ninth-century Life of Saint Paul Aurelian, was originally within the borders of Dyfed, called Pyr, usually identified as Calder (Caldey) Island off Tenby. The monastery soon developed into a great foundation and a centre of missionary activity in Wales. Many miracles were attributed to him (he was fed by heaven when forced to flee the ire of a local chieftain and take refuge in a cave; he miraculously restored a collapsed seawall), and he is reputed to have sent or taken grain to relieve a famine in Brittany, where the place and church names attest to some connection with Illtud. His death is reported at Dol, Brittany, where he had retired in his old age, at Llanwit, and at Defynock. One Welsh tradition has him as one of the three knights put in charge of the Holy Grail by Arthur, and another one even identifies him as Galahad (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Doble, Walsh). *** Another Life of St. Illtyd --- http://www.knight.org/advent/cathen/07661a.htm Flourished in the latter part of the fifth and beginning of the sixth century, and was held in high veneration in Wales, where many churches were dedicated to him, chiefly in Glamorganshire. Born in Armorica, of Bicanys and Rieniguilida, sister of Emyr Llydaw, he was a grandnephew of St. Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre. According to one account he crossed to Britain and joined King Arthur's Court, and later went to Glamorgan, where he was miraculously converted by St. Cadoc. These details, however, rest on a late life of the saint (Cottonian MS., Vesp. A XIV). He is supposed to have been ordained by St. Dubricius, Bishop of Llandaff, and with the assistance of Meirchon, a Glamorgan chieftain, to have built a church and a monastery, which became a centre of learning, one of the three great monastic schools in the Diocese of Llandaff. Among the scholars who flocked thither were Sts. Gildas, Samson, and Maglorius, whose lives, written about 600 (Acta SS. Ordinis S. Benedicti, Venice, 1733), constitute the earliest source of information on St. Illtyd. According to these, his school was situated on a small waste island, which, at his intercession, was miraculously reunited with the mainland, and was known as Llantilllyd Fawr, the Welsh form of Llantwit Major, Glamorganshire. The story of the miracle may have been inspired by the fact that the saint was skilled in agriculture, for he is supposed to have introduced among the Welsh better methods of ploughing, and to have helped them reclaim land from the
[celt-saints] 5 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 5 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Edana of West Ireland * St. Erfyl * St. Fragan and St. Gwen * St. Grace and St. Probus of Cornwall * St. Modwenna of Whitby * St. Modwenna of Polesworth * St. Modwenna of Burton-on-Trent =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Edana of West Ireland, Virgin (Edaene, Etaoin) --- Date unknown. Edana, an Irish saint, is the patron of the parishes of Tuarnia in western Ireland in the dioceses of Elphin and Tuam. A famous holy well bears her name. She appears to have lived near the confluence of the rivers Boyle and Shannon. Some have thought her to be identical with Saint Modwenna (Benedictines, Husenbeth). St. Erfyl (Eurfyl), Virgin and Foundress of Llanerfyl Church in Montgomeryshire, Wales -- Date unknown. Saint Erfyl was a British maiden, who founded the church of Llanerfyl in Montgomeryshire (Benedictines). St. Fragan and St. Gwen (Blanche) --- 5th century. During the troubled times following the Roman departure from Britain, Saints Fragan and Gwen became refugees in Brittany, where many churches are dedicated to each of them. They are the parents of Saints Winwaloe, Jacut, Guethenoc, and Gunthiern (Benedictines). Troparion of Ss Fragan and Gwen tone 4 O noble exiles Fragan and Gwen/ who fled to Brittany in troubled times:/ you established churches to God's praise and glory;/ your children brought joy and gladness to the Breton people./ We praise you, glorious Saints. St. Grace and St. Probus of Cornwall --- Date unknown. Saints Probus and Grace were husband and wife, who lived in Cornwall. They are patrons of the Cornish parish of Probus where their relics still remain. (Benedictines). St. Modwenna of Whitby, Virgin (Edana, Medana, Moninne, Merryn) - Died c. 695. Four or five saints of this name are listed in different menologies, but their lives are hopelessly confused. This one, often confused with Saint Modwenna of Polesworth, seems to be one of the more important ones. This Modwenna succeeded Saint Hilda as abbess of Whitby (Attwater, Benedictines). St. Modwenna, Abbess of Polesworth --- St. Modwenna, Abbess of Burton-on-Trent, England - Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 6 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 6 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Palladius of Ireland and Scotland * St. Modwenna of Polesworth * St. Moninna of Killeavy * St. Moninne of Sliabh Cuillin * St. Noyala of Brittany (see #2) * St. Sexburga of Ely =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Palladius of Ireland, Bishop -- Died 432. The story of Palladius, recorded by Saint Prosper of Aquitaine, is caught up with that of Pope Saint Celestine I. Palladius, a deacon at Rome, was responsible for sending Saint Germanus of Auxerre to Britain in 429 to combat Pelagianism and in 431 was himself consecrated bishop of the Irish. He landed near Wicklow and worked in Leinster, where he encountered much opposition, but made some converts and built three churches. Acknowledging his lack of success in Ireland, he migrated to Scotland to preach to the Picts, and died soon after he arrived at Fordun, near Aberdeen (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney). * * * Another Life: The chronicle of the contemporary St. Prosper of Aquitaine present two important entries relating to Palladius. Under date of 429 it has, Agricola, a Pelagian, son of Severianus, a Pelagian bishop, corrupted the churches of Britain by the insinuation of his doctrine; but at the insistence of the Deacon Palladius (ad actionem Palladii Diaconi), Celestine sent Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre as his representative to root out heresy and direct the Britons to the Catholic Faith. Again under the date of 431, in the consulship of Bassus and Antiocus: Palladius was consecrated by Pope Celestine and sent to the Scots believing in Christ, as their first bishop (Ad Scotum in Christum credentes ordinatur a Papa Celestino Palladius et primus episcopus mittitur). In his work against Cassian, St. Prosper compendiates both entries: Wherefore the Pontiff Celestine of venerable memory, to whom the Lord gave many gifts for safeguarding the Catholic Church, knowing that for those who are already condemned, the remedy to be applied is not a further judicial inquiry but only repentance, gave instructions for Celestius, who asked for a further hearing in a matter already settled, to be driven from the borders of all Italy . . . with no less jealous care he delivered Britain from the same disease, when he drove even from that hidden recess of the ocean some enemies of Grace who were settling in their native soil; and by ordaining a bishop for the Irish (Scoti), whilst he laboured to keep the Roman Island Catholic, he made also the barbarous Island Christian. The words of the second entry to the chronicle, to the Scots believing in Christ can only have the meaning that when the chronicle was being written in 447, the Irish had become a Christian people. Some writers with Dr. Todd regard Palladius as deacon of St. Germanus, but it appears more probable that he held the high rank of Deacon of Rome; it can hardly be supposed that a deacon of Auxerre would exercise such influence in Rome as that assigned to Palladius, and it is in accordance with St. Prosper's usage to indicate the Roman deacon by the simple title diaconus. Thus in the chronicle we have frequent entries such as Hilarius Diaconus, Ioannes Diaconus, Leo Diaconus, which invariably refer to the deacons of Rome. The seventh century life of St. Patrick by Muircu Maccumachthenus in the Book of Armaugh expressly styles Palladius Archidiaconus Pap? Coelestini urbis Rom? Episcopi, repeated in several of the other lives of St. Patrick. Ussher registers the tradition long current in England that Palladius was born in Britain and that he had combatted the Pelagian heresy there. The Bollandists are also of the opinion that he was a Briton by birth. The Palladii, however, were reckoned among the noblest families of France and several of them held high rank about this time in the Church of Gaul. These conflicting opinions may perhaps be reconciled. Under Julius the Apostate there was a Palladius holding prominent rank in the army of Gaul, who, for his fearless profession of the Faith, was exiled into Britain. We may easily suppose that the scion of such a privileged Gaulo-British family would attain the position of Deacon of Rome, would take much interest in the British Church, and, would by his familiarity with the Celtic language, be qualified to undertake the mission of the first bishop to the Irish. Palladius is honoured by the Scottish calendar on 6 July. The Aberdeen Breviary describes him as pontificem et fidei Catholic? apostolum pariter et doctorem. In some ancient records he is styled a martyr, probably because of the hardships endured during his missionary career in Ireland. Palladius landed in the territory of the Hy-Garchon, on the strand where the town of Wicklow now stands, then occupied by the tribe of Cualann who have left their name on the beautiful valley of Glencullen, seven miles distant from the spot where Palladius landed. The chieftain of the district
[celt-saints] 3 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 3 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Bladus of the Isle of Man * St. Byblig of Wales * St. Cillene of Iona * St. Germanus of the Isle of Man * St. Tirechan * St. Gunthiern of Wales and Brittany * St. Guthagon the Irishman * St. Rumold of Dublin Malines =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Bladus of the Isle of Man, Bishop (Blade) - Date unknown. According to tradition, Saint Bladus was one of the early bishops of the Isle of Man (Benedictines). St. Byblig of Wales -- (also known as Biblig, Peblig, Piblig, Publicius) 5th century (?). Although Saint Byblig was obviously a holy man connected with Carnarvon and honoured with much veneration in Wales, nothing is known about his life (Benedictines). St. Cillene of Iona, Abbot -- Died c. 752. The Irish Saint Cillene migrated to Iona, where he was elected abbot in 726 (Benedictines). St. Germanus of the Isle of Man, Bishop -- Born c. 410; died in Normandy, c. 474; today is his feast on the Isle of Man; in Wales it is kept on July 31 or October 1 (because of the confusion with another Germanus whose feast was on that day). Farmer states: The presence of a number of dedications in North Wales and Cornwall, sometimes wrongly attributed to Germanus of Auxerre, together with references to German in Lives of Celtic saints which are chronologically impossible for Germanus, has led Celtic scholars to seek at least one other German to explain them. Tradition tells us that Saint Germanus was a nephew of Saint Patrick. We are also told that when Saint Germanus of Auxerre (f.d. July 31) visited Britain in 448 AD to refute the Pelagians, he met an Irish colonist whose son became his disciple and chose his master's name for himself. Baring-Gould reports that Germanus of Man was born in Brittany and went to Ireland to work with Saint Patrick. He was a missionary monk in Ireland, in Wales under Saints Brioc (f.d. May 1) and Illtyd (f.d. November 6), and Brittany. Germanus left Brittany to meet Patrick in Britain about 462. There he engaged in a magic contest with Gwrtheyrn. After that he returned to Ireland (c. 466) eventually to become the bishop of the Isle of Man during the lifetime of Patrick. After evangelising in Wales, his name is traced in Spain and Gaul. His martyrdom is recorded in Normandy. His memory is preserved in place names, such as Jarman and Gremain, in areas such as Caernavonshire, Denbighshire, Montgomeryshire, and Radnorshire. His name is also found in the Acts of Kieran and those of other early Irish saints. Leland mentions a pilgrimage to Garmon (Armon) at Llanarmon yn Ial, where votive offerings were made to a statue in sacerdotal vestments (Baring-Gould, Benedictines, D'Arcy, Farmer, Leland, Moran). Troparion of St German tone 2 Nephew of Patrick and missionary in Ireland,/ thou didst spread the Faith in many lands./ From Wales to Brittany, and thence to the Isle of Man,/ thou didst glorify Christ wherever thou didst tread./ Pray to Christ to save our souls. St. Tirechan 7th century. About 670-700 AD, Saint Tirechan wrote a memoir of Saint Patrick, known as the Breviarium. which is preserved in the Book of Armagh. He was a priest in Meath and disciple of Ultan of Ardbraccan, who gave Tirechan his notes on Patrick. Using these notes, Tirechan became one of Patrick's first biographers about a century after the Irish patron's death. The oldest extant hagiographical text to bring St. Patrick into contact with Mag Slecht is Tirechan's Breviarium written between 668 and 701 a. d. and entered in the Book of Armagh by the scribe Ferdomnach about the year 807. Tirechan records that Patrick travelled to Gaul (especially Auxerre and Lerins), Italy, and the Tyrrhenian Sea. His work also includes valuable details about Ireland during his own life (Binchy, D'Arcy, Needham, O'Hanlon, Ryan). St. Gunthiern, Prince of Wales, Hermit in Brittany Died c. 500. Gunthiern, a Welsh prince, left his homeland in his youth to become a hermit in Brittany (Armorica). On the Isle of Groie near the mouth of the Blavet, he was given land for a monastery by the local lord, Grallon, who was impressed by Gunthiern's holiness. The abbey is known as Kemperle, which indicates its location between the Isol and Wile Rivers. Once a swarm of insects threatened to devour the crops. Count Guerech I of Vannes, dreading a famine, sent three dignitaries to request the saint's intercession to turn away the scourge. Gunthiern blessed some water and told them to sprinkle it over the fields. When they followed Gunthiern's instructions the insects were destroyed. During the Norman invasions, Gunthiern's body was concealed in the isle of Groie. When it was discovered in the
[celt-saints] 4 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 4 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Finbar of Wexford * St. Odo of Canterbury =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Finbar, Abbot of Innis-Doimhle, County Wexford, Ireland --- 6th century. This Saint Finbar was the founder and abbot of a famous monastery on the Isle of Crimlen or Innis Doimhle, Wexford (Benedictines, Husenbeth). Troparion of St Finbar tone 3 O holy Finbar, thou didst labour faithfully/ and gain many disciples who followed thee to Christ./ As thou didst guide souls in thine Irish monastery,/ pray to Christ our God/ to grant us His great mercy. St. Odo (Oda) the Good, Bishop of Canterbury Born in East Anglia; died 959; feast day in Canterbury formerly on June 2. Born of Danish parents in England, Odo became bishop of Ramsbury (Wessex). He was with King Athelstand when the king defeated the Danes, Scots, and Northumbrians at the Battle of Brunanburh in 937. In 942, he became archbishop of Canterbury. He tried to escape consecration by declaring that, unlike previous archbishops, he was not a monk. He only consented to accept the dignity after he had received the monastic habit from the hands of the abbot of Fleury-sur-Loire in France. Odo played an active role in secular as well as ecclesiastical affairs during the reigns of Kings Edmund and Edgar and paved the way for monastic restoration under SS. Dunstan, Oswald (Odo's nephew), and Ethelwold. He is reputed to have performed several miracles (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopaedia). Sources: Attwater, D. (1958). A Dictionary of Saints. New York: P. J. Kenedy Sons. [Attwater 2] Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Delaney, J. J. (1983). Pocket Dictionary of Saints. New York: Doubleday Image. Encyclopaedia of Catholic Saints. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 2 July #1
Celtic and Old English Saints 2 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Swithin of Winchester * St. Oudoc of Llandaff =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Swithun (Swithin) of Winchester, Bishop --- Born in Wessex, England; died at Winchester, England, July 2, 862. The translation of his relics is observed 15 July. Swithin was educated at the Old Abbey, Winchester, and was ordained (it is uncertain whether or not he was a monk). He became chaplain to King Egbert of the West Saxons, who appointed him tutor of his son Ethelwulf, and was one of the king's counsellors. Swithun was named bishop of Winchester in 852 when Ethelwulf succeeded his father as king. Swithun built several churches and was known for his humility and his aid to the poor and needy (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney). A miracle attributed to him in the Golden Legend illustrates his understanding of ordinary folk. A poor woman was pushed in a market-day crowd and dropped her basket of eggs. St. Swithun blessed the broken shells and the eggs were made whole again. A long-held popular belief declares it will rain for 40 days if it rains on his feast day. Saint Swithun's day, if thou dost rain, For forty days it will remain; Saint Swithun's day, if thou be fair, For forty days 'twill rain nae mair. * * * St. Swithun's Shrine at Winchester Cathedral (On the web, with photographs, at http://www.britannia.com/church/shrines/sw-shrine.html ) Before its destruction in 1538, the Shrine of St. Swithun in Winchester Cathedral was perhaps the second most popular place of pilgrimage in Medieval England. However, despite its popularity in times gone by, no illustrations or detailed descriptions of the shrine have survived. The form, style and even site of this holy relic remain controversial even today. The pious Swithun, Bishop of Winchester in the mid 9th century was originally buried (862) in a humble grave in the open between the tower of St. Martin and the Cathedral Church of the Old Minster in Winchester. This original grave, along with the minster itself, was excavated by Martin Biddle in the 1960s. St. Swithun, however, was long gone. Popular legend insists that the monks tried to move Swithun inside the Old Minster, some nine years after his death. The saint, however, did not approve of his removal from exposure to the elements. There was a clap of thunder and it began to rain for forty days and forty nights! About a hundred years later, however, Swithun appears to have changed his mind. For various visions are said to have led a subsequent bishop, (St.) Aethelwold, to successfully transfer his body inside the Old Minster, on 15th July 971. Screens were placed round the grave and St. Swithun was ceremonial exhumed: the bishop himself taking up the spade. At around the same time, Bishop Aethelwold instigated an ambitious plan to turn the Old Minster into a shrine-church centred around St. Swithun's relics. He extended the building and enclosed the saint's original grave beneath a huge crossing tower. In 974, King Edgar donated a magnificent gold and silver feretory in which to enshrine St. Swithun's body. It was studded with precious jewels and depicted scenes of Christ's Passion, Resurrection and Ascension. On 30th October, therefore, Swithun was translated once more. His head was removed to a separate head shrine kept in the sacristy upon the altar in a space with a locked door, which could be described as a 'chamber' or vestibule, and was guarded by a watcher or sacrist. The main shrine is believed to have been placed on an altar over the original grave. Three years later, Aethelwold had this area of the Minster completely rebuilt with a massive westwork fit to receive the many pilgrims not only visiting St. Swithun's Shrine, but those of St. Birinus and St. Birstan too. St. Swithun's head was taken to Canterbury Cathedral by (St.) Alphege when he was elevated from Bishop of Winchester to Archbishop of Canterbury in 1006. An arm was also taken to Peterborough Abbey (now Cathedral). With the arrival of the Normans and the building of the present Winchester Cathedral to the south of the Old Minster, St. Swithun was on the move once more. On his feast day in 1093, his feretory was carried into the, still incomplete, new building and, the very next day, Bishop Walkelin ordered the demolition of the Old Minster. St. Swithun's feretory was probably placed behind the High Altar. In the mid-12th century, Bishop Henry (of Blois) elevated St. Swithun onto a large platform built into the eastern apse of the Norman Cathedral especially for his veneration. Much remodelled, this area is still known as the Feretory or Feretory Platform. Beneath it is the 'Holy Hole': a small (originally larger) passage which enabled pilgrims to crawl from outside the cathedral to right beneath St. Swithun's Shrine! Bishop Henry also surrounded Swithun with the bones of
[celt-saints] 1 July
Celtic and Old English Saints 1 July =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Servan of Culross * St. Aaron and St. Julius of Caerleon * St. Cewydd of Anglesey * St. Gwenyth of Cornwall =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Servan (Serf), Bishop of Culross, Scotland, Co-labourer of Saint Ninian --- 6th century. Patron of the Orkney Islands. Bishop. Also known as Servanus, Serf, or Sair. According to an tradition, he was from Ireland, receiving consecration as bishop from St. Palladius and preaching among the Seots. He is honoured as the patron of the Orkney Islands, although it is unlikely that he was ever there. He is called the Apostle of West Fife. St. Aaron and St. Julius and Companions, Martyrs of Caerleon, Wales --- Date unknown, probably c. 304-305. Julius and Aaron were Roman-Britons who are said to have been put to death at Caerleon-upon-Usk in Monmouthshire, Britain, perhaps in the middle of the 3rd century. Saint Gildas (f.d. January 29) records that they died under Diocletian, but it is now believed that Diocletian's decree against Christians was not enforced in Britain. Saint Bede (f.d. May 25) simply records their illustrious triumph and that very many others of both sexes, by unheard of tortures, attained to the crown of heavenly glory. Another ancient, but not contemporary, hagiographer relates that Julius and Aaron went to Rome and there applied themselves to the sacred studies. Nothing else is recorded about them. The date c. 304, during the persecution of Diocletian, commonly given to these martyrs is only a conjecture (though a very old one). Attestation to their cultus can be found in church dedications in and near Caerleon, and mention in the Book of Llan Dav. Gerald of Wales writes that their relics were venerated in Caerleon in 1200 AD, and that each was titular to a church and a monastery; Julius's name belonged to a convent and Aaron's to an abbey of canons. Their feast is kept in the diocese of Cardiff (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, Farmer, Husenbeth). St. Cewydd of Anglesey, Wales St. Gwenyth, Virgin of Cornwall, Sister of Saint Samson of York Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 30 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 30 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Eurgain =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Eurgain, Virgin of Glamorgan, Wales, Foundress of Llantwit Monastery The British llanau (churches) were centres of not just spirituality, but also education. In fact, the very early Roman Church's first bishop, Pope Linus, was half British and two of his successors were also British. Linus was related to the Silurian chieftain Caractacus (Caradog) who was taken to Rome in 51 AD after instigating an uprising against the Romans. Surprisingly, Caradog was pardoned by Emperor Claudius and he and his family were kept in Rome until 57 AD when they returned to South Wales. According to Welsh historical records, Caradog's daughter, Eurgain, brought twelve Christians with her, and as such, was the mother of the British Church. In fact, she had been converted to Christianity whilst in Rome by St Paul. Eurgain's sister was Gwladys (born 36 AD) - also known as Claudia after she married Rufus Pudens Pudentius, a Roman citizen, in 53 AD. Claudia's home, Pallatium Brittanicum (British Palace), in Rome was given to the young couple as a dowry by Caradog and was also used for Christian worship. The church of St Pudentiana now stands on the site. Pudens had vast estates in Umbria and according to the Roman Martyrology, he brought 400 servants from his estates to the Pallatium. The 'Roman Martyrologies' states that in 56 AD: The children of Claudia were brought up at the feet of St Paul. The second Pope, Clemenus Romanus (Clement) confirmed that St Paul had resided at Claudia's home , the Pallatium Britannicum, and had instructed her brother, Linus, the first Bishop of Rome or Pope. Linus is mentioned by St Paul in his Epistle to Timothy, and was buried, according to Bishop Irenaeus, alongside St Peter at the foot of the Vatican hill. Linus was Caradog's grand-son and the son of Claudia. The passage by Irenaeus (Adv. haereses, III, iii, 3) reads: After the Holy Apostles (Peter and Paul) had founded and set the Church in order (in Rome) they gave over the exercise of the episcopal office to Linus. The same Linus is mentioned by St. Paul in his Epistle to Timothy. His successor was Anacletus. Eurgain, on her return to South Wales, established a church, which is referred to as 'Cor Eurgain' in Welsh records. This church was established in 57 AD near Llanilltud Fawr (Llantwit Major) in present day Glamorganshire. However, even today the Church in Wales denies this fact, and chooses to tow the line with the Stubbs' mentality that Romans brought Christianity to Britain rather than the evidence that shows it had been here for hundreds of years and was independent of Rome. The location of the Cor is most probably Caer Mead, a Roman villa on the outskirts of the town. This villa was last excavated in 1888, and even then only partly, and the findings showed it to have mosaic floors and painted plaster walls. Professor McAllister in his Glamorgan: History and Topography relates that the 1888 excavation showed the villa to cover an area of eight acres with its defences. The building alone covered two acres and comprised 20 rooms, one of them being 60 feet by 51 feet, the remaining walls of which rose to a height of nine feet...it is one of the few Roman civil sites in Wales and was probably built before the middle of the second century. These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 29 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 29 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Cocha of Ross-Benchuir * St. Elwin of Lindsey * St. Salome and St. Judith =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Cocha, Abbess of Ross-Benchuir, Who Nursed Saint Ciaran --- 6th century. Saint Cocha is said to have raised Saint Ciaran of Saighir (f.d. March 5) and later to have become abbess of Ross-Benchuir (Benedictines). St. Elwin (Aethelwine) of Lindsey, Bishop -- Died 692. This Saint Elwin may be the same person as Saint Ethelwin of Lindsey (f.d. May 3), although the date given for the latter is 8th century. Farmer states that today's Elwin studied in Ireland. He was consecrated bishop of Lindsey in 680 by Saint Theodore the Greek of Canterbury (f.d. September 19) at the request of King Ethelred of Mercia. The venerable Saint Bede (f.d. May 25) calls him a 'vir sanctus,' Elwin does not appear to have had an early cultus (Benedictines, Farmer). Ss. Salome and Judith, Virgins --- 9th century. Saints Judith and Salome are said to have been English women of royal blood, perhaps close relatives. They were anchorites at the monastery of Oberaltaich in Bavaria, Germany. Although the tradition is late, it has been suggested that Salome is Edburga, the beautiful, but rather shocking, daughter of King Offa of Mercia. She mistakenly poisoned her husband, King Beorhtric of the West Saxons, instead of an enemy. She was driven out of England for having committed this outrage. The Emperor Charlemagne gave her a rich monastery to govern, but he soon deposed her because of her scandalous behaviour. Thereafter she wandered about Europe with her maidservant begging for alms at Pavia (Patavium), Italy, or Passau (Patavia), Germany. If Asser made a mistake in his record and she was found in Passau, there is a link between Edburga and Salome, because her biographer said that the saint came to the monastery from Passau. Thus, the princess may have repented by submitting to the penitential life of a hermit. Reputedly Judith, her aunt, was sent to find her and joined her in the monastery. Another version of the story expands on the above. It relates that only the repentant Salome was an exiled Anglo-Saxon princess and that Judith was a Bavarian widow who befriended her. It is evident that the story is highly uncertain, though the saints are real. Sometimes Judith is the princess, at other times Salome, and still others both are of royal blood (Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, Encyclopaedia, Farmer). Sources: Attwater, D. (1958). A Dictionary of Saints. New York: P. J. Kenedy Sons. [Attwater 2] Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Coulson, J. (ed.). (1960). The Saints: A Concise Biographical Dictionary. New York: Hawthorn Books. Green Co. Encyclopaedia of Catholic Saints. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 26 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 26 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Brannock of Braunton * St. Babolenus of Fosses * St. Corbican of Ireland =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Brannock, Abbot of Braunton (also known as Barnoc, Brannoc) 6th century. Saint Brannock appears to have migrated from southern Wales into Devon. Some say that he floated over from Ireland in a stone coffin. He founded a monastery at Braunton, near Barnstaple in Devonshire, where William Worcestre and Leland say he was buried. The traditions concerning him are confused. Some hagiographers identify him as the 6th-century Welsh missionary Saint Brynach (Bernach or Bernacus). Because there are two separate feasts at Exeter on April 7 and January 7 for the respective saints, it is unlikely that they are the same person (Benedictines, Farmer). The parish of St. Brannock's is a legacy of St.Brannock who first founded the church in the sixth century. The church was built in a wooded valley away from the main Celtic settlement, near to the trackways which came through gaps in the river Caen and went onwards to the saltpans of nearby Saunton or to cross the river Taw/Torridge estuary and on down towards Cornwall. Tradition has it that St Brannoc first built his church on a hill overlooking Braunton but it fell down, and in a dream he was told to look for the sow and her piglets and there to build his church. The story is still commemorated in one of the stained glass windows and one of the roof bosses of the present St Brannocks where if you look carefully you will see the sow and her litter. Three churches have been built on the site and the present church dating from the 13th century contain elements of the church of 837 AD. The exact locality of Saint Brannoch's tomb is now unknown, but some of his relics are in the church and it is a place of pilgrimage for Greek Orthodox from London. Later the church became a minster, giving the name Brannocminster to the Saxon settlement which grew up on both sides of the river Caen. By the time of the conquest, the village was a royal manor of importance, equal to Barnstaple. Troparion of St Brannock of Braunton tone 1 Righteous tutor of the children of Brychan and great wonderworker, O Father Brannock,/ thou didst win many souls for Christ by thy tireless endeavours./ As Braunton's church may yet hold thy precious relics,/ Pray that we, being ever mindful of our Orthodox heritage,/ may never deviate from the true Faith/ and, thereby, receive the reward of the blest. St. Babolenus of Fosses, Abbot Died c. 677. Babolenus migrated to France, where he became a monk at Luxeuil under Saint Columbanus. Later he was appointed the first abbot of Saint Peter's near Paris, which was renamed Saint-Maur-des-Fosses when the relics of Saint Maurus where brought there from Anjou. He was helped by Saint Fursey in the erection of many churches and hospitals in the diocese of Paris. Together they served the whole diocese under Bishops Audebert and Saint Landry (Benedictines, Husenbeth). St. Corbican of Ireland, Confessor in the Low Countries - 8th century. Corbican was an Irish recluse in the Low Countries who spent part of his day helping and instructing the peasants (Benedictines). Sources: Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. 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 *
[celt-saints] 27 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 27 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. John of Chinon * St. Benen of Armagh =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. John of Chinon, Hermit Born in Brittany; 6th century. Saint Gregory of Tours tells us that Saint John became a hermit at Chinon (or Caion) in Touraine, there he confined himself to a little cell and oratory near the church. He attempted to withdrew from superfluous commerce with others, preferring to tend his orchard, including some laurels under which he would sit to read or write. He was the spiritual adviser of Queen Saint Radegund. He was interred at his cell after his death. Many pilgrims were restored to health at his intercession (Benedictines, Husenbeth). At Glastonbury, the Translation of the Relics of St. Benen (Benignus), Archbishop of Armagh, Saint Patrick's chanter --- (See his Life - 9 November) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/986 Suppliers of Icons of Celtic Saints for the church or the prayer corner at home. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/2875 * Lives kindly supplied by: 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 *
[celt-saints] 25 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 25 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Amphibalus of Saint Alban's * St. Moloc of Mortlach * St. Adalbert of Egmond * St. Milburga of Much Wenlock * St. Solomon of Brittany * St. Solomon III of Brittany * St. Molonachus of Lismore * St. Kenneburga of Gloucester =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Amphibalus (of the Cloak), Priest-martyr of Verulam in Hertfordshire, England, Who Taught Saint Alban -- See 22 June http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/2338 St. Moloc of Mortlach, Bishop (also known as Lua, Luan, Lugaidh, Moloag, Molluog, Molua, Murlach) Born in Scotland; died at Rossmarkie, c. 572. Saint Moluag was educated in the monastery school of Bangor in Ireland and then returned to his native land as a missionary. (Some say that he was actually from Ulster and may have been an O'Neill.) The Cistercian Bernard of Clairvaux in his biography of his close friend Malachy of Ireland tells us that the monk Moluag of Bangor was the founder of 100 monasteries in Scotland. In fact, Moluag ranked alongside Saint Columba as a missionary: While Columba was the apostle to the Gaels; Moluag evangelized the Picts. His main work as a bishop was the evangelization of the Hebrides. Inevitably, legends have grown around his name according to which there was a rivalry between Moluag and Columba, but it appears that they worked among to distinct national groups. Moluag actually arrived about a year before Columba in Scotland. He was accompanied by Saint Comgall, an Irish Pict, who presented him to King Brude to obtain his authority for the mission. Columba, incidentally, had Comgall perform the same service for him. It is possible that King Brude preferred Moluag to Columba, and that is what led Moluag to concentrate more on the Picts. It would be quite natural that the Pictish king might have some reservations about the Ulster prince Columba, who was a natural leader of the Gaelic people in Scotland. Whatever happened, the two missionaries gradually brought an end to the armed conflict between the two nations. The blackthorn crosier (Bachuill Mor) of Saint Moluag is in the possession of the Campbells, dukes of Argyle, who traditionally carried it with them into battle. His shrine was at Mortlach. On the island of Lewis, the custom persisted, despite the Scottish reformers' attempts to stop it, until the 19th century of conducting a ritual service of intercession to Moluag at his titular church Teampall Mo Luigh. Although the cultus of Moluag decreased together with the power of the Pictish people he evangelized, there are many memorials to Moluag in the form of ancient churches and placenames. Kilmoluag is a common example. The name Luke, which is very common among men in Scotland, is reliably stated to be derived from Moluag. Saint Moluag is invoked against insanity and his intercession sought to heal wounds (Benedictines, Montague) Another Life http://www.cushnieent.force9.co.uk/stmoluag.html One of the Celtic Giants. Died: 592AD Also known as Lugaidh and Molloch, Moluag was born c.530AD of the clan Dalaraidhe, in northern Ireland where he became a monk of Bangor. Many consider his true name to have been Lugaidh (pronounced Lua) and the form of Moluag, used in the Annals of Tigernach, is simply an affectionate form - Mo-Luoc, my Lugaidh. St Moluag's plan for working Pictland was to organize three great muinntirs or communities to be the centres of education and ministerial supply for the Churches in their respective districts; and, of course, for the maintenance of these central communities he had the reserves of the mother church of Bangor in Eire. He first organised the great community of Lismore in Lorn about 562AD. Moluag's settlement was in the north of Lismore, close to a megalithic site surmounted by a high cairn which once marked the funeral pyres of Pictish Kings. This island was the sacred island of the Western Picts, and continued to be the burial-place of their kings who reigned at Beregonium. The Churches dependent on Lismore, still traceable, are Teampul Mor in Lewis; the Church of Pabay, that is, Isle of the papa; Cill Moluag in Raasay; Teampull Mholuig, Moluag's Chapel, at Europie in Ness; Cill Moluag in Skye; Cill Moluag in Tiree; Cill Moluag in Mull; 'Kilmalu' in Morvern; 'Kilmalu' of Inverary; and Cill Moluag at Ballagan, Inverfarigaig. St Moluag's second central community is said to have been organised at Rosemarkie on the northern shore of the Inverness Firth (however, see below). Many of the churches founded from this centre were afterwards, in the Roman Catholic period, dedicated to Roman saints, and they cannot now be definitely distinguished as St Moluag's; but there was an old church in the strath of the Peffray (Strathpeffer) whose temporalities are still called Davoch-Moluag, and the submerged Church of
[celt-saints] 23 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 23 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Mochaoi of Nendrum * St. Etheldreda of Ely =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Mochaoi, Abbot of Nendruim, Baptised by Saint Patrick (Moeliai, Moelray, Melray) --- Born in Ireland; died c. 493. Saint Moeliai was baptized by Saint Patrick, who appointed him abbot over Nendrum, where he had Saints Finian and Colman among his disciples (Benedictines). St Mochaoi has been anglicised as St Mahee pronounced Mah hee with the stress on the ee. His monastic site is at Nendrum on Mahee Island. Mahee island is now linked to another island and to the mainland by causeways that can take a single car. It is a lovely drive there, the hedgerows are in bloom with wild flowers and fuscias and the clear water of Strangford lough was smooth and windless. The Nendrum monastic site has a small carpark for about 8 cars. The first thing you realise is how high it is up the island which is itself a submerged drumlin - the advancing iceflows rounded the landscape to make this part of Ireland look like a basket of eggs - and this egg along with others got flooded. The monastery is on the highest peak and is surrounded by an outer wall or cashel and an inner cashel. There is a causeway bridge up to the first level between the two cashels and it is believed that this would have been a hive of activity. Although the monastery is quiet today, in the 5th century the waterways of Ireland were the main roads so the monastery was likely to have been a thriving community. To enter the inner cashel one has to walk in single file through a small passageway, probably this was some form of defence as was the round tower of which only the stump remains. The remains of the church are clearly seen and face due east. At the South west corner the old sundial has been reconstructed. There is a graveyard just beyond the west door and if you go beyond the inner cashel wall again on the west side there are the foundations of many round monastic cells. Various photographs of the island and of the church, round tower, etc http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/nendrum.shtml http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/product.aspx?ProductID=2877 St. Etheldreda (Audrey), Queen of Northumbria, Abbess of Ely's Double Monastery --- (also known as Audrey, Athelthryth, Ethelreda, Edilthride, Ediltrudis, Edeltrude) Born in Exning, Suffolk, England; died at Ely, 679. Now Etheldreda shines upon our days, Shedding the light of grace on all our ways. Born of a noble and a royal line, She brings to Christ her King a life more fine. --The Venerable Bede To her friends and family, this once most famous female Anglo-Saxon saint was Etheldreda. To poor people she was Audrey, and the word tawdry originally came from the cheap necklaces that were sold on the feast of Saint Audrey and which were believed to cure illness of the throat and neck. This was because Etheldreda had suffered from neck cancer, which she attributed to divine punishment because she was once vain enough to wear a costly necklace. She had a huge tumour on her neck when she died, but, according the Saint Bede, when her tomb was opened by her sister Saint Sexburga, her successor as abbess at Ely Abbey, ten (or 16) years after her death, her body was found incorrupt and the tumour had healed. Etheldreda was a woman of noble birth, the daughter of King Anna of East Anglia, and sister to Saints Sexburga, Ethelburga, Erconwald, and Withburga. She was born in a time when the religious were uncompromising in their desire for complete conversion of their lives to God. To Etheldreda prayer, Holy Communion, and works of mercy were essential features of her faith in Jesus Christ. From her youth she devoted herself to piety, purity, and humility. Though she seemed destined for the cloistered life, twice Saint Etheldreda was married and released from these unwelcome ties. At the age of 14, Etheldreda was married to Tonbert. Now some saints have run away from marriage when they felt called to the vowed religious life, but Etheldreda trusted in God. She accepted the wedding calmly and found that Tonbert was equally devout and was happy that they should live in continence. After three (or five) years together, Tonbert died. For a time she enjoyed the solitude of the island of Ely, which had been part of her dowry, but for reasons of state she married again. Her second husband, Egfrid, son of King Oswy of Northumbria, was just a boy at the time. Etheldreda, though still young herself, treated him as her son or brother, rather than as a husband. She taught him the catechism and directed his spiritual growth, clearly trying to prepare him to accept a marriage of continence. But after 12 years of this relationship, Egfrid, grown to manhood, tried to make her his wife in fact as well as in name. This alarmed Etheldreda, who then sought
[celt-saints] 21 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 21 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Mewan of Brittany * St. Corbmac of Durrow * St. Engelmund of Vebsen =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Mewan of Brittany, Abbot - (also known as Maine, Mevenus, Meen. Melanus) Born in Gwent, South Wales; died at Gael, Brittany, c. 617. Traditionally the Cornish Saint Meen is said to have been born to a rich and noble family. He mother was related to Saints Magloire (f.d. October 24) and Samson (f.d. July 28). Accompanied by his reputed godson Saint Austell (f.d. June 28), he followed Saint Samson from Wales to Brittany. Samson used him to preach to the people on their way. As they passed through Cornwall they founded adjoining parishes called Saint Mewan and Saint Austell. In Brittany Meen evangelized the Broceliande district which figures in the Arthurian romances. He acquitted himself so well as a preacher that he was given land and goods by Count Caduon and Count Guerech I of Vannes to found a monastery. With their assistance he founded one monastery near Rennes, Saint John the Baptist of Gael, now called Saint-Meen's. With Meen as abbot, the monastery gained renown for its sanctity and regularity. When King Saint Judicaeel (f.d. December 17) renounced his throne c. 616, he received the monastic habit from Saint Meen. Then he founded another monastery near Angers, which was later called Saint-Meen or Saint-Meon, which he populated with monks from Gael. The cultus of Saint Meen spread throughout France and there were numerous pilgrimages to his shrine at the monastery. At Gael there was a fountain whose water was renowned for healing skin diseases. The abbey was converted into a Lazarist seminary in 1640. His extant _vita_, in which he is called Conard-Meen, was written there 500 years after his death. In England he is the patron of Saint Mewan and perhaps Mevagissey in Cornwall. Some of his relics are claimed by Glastonbury; others were translated to Saint-Florent's abbey near Saumur. His name is found in a 7th-century English litany and in pre-Conquest missals. His feast is kept in Cornwall and Exeter (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Husenbeth). Troparion of St Mewan tone 7 Holy disciple of Saint Samson of Dol,/ thou didst persevere in thy resolve and enter a monastery in Brittany./ Thou didst press on in thy holy struggle/ and establish thine own monastery./ O holy Mewan, pray for us to Christ our God/ that our souls may be saved. St. Corbmac of Durrow, Abbot -- 6th century. Saint Corbmac was a disciple of Saint Columba, who appointed him abbot of the monastery he founded at Durrow (Benedictines). St. Engelmund of Vebsen, Abbot - Born in England; died c. 739. Engelmund was educated in England and became a monk at an early age, then priest, and abbot. He migrated to Friesland, where he was a successful evangelist with Saint Willibrord, at Velsen near Haarlem (Benedictines). In art, Saint Engelmund is depicted as a pilgrim abbot with a fountain springing under his staff (Roeder). He is venerated in Friesland and invoked against toothache (Roeder). Sources: Attwater, D. (1983). The Penguin Dictionary of Saints, NY: Penguin Books. Attwater, D. (1958). A Dictionary of Saints. New York: P. J. Kenedy Sons. [Attwater 2] Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Coulson, J. (ed.). (1960). The Saints: A Concise Biographical Dictionary. New York: Hawthorn Books. Green Co. Encyclopaedia of Catholic Saints, June. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. Roeder, H. (1956). Saints and Their Attributes, Chicago: Henry Regnery. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm Orthodox Ireland Saints http://tinyurl.com/ysvzbh 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 *
[celt-saints] 22 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 22 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Alban, First Martyr of Britain * St. Heraclius the Soldier * St. Aaron of Brittany =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Alban, Proto-Martyr of Great Britain 3rd or 4th century. There were probably already Christians in the British Isles in the first century. In fact, by the end of the second century a great many of the inhabitants of southern England were Christians. However, Alban is the first recorded Christian martyr of the island. The traditional date of his death is 304, during the persecution under the Emperor Diocletian; but many scholars now date it as early as 209, during the persecution under the Emperor Septimus Severus. This date was derived from a study of the Turin manuscript of a Passio Albani. The first known reference to him, outside the Turin manuscript, is in the 5th century life of Saint Germanus of Auxerre. Gildas, writing c.540, gives the core of the tradition. Saint Bede gives an amplified account, which includes a lively description of the beheading and more details of signs from heaven. Alban was a pagan, a Roman soldier, who, during the persecution of Diocletian, took pity on a fleeing Christian priest and sheltered him in his own home. When he saw that the priest spent day and night in prayer, he was moved by the grace of God. They spent several days talking together and Alban was so impressed by the priest's sanctity and devotion that he became a Christian and wanted to imitate the piety and faith of his guest. Encouraged and instructed by the priest, Alban renounced his idol worship and embraced Christ with his whole heart. He was a leading citizen in the old Roman city of Verulamium (Verulam), Hertfordshire, England, now called Saint Albans. The town was originally a collection of huts of wattle and daub that stretched along Watling Street, and later destroyed by the army of Boadicea, the warrior queen. The history continues that the Roman governor of the city, hearing a rumour that a priest was hiding in the house of Alban, sent a search party of soldiers to find him. Seeing them approach, Alban took the priest's cloak and put it over his own head and shoulders, and helped him to escape. Thus disguised, Alban opened the door to the soldiers and was arrested in mistake for the priest. He was bound in fetters and brought before the governor, who was attending a sacrifice to the pagan gods. When the cloak was removed and his true identity was discovered, the governor was furious. He then declared himself to be a Christian, whereupon the governor angrily ordered him to be taken before the altar. He was threatened with all the tortures that had been prepared for the priest if he did not recant. Alban faced his anger calmly and, ignoring his threats, declared that he could not sacrifice to the gods. Upon Alban's refusal to deny his faith, the governor enquired of what family and race he was. How can it concern you to know of what stock I am? answered Alban. If you want to know my religion, I will tell you--I am a Christian, and am bound by Christian obligations. When asked his name, he replied: I am called Alban by my parents, and I worship and adore the true and living God, who created all things. He was then commanded to sacrifice to the Roman gods, but he refused and was cruelly scourged. Alban bore the punishment with resignation, even joy. When it was seen that he could not be prevailed upon to retract, he was sentenced to decapitation. On the way to his execution on Holmhurst Hill, the crowds that gathered to honour his heroism were so great that his passage was delayed because they could not reach the bridge over the river. Alban, who seemed to fear that any delay might deprive him of the martyr's crown, decided to cross at another point, and going down to the water's edge he prayed to God and stepped into the river which he then forded without difficulty. Both Gildas and Bede have accepted the tradition that this was a miracle and that the waters dried up completely in answer to the saint's prayer. They add that a thousand other people crossed over with him, while the waters piled up on either side, and that this miracle converted the appointed executioner. Still accompanied by a huge throng of people, Alban climbed the hill to the place of execution. But, on his arrival there, the executioner threw down his sword and refused to perform his office. He said that if he were not allowed to take Alban's place then he would share his martyrdom. Confessing himself to be a Christian, the soldier was replaced by another. Then he took his stand beside Alban, and they faced death together. Alban was beheaded first, then the soldier, Saint Heraclius, was baptized in his own blood to share the glory of martyrdom. The third martyr was the priest, who when he learned that Alban had been arrested in his place, hurried to the
[celt-saints] 20 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 20 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Fillan of Munster * St. Edburga of Caistor * St. Goban * St. Govan of Wales * St. Edward of England * St. Oswald of Northumbria =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Fillan of Munster, Missionary to Loch Earn, Scotland (Foelan, Foellan, Foilan, Foillan, Fulan) - Early 8th century; in Ireland his feast is celebrated on January 9. (And in some places January 19.) The Irish Fillan, son of Feriach, grandson of King Ceallach of Leinster, received the monastic habit in the abbey of Saint Fintan Munnu. Then he accompanied his mother, Saint Kentigerna, and his uncle, Saint Comgan, to Scotland, where he became a missionary monk. He was perhaps a monk at Taghmon in Wexford and a hermit at Pittenweem, Fife, before being chosen as abbot of the nearby monastery, which he governed for some years. He retired to Glendochart in Perthshire, where he lived a solitary life and built a church. There he died and was buried at the place now called Strathfillan in his honour. Until the early 19th century, the mentally ill were dipped into the pool here and then left all night, restrained, in a corner of Fillan's ruined chapel. If they were found loose the next morning, they were considered cured. Further north, in Ross-shire, there are dedications to his memory and that of his uncle (Kilkoan and Killellan). Both Irish and Scottish martyrologies recorded his sanctity, and the Aberdeen Breviary relates some extraordinary miracles performed by him. History also records that Robert the Bruce put his hopes of victory at Bannockburn into the hands of Saint Fillan. It is reported that he brought an arm relic of the saint into battle having passed most of the night praying for his intercession. Not surprisingly, the Scottish victory at Bannockburn revived and perpetuated his cultus, and his feast is still kept in the diocese of Dunkeld (Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, Farmer, Gill, Montague). The bell and staff of Saint Fillan still exist. The outer covering of his staff (crosier) can be seen at http://www.cushnieent.force9.co.uk/photogallery1.html St. Edburga, Virgin of Caistor in Northamptonshire - (also known as Idaberga, Edburge, Eadburh) Died late 7th century. It is odd that a pagan, King Penda of Mercia, should have born so much fruit for the Kingdom of God. He was a staunch opponent of Christ, yet four of his daughters, including Edburga, rank among those in the heavenly court. Her sisters by blood and faith were Saints Kyneburga (wife of King Alfred of Northumberland), and Kyneswide and Chinesdre, who consecrated their virginity to God when they entered the convent of Dormundcastor or Caistor in Northamptonshire. Edburga also seems to have made her vows and was buried there. When her brother Wulhere finished Peterborough, her relics with those of her three sisters were translated to the new foundation. About 1040, the monk Balger carried all their relics and some of those of Saint Oswald to Berg Saint Winnoc in Flanders, probably by the authority of King Hardecanute of England, son of Emma, who had lived in Flanders in his youth. The relics of Saints Oswald, Edburga, and Lewin were lost in a great fire at the abbey in 1558. Yet an inscription there informs us that some of their dust still remains in the tomb (Benedictines,Husenbeth). St. Goban (Gobain, Govan, Gavan), Martyr - Born in Ireland; died c. 670. Goban was ordained priest in his native land. Then he became a monk under and disciple of Saint Fursey at Burgh Castle in Suffolk. He accompanied his abbot on his mission to evangelize East Anglia. Both saints then crossed to France. For a short time Goban lived at Corbeny, before the abbey was built, and later they settled together as hermits at Laon. From there they withdrew into the forest on the Oise. There Goban founded a stately church dedicated to Saint Peter, now called Saint Gobain, on land given to him by King Clotaire III. Here Goban was beheaded by thieves at a place now called Saint-Gobain and previously known as Le Mont d'Hermitage. His relics were lost during the Thirty Years War, except for his head which is still in his church (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Husenbeth). He is venerated in Burgh (Suffolk) and Saint Goban (Oise) (Roeder). St. Govan of Wales (Goven, Cofen) -- 6th cent. A hermit who lived halfway down a cliff at St Govan's Head in Dyfed in Wales where his stone hut can still be seen. He is probably buried under the altar in the hut, which later became a small chapel. Govan was probably a disciple of St Ailbe. A Pilgrimage to Saint Govan's Chapel http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/orthodoxchurch/Pilgrimage%20to%20Saint%20Govan.ht m St Govan's Head - St Govan's Chapel
[celt-saints] 18 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 18 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Theneva of Glasgow * St. Edburga and St. Edith of Aylesbury * St. Goneri of Brittany * St. Minnborinus of Cologne =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Theneva of Glasgow, Mother of St. Kentigern Mungo (also known as Dwynwen, Thaney, Thenaw, Thenog, Thenova) 7th century. Saint Theneva was a British princess. When it was discovered that she had conceived out of wedlock, she was thrown from a cliff. Unharmed at the bottom, she was then set adrift in a boat on the Firth of Forth. It was expected that she would die at sea, but God protected her and kept her alive. She landed at Culross, where she was sheltered by Saint Serf and gave birth to Saint Kentigern, named Mungo (darling) by his foster-father, Serf. She gave her name to Saint Enoch's Square and Railway Station in Glasgow, Scotland, where she is co- patron together with her son (Benedictines, Delaney). Sts. Edburga and Edith of Aylesbury, Virgins (also known as Edburga and Edith of Bicester) Died c. 650. The sisters Edburga and Edith were Anglo-Saxon princesses, supposedly of King Penda of Mercia, who became nuns at Aylesbury (Benedictines). St. Goneri of Brittany 6th century. Saint Goneri was exiled from Britain to Brittany, where he was a hermit near Treguier (Benedictines). St. Minnborinus of Cologne, Abbot --- Died 986. Saint Minborinus led a group of Irish missionaries to Cologne, Germany, where the archbishop installed them in Saint Martin's Abbey with Minborinus as abbot, where he governed from 974 to 986. Because the monastery was declared an Irish Abbey, many churches in the area were dedicated to Irish saints, including five churches and seven chapels under the patronage of Saint Brigid (Benedictines, Montague). Suppliers of Icons of Celtic Saints for the church or the prayer corner at home. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/2875 * Lives kindly supplied by: 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 *
[celt-saints] 16 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 16 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Cettin of Oran * St. Colman McRoi * St. Curig of Wales * St. Ismael of Wales =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Cettin, Bishop of Oran --- (also known as Cethach, Cethagh) 5th century. Saint Cettin was consecrated by Saint Patrick as an auxiliary bishop. Some authorities distinguish Cethagh and Cettin, but they appear to be the same person. His shrine at Oran was a pilgrimage centre for 13 centuries (Benedictines, Montague). St. Colman Mac Roy, Deacon, Abbot and Founder of Reachrain Near Dublin, Ireland --- 6th century. The deacon Saint Colman was a disciple of Saint Columcille. He founded and governed the abbey at Reachrain (now called Lambay Island) in Dublin (Benedictines). Troparion of St Colman McRoi tone 6 Disciple of Saint Colum Cille,/ thou didst return to his native land and found a monastery at Dublin./ As thou dost now stand before Christ with the Angels/ pray, O Colman, that those who hymn thee may obtain His great mercy. St. Curig, Bishop of Llanbadarn, Wales --- 6th century. There is a confusion of many saints with similar names to Curig. Nevertheless, he is believed to have been bishop of Llanbadarn, Wales, where several churches are dedicated to his honour (Benedictines). St. Ismael (Ysfael, Osmail), Bishop of Menevia, Wales --- 6th century. Saint Ismael, according to the Life of Oudoceus (Teilo), was a disciple of Saint Teilo, who consecrated him bishop of Menevia to succeed Saint David. We are told that he was the son of Prince Budic of Cornouaille, who was forced into exile in Dyfed. Budic returned to Brittany, but his sons later returned to Wales where each became the disciple of another saint. There are several churches in Wales (Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire) dedicated to his honour (Benedictines, Farmer). Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://users.erols.com/saintpat/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 14 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 14 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Brendan the Navigator * St. Cearan the Devout * St. Dogmael of Pembroke * St. Nennus of the Isle of Arran * St. Psalmodius of Limoges =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Translation of the Relics of St. Brendan the Navigator, Abbot and Founder of Clonfert, Ireland, Who Sailed to America See his Life , 16 May, archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/2679 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/2681 Troparion of St Brendan tone 4 The Divine Likeness has been perfected in thee, O holy Father Brendan,/ for taking up the Cross thou hast followed Christ,/ and by thy deeds thou hast taught us to disdain the flesh for it passes away,/ but to cultivate the soul for it is immortal:/ wherefore, O holy father, thy spirit rejoices with the Angels. St. Cearan the Devout, Abbot of Bellach-Duin, County Meath, Ireland (Ciaran) - Died 870. Cearan was an Irish abbot of Bellach-Duin (Castle- Keerant), County Meath (Benedictines). St. Dogmael, Hermit of Pembroke, Wales -- (also known as Docmael, Dogfael, Dogmeel, Dogwel, Toel) Early 6th century. A Welsh monk of the house of Cunedda, Dogmael founded several cells in Pembrokeshire, Brittany, and Anglesey. Under the name Toel, he is titular saint of a church in Trequier in Brittany, and is probably identical to Dogmeel who has a considerable cultus in Brittany, where he is invoked to help children to learn to walk (Benedictines, Farmer, Husenbeth). St. Nennus, Abbot of the Isle of Arran, Scotland - (also known as Nenus, Nehemias) 7th century. Nennus, born into the O'Birn family, succeeded Saint Enda as abbot of the monasteries of the Arran and Bute isles in 654 (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Husenbeth). St. Psalmodius, Hermit of Limoges, France, Disciple of Saint Brendan (also known as Psalmet, Sauman, Saumay) Died c. 690; second feast on August 6. Psalmodius, of Irish or Scottish descent, became a disciple of Saint Brendan. About 630, he took Brendan's advice and migrated to France where he lived as a hermit in the forest of Grie near Limoges. In France, he placed himself under the direction of Bishop Saint Leontius of Saintes, who helped him progress still further in Christian virtue. His relics are kept in a silver shrine in the collegiate church of Saint Agapotus in Languedoc (Benedictines, Husenbeth). Sources: Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Encyclopedia of Catholic Saints, June. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm Orthodox Ireland Saints http://www.orthodoxireland.com/saints/ 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 *
[celt-saints] 13 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 13 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Damhnade of Ireland =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Damhnade, Virgin -- Date unknown. Saint Damhnade was an Irish virgin, venerated in Cavan and Fermanagh. Some have identified her with Saint Dymphna of Gheel, Belgium. There is, however, no certain knowledge about her (Benedictines, Husenbeth). Suppliers of Icons of Celtic Saints for the church or the prayer corner at home. Please see: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/2875 * Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://users.erols.com/saintpat/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] Russian Church Institutes Feastday of All Saints of Britain and Ireland
-oOo- Russian Church Institutes Feastday of All Saints of Britain and Ireland (in English) http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11842406(in (in Russian) http://www.interfax.ru/r/B/politics/2.html?id_issue=11842306 Moscow, August 21, 2007, Interfax - The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church instituted a holiday to honour Christians who lived on the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and were canonized before the 1054 schism that divided Christendom into the Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. The holiday will be an annual event observed on the third Sunday after Pentecost (this Sunday, 13 June). The Synod, which met on Tuesday, also ordered that these saints' names be included in the Menology after their Christian exploits have been studied. The Synod's decision follows an appeal of March 3, 2007, in which the diocese of Sourozh, a Russian Orthodox diocese having the islands of Great Britain and Ireland for its territory, asked the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexy II, and its Holy Synod to institute a holiday for pre-1054 British and Irish saints. All Saints of Britain and Ireland pray to God for us. CrossandShamrock.Bar.jpg
[celt-saints] 11 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 11 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Blitharius of Seganne * St. Herebald of Brittany * St. Tochumra of Kilmore * St. Tochumra of Tuam =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Blitharius (Blier) of Seganne --- Born in Scotland and died in France in the 7th century. Saint Blitharius migrated to France with Saint Fursey, and settled at Seganne in Champagne, where he is still held in great veneration (Benedictines). St. Herebald (Herband) of Brittany -- Born in Britain 8th century. Herebald embraced the solitary life in Brittany, where a church is dedicated to him (Benedictines). St. Tochumra of Kilmore, Virgin --- Date unknown. Tochumra is a virgin venerated in the diocese of Kilmore, Ireland, and is invoked by women in labour (Benedictines, Husenbeth). St. Tochumra of Tuam, Virgin Date unknown. This Tochumra was titular saint of Tochumracht parish in the diocese of Killfenora (Benedictines, Husenbeth). Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 6 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 6 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Jarlath of Tuam * St. Gudwal of Cornwall * St. Cocca, Virgin of Kilcock =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Jarlath of Tuam, Bishop --- Patron of the Archdiocese of Tuam, born in Connaught about 445; died 26 December, (al., 11 Feb.), about 540. Jarlath is regarded as the founder and principle patron of the Archdiocese of Tuam in Galway, Ireland. He belonged to the Conmaicne family, perhaps the most important and powerful family in Galway during that period. Having studied under St. Benen (Benignus), he founded a monastery at Cluian Fois (Cloonfush), just outside Tuam, and presided over that monastery as abbot-bishop. The monastery soon attracted scholars from all parts of Ireland. The fame of Cluian Fois is sufficiently attested by two of its pupils, St. Brendan of Ardfert, and St. Colman of Cloyne. But, great teacher as he was, he went, through humility, to avail himself of the instruction of St. Enda at Arran about 495. He removed to Tuam about the second decade of sixth century. St. Jarlath is included in the second order of Irish saints, and on that account he must have lived to the year 540. The Felire of Aengus tells us that he was noted for his fasting, watching, and mortification. Three hundred times by day and three hundred times by night did this saint bend the knee in prayer, and he was also endowed with the gift of prophecy. His feast is kept on 6 June, being the date of the translation of his relics to a church specially built in his honour, adjoining the cathedral of Tuam. His remains were encased in a silver shrine, whence the church--built in the thirteenth century--was called Teampul na scrнn, that is the church of the shrine. Another Life... St. Jarlath, Bishop of Tuam (c.A.D. 550) The archdiocese of Tuam in Galway venerates St. Jarlath as its principal patron and as the founder of its ancient episcopal seat. This saint is not to be identified with his earlier namesake, one of St. Patrick's disciples, who became bishop of Armagh, and whose festival is kept on February 11. St. Jarlath of Tuam ranks with the second class of Irish saints, viz. those whose activities belong rather to the sixth than to the fifth century. No traditional acts are available for the reconstruction of the saint's history: only a bare outline of his career can be derived from allusions to him in glosses of late date--allusions which are often puzzling and do not always agree. His father is said to have belonged to the noble Conmaicne family which dominated a large district in Galway, and his mother, called Mongfinn, or the Lady of the Fair Tresses, was the daughter of Cirdubhan of the Cenneans. The date of his birth is quite unknown. In early youth he was sent to be trained by a holy man, who eventually ordained him and his cousin Caillin, or perhaps presented them for ordination. St. Benignus is quoted by some writers as having been that master, but Benignus died about the year 469, when Jarlath could scarcely have been old enough for the priesthood. It seems probable that the writers were confusing him with the other Jarlath, who succeeded St. Benignus in the see of Armagh. As a priest St. Jarlath is supposed to have returned to his native district, where he founded a monastery at Cluain Fois--the meadow of rest--a short distance from the present town of Tuam. Over this community he ruled as abbot-bishop, honoured by all for his piety and learning. In connection with the monastery he opened a school which attained great renown. Among his pupils were St. Brendan of Clonfert, and St. Colman son of Lenine, the royal bard of Munster, who went to study at Cluain Fois after he had been induced by St Brendan and St Ita to renounce his worldly career. St Jarlath appears to have died about the middle of the sixth century. His feast is kept throughout Ireland. The whole matter is very uncertain, though Colgan, Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae, vol. i, pp. 307-308, professes to give some account of this saint. There are references to him in Healy, Ireland's Ancient Schools and Scholars; J. Ryan, Irish Monasticism; and O'Hanlon, LIS. And see Acta Sanctorum, November, vol. iv, pp. 147-186. From Butler's Lives of the Saints, Complete Edition, Edited, Revised, and Supplemented by Herbert J. Thurston, S.J. and Donald Attwater, Christian Classics, a division of Thomas More Publications, Allen, Texas Images of St Jarleth's church at Tuam http://art.okstate.edu/vrl/ireland/st%20jarlathdig.htm St. Gudwal, Abbot and Bishop in Cornwall, Near Penzance St. Gudwall, Gunwall, or Gunvell, was born in Wales about A.D. 500. Being entirely devoted to religion, he collected eighty-eight monks in a little island called Plecit, being no more than a rock surrounded by water. For some reason however, he abandoned this establishment, and passed by sea into Cornwall;
[celt-saints] 4 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 4 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Petroc of Cornwall * St. Croidan, Medan, and Degan * St. Edfrith of Lindisfarne * St. Breaca of Cornwall * St. Buriana of Cornwall * St. Nennoc of Brittany =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Petroc of Cornwall, Abbot (also known as Petrock, Pedrog, Perreux) Died at Treravel, Wales, c. 594. Cornwall's most famous saint was the son of a prince from southern Wales. Petroc studied theology in Ireland. He settled at Haylesmouth in Cornwall, had an active apostolate, and founded a monastery at Lanwethinoc (later called Petrocston, now Padstow). After 30 years there, Petroc made a pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem, at which time he is also reputed to have reached the Indian Ocean and lived for a time on an island as a hermit. Returning to Cornwall, he founded another monastery at Little Petherick (Nanceventon) with a mill and chapel, and a hermitage at Bodmin, where Saint Goran met him. After meeting the hermit, Petroc travelled south. He built a cell for himself by the river and a monastery on the hilltop for his twelve disciples, among which were Saints Croidan, Medan, and Degan. Like several other hermit saints, Petroc had a special affinity with wild animals. Petroc was buried at Padstow, which became the centre of his cultus. There are 18 churches dedicated to him in Devon, plus others in Cornwall and south Wales. About 1000, his shrine and relics, including his staff and bell, were translated to Bodmin. In 1178, his relics were stolen by a disgruntled priest named Martin and given to Saint-Meen's Abbey near Rennes, Brittany, but were returned to Bodmin the next year at the request of its Prior Roger after the intervention of Bishop Bartholomew of Exeter and King Henry II. A rib was left at Saint-Meen's. During the reign of Henry VIII, his shrine and tomb were in the church of Bodmin on the eastern side of the high altar. During the Reformation the fine Sicilian-Islamic reliquary containing Petroc's head was hidden. It was rediscovered in the 19th century and remains in the parish church at Bodmin. Petroc may also have evangelized in Brittany, where more than 30 churches are dedicated to him under the name Perreux. His is also the titular saint of a church in the Nivernais. It is possible, however, that his many disciples carried his cultus across the Channel. The extant vitae of Saint Petroc are unreliable (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Farmer, Encyclopaedia, Husenbeth). In art, Petroc is generally portrayed with a stag--a reminder of one he sheltered from hunters. - - - Another Life of Saint Petroc There is no Cornish Saint, and there are many, whose life story is of greater interest to most Westcountry men than that of St. Petroc. He has given his name, not only to the ancient town of Padstow (Petroc's - stow) and to Little Petherick near Wadebridge, but also to the whole Hundred of Pydar, (Petrock's shire). He was the founder of Bodmin, which for some time was an Abbey-Bishopric, and remained the religious capital of Cornwall up to the end of the Middle Ages. He is also one of the chief saints of Devon and in Somerset he is the patron saint of Timberscombe. It is clear that this pan-Celtic saint, whose cult is very widely spread both in Wales and in Brittany, was the apostle for the whole Kingdom of Dumnonia. During the Reformation and the succeeding centuries all the written 'Lives' of the patron saints of the Cornish parishes were deliberately destroyed. In Brittany there was no Reformation and numerous 'Lives' of the Cornish saints, which have disappeared entirely in Cornwall, have been preserved in Breton manuscripts. A fourteenth century monk, named John of Tynemouth, made an attempt to translate part of one of the manuscripts, the 'Vita Petroci'. His translation was vague and did little to arouse much interest in St. Petroc. In 1928, however, some further studies were made of the same manuscript, which revealed many interesting facts about Cornish History, and in particular, references to comish places and people. Some nine years after, a discovery of great importance was made which shed further light on the life and times of St. Petroc. The Ducal Library of Gotha, in Eastern Germany, was found to contain a volume of forty five 'Lives' of English and Cornish saints. It is as well to remember however, that few of the stories recorded in any of these manuscripts were written by contemporaries of St. Petroc and were, of course, subject to the fears and superstitions of the Middle Ages. Very little is known about St. Petroc, the man, his very origin and descent being in dispute. Some say that he was of Cornish stock while others prefer to think of him as descended from the royal house of Wales. The Gotha document described him as being handsome in appearance, courteous in speech, prudent, simpleminded, modest, humble, a cheerful giver, burning
[celt-saints] 5 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 5 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Tudno of Caernarvon =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Tudno of Caernarvon - 6th century. Almost nothing is known about Saint Tudno beyond the Welsh traditions that refer to him. Llandudno in Carnarvonshire was named for him (Benedictines). More information from a list member, Noel at Llandudno: Greetings, Father Emrys, for the feast of Saint Tudno, from Llandudno in North Wales. The parish of Llandudno is an island in the ecclesiastical sense.. Its four churches, ancient St Tudno in a hollow on the northern slopes of the Great Orme facing the Irish Sea (two miles from the modern town) and the town churches of St George, Holy Trinity and the church of Our Saviour, form an enclave of the See of Bangor. Llandudno is surrounded on the landward side by Saint Asaph's parish of Llanrhos with its four churches (SS Sennen and Hilary, together with St Paul's Craig y Don, St David's Penrhynside and All Saints Deganwy). Much of the modern town was formerly marshland without roads and the medieval Bishops of Bangor, with their palace on the Great Orme, had to visit by boat Tudno is said to have been one of the seven sons of King Seithenyn whose legendary kingdom in Cardigan Bay was submerged by tidal activity. Each son in reparation for their father's neglect (so it was seen) studied in St. Dunawd's college at Bangor Iscoed. Later Tudno established the Church on Cyngreawdr (the great rock - the Great Orme). The Ogof Llech (a small cave on the headland, difficult of access, but with a clear spring of water) was his cell. His ancient church has been heavily restored many times until nothing remains from Tudno's day. The church does however have a medieval carved wooden emblem high above the chancel step depicting the five wounds of Christ - such an emblem surviving in Wales is almost unique, only one other is known and it is in the neighbouring parish of Llanrhos. [From the Church Guide book by T.F. Wynne] Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints ¤
[celt-saints] 3 June #1
Celtic and Old English Saints 3 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Kevin of Glendalough * St. Cronan the Tanner * St. Glunshallaich =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Kevin of Glendalough, Abbot (Coaimhghin, Coemgen, Keivin) Born at Fort of the White Fountain in Leinster, Ireland; died c. 618. Kevin was born of Irish royalty, but that doesn't tell us much because there were as many kings in Ireland as there were saints in Cornwall. He was baptized as Kevin or Coemgen, which means the Fair-begotten by Saint Cronan. As a boy he was sent to be educated at a monastery, where he was fortunate enough to be a pupil of Saint Petroc of Cornwall, who was then in Ireland. Kevin is best remembered as the abbot-founder of Glendalough, County Wicklow, one of the most famous abbeys of Ireland. After his ordination he settled as a hermit in the scenic Valley of the Two Lakes by the Upper Lake, led there by an angel. This is at a place now marked by a cave called Saint Kevin's Bed, which was formerly a Bronze Age tomb that he reused, and the Teampull na Skelling (the rock church). After seven years as a solitary living on nettles and herbs, he was persuaded to founded a monastery at Disert-Coemgen for the many disciples he attracted. He made a pilgrimage to Rome and brought back many relics for his foundation. When the number who gathered around him became too numerous for the site, the monastery was moved after his death (at age 120) down to the Lower Lake. Still more churches were added to the east of the site during the abbacy of Laurence O'Toole. Glendalough has always been a popular pilgrimage site. Kevin's extant vita may be based on actual facts although the earliest was recorded about 400 years after his death. He is said to have fed his community for some time on salmon supplied by an otter. (Unfortunately, one of the monks wanted to make a pair of warm gloves out of the otter's hide; the otter guessed what was on his mind and was careful never to appear again!) He visited Saint Ciaran of Clonmacnoise just before his death and Ciaran gave him his bell. (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Gill, Montague, White). Wandering by himself though lonely places, the blessed Kevin came one day upon a glen set in a hollow of the hills and lovely with running water. For there were two lakes, and clear streams here and there flowing down from the mountains. And he went up the valley to the head of the glen where it narrows; there is a lake there, and the mountains very high above it; it lies at their feet, and they rise from its very verge. This valley used to be called in the Irish Glen De, but now it is called Glen da Lough, that is the glen of the two lakes. And Saint Kevin settled himself beside the lake in a hollow tree and lived in these strait quarters for some while. Now and then he would go out to gather a few herbs and eat them, and drink a little water. And so he lived, for many days. Now a herd from a neighbouring farm (the master's name was Bi) would some days bring his cows to pasture in this valley, where Saint Kevin lived as a hermit. And God, being minded to show His servant Kevin to men, made a cow from that herd come daily to Saint Kevin in his hollow; and it would lick the Saint's clothes. And towards evening when she would hear the lowing of the herd returning, sated with green grass and well watered, and the high shouting of the herdsmen driving their beasts, she would hurry to the front of the herd, content with her own pasture. And every day as the herd made its way from the lap of the mountain into the valley, that cow would steal away from the rest, and come to the man of God. And every day she did as on the first day. And that cow had abundance of milk past belief, from the touch of the garments of the man of God. And the byremen, marvelling at the rich streams of milk from her, spoke of it to the master. And he said to the herdsman, 'Do you know what has come to that cow?' The herd knew nothing of it and his master said, 'Keep a close eye on her, and see where she gets her good favour from.' So the next day the herdsman left his charge to the youngsters and himself followed after the cow, wherever she went. And the cow took her wonted track to the hollow tree, in which Saint Kevin lived. And the herdsman, finding her licking the Saint's coat, stood agape; and then he fell to threatening the cow, and miscalling the man of God as a countryman might. And the Saint was ill-pleased, for he feared that the man would betray his presence there. And then the herdsman drove the beasts home to the byre. But when they had got tot he farm, the cows and calves fell into such a frenzy that the mothers did not know their own calves and would have killed them. The herdsman, terrified, told his master what he had seen in the valley, and at his bidding, came straight back to Saint Kevin, and fell on his
[celt-saints] 3 June #2
Celtic and Old English Saints 3 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Kevin of Glendalough * St. Cronan the Tanner * St. Glunshallaich =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Glendalough - Monastery and School Glendalough (the Valley of the Two Lakes) is a picturesque and lonely glen in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains. The fame of its monastic school is due to its founder, St. Kevin. Kevin (Irish Coemghen, the fair-begotten) was born near Rathdrum towards the close of the fifth century, and lived to the age of 120 years. His earliest tutor was St. Petroc of Cornwall, who had come to Leinster about 492, and devoted himself with considerable ardour to the study of the Sacred Scriptures, in which his pupil also became proficient. Kevin next studied under his uncle, St. Eugenius, afterwards Bishop of Ardstraw, who at that time lived at Kilnamanagh in Wicklow, where he taught his pupils all the sacred learning which he had acquired in the famous British monastery of Rosnat. Young Kevin was at this time a handsome youth, and had unconsciously won the affections of a beautiful maiden, who once followed him to the woods. The young saint perceiving her, threw himself into a bed of nettles, and then gathering a handful scourged the maiden with the burning weeds. The fire without, says the biographer, extinguished the fire within, and Kathleen repenting became a saint. There is no foundation for the story, which Moore has wedded to immortal verse, that Kevin flung the unhappy Kathleen from his cave, in the face of Ludguff, into the depths of the lake below. Kevin then retired into the wilds of the Glendalough valley, where he spent many years in a narrow cave, living alone with God in the practice of extreme asceticism. In the course of time, holy men gathered round him, and induced him to build the monastery, whose ruins still remain lower down in the more open valley to the east. Here his fame as a saint and scholar attracted crowds of disciples, so that Glendalough became for the east of Ireland what the Arran Islands were for the west -- a great school of sacred learning, and a noviciate in which the young saints and clergy were trained in virtue and self-denial. One of the most celebrated of the pupils of St. Kevin at Glendalough was St. Moling, founder of the well-known monastery called from him St. Mullins on the left bank of the Barrow in the southwest of the County Carlow. Like his master Kevin, he was a man of learning and extreme austerity, living, it is said, for a long time, as Kevin did, in a hollow tree. He was also an elegant writer both in Latin and in Irish. Several Irish poems have been attributed to him, his prophecies were in wide circulation, and the Yellow Book of St. Moling was one of those which Keating had in his hands, but which has since been unfortunately lost. The existing ruins at Glendalough still form a very striking scene in that wildly beautiful mountain valley. Within the area of the original enclosure are the great church, a cathedral, built probably in the time of St. Kevin, a fine round tower still 110 feet in height, the building called St. Kevin's Cro or kitchen, and the Church of the Blessed Virgin, for whom Kevin, like most of the Irish saints, had a particular devotion. The building called St. Kevin's kitchen was doubtless the private oratory and sleeping chamber of the saint, the latter being in the croft overhead, as in St. Columba's house at Kells. HEALY, Ireland's Ancient Schools and Scholars; LANIGAN, History of Ireland (Dublin, 1827); PETRIE, Round Towers; O'HANLON, Lives of the Irish Saints Some articles and photographs of Saint Kevin's Glendalough:-- 1) MONASTIC IRELAND: Glendalough Co. Wicklow http://dublin-jubilee.com/monastic/glenda.html 2) http://ubik.virtual-pc.com/aduffy/monastic/monastic4.html 3) The Church of Saint Kevin at Glandalough http://www.prismnet.com/~hilarion/church_kevin.html 4) The Round Tower at Glendalough http://www.rrutledge.com/ireland/wicklow/tower.html 5) A Virtual Tour of Glendalough http://www.wicklow.ie/tours/glen.html 6) Irish Monastic Sites in photographs http://homepage.tinet.ie/~frduffy/monastic/monastic.html For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints ¤
[celt-saints] 2 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 2 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Adalgis of Novara * St. Oda the Good of Canterbury * St. Bodfan of Abern =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Adalgis of Novara, Priest Hermit (also known as Adelgis, Algise, Algis) - Died c. 686. Adalgis, an Irish monk and disciple of Saint Fursey (f.d.January 16), holds a place in the folklore of northern and eastern France. He settled with his brothers Saints Gobain (f.d. June 20) and Etto (f.d. July 10) in the forest of Thierache and became one of the apostles of Picardy. Venturing forth from their little cell, known as Cellula, they evangelized in the area around Arras and Laon. The village of Saint-Algis grew up around the small monastery he founded. About 970, the Irish Abbot Forannan translated the relics of Saint Adalgis to the monastery church of Saint Michael in Thierache.(Benedictines, D'Arcy, Encyclopaedia, Fitzpatrick, Gougaud, Kenney, O'Hanlon, Montague). St. Oda the Good, Archbishop of Canterbury Born in East Anglia; died 959. Born of Danish parents in England, Oda became bishop of Ramsbury (Wessex). He was with King Athelstand when the king defeated the Danes, Scots, and Northumbrians at the Battle of Brunanburh in 937. In 942, he became archbishop of Canterbury. He tried to escape consecration by declaring that, unlike previous archbishops, he was not a monk. He only consented to accept the dignity after he had received the Benedictine habit from the hands of the abbot of Fleury-sur-Loire in France (reformed by another Saint Odo--of Cluny, who had died in 942). Oda played an active role in secular as well as ecclesiastical affairs during the reigns of Kings Edmund and Edgar and paved the way for monastic restoration under SS. Dunstan, Oswald (Oda's nephew), and Ethelwold. He is reputed to have performed several miracles (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopaedia). St. Bodfan (Bobouan) -- 7th century. Tradition says that Saint Bodfan, his father, and other relatives embraced the religious life after Beaumaris Bay was formed by a huge inundation. He is the patron saint of Abern in Carnarvonshire (Benedictines).Bodfan (Bobouan) 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.] Encyclopedia of Catholic Saints, June. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Fitzpatrick, B. (1922). Ireland and the Making of Britain. New York: Funk and Wagnalls. Gougaud, Dom L. (1923). Gaelic Pioneers of Christianity, V. Collins (tr.). Dublin: Gill Sons. O'Hanlon, J. (1875). Lives of Irish Saints, 10 vol. Dublin. Montague, H. P. (1981). The Saints and Martyrs of Ireland. Guildford: Billing Sons. 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 ¤
[celt-saints] 1 June
Celtic and Old English Saints 1 June =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Herve of Brittany * St. Ruadan of Cornwall Brittany * St. Whyte of Dorset * St. Wistan of Evesham * St. Thecla of Denbighshire * St. Ronan of Kilmaronen * St. Caprais of Lerins =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Herve of Brittany, Abbot -- (Harvey, Herveus, Huva) Died 575 AD.. Saint Herve is venerated throughout Brittany but we have few reliable particulars on him--his life was not written until the late medieval period. All we really know is that he was a hermit in Brittany, where he is still highly venerated and where Herve is one of the most popular names for boys. The story goes that a young British bard named Hyvarnion, a pupil of Saint Cadoc, lived at the court of Childebert, king of the Franks. After four years, desiring to return to his native land, he set off through Brittany, where one day, riding through a wood, he heard a young girl singing. The sweetness of her voice made him curious and, dismounting from his horse, he made his way through the trees to where in a sunny glade he found a maiden gathering herbs. He asked her what they were for. This herb, she replied, drives away sadness, that one banishes blindness, and I look for the herb of life that drives away death. Hyvarnion, forgetting his homeward journey, in that hour loved her, and later he married her. After three years they had a son who was born blind, and in their sorrow they called him Herve, which means bitterness. When he was two years old, his father died, and the mother, Rivanon, and child were left poor and friendless. In her grief she sang to him and he grew up to love poetry and music. When Herve was seven, Rivanon gave him into the care of a holy man named Arthian and she became a hermit. The child wandered about the countryside singing and begging, led by a white dog which he held on a string. To this day the Bretons sing a ballad of the blind child, led by his dog, singing as he shivered in the wind and the rain, with no shoes on his bare feet, his teeth chattering with the cold. At age 14, with his mother's approval, he sought out an uncle who was a hermit and kept a monastic school in the forest at Plouvien. His uncle welcomed him, and soon Herve excelled in knowledge beyond all his other pupils. On his uncle's death, he became abbot. Every morning the children gathered to be taught by their blind master, and every evening they left like a swarm of bees issuing from a hollow oak. He instructed them in music and poetry, and, above all, in the Christian way of life. When you wake up in bed, he said, offer your hearts to the good God, make the sign of the Cross and say with faith and hope and love, 'I give You my heart, my body and my soul. Make me a good man.' When you see a crow fly, think of the devil, black and evil. When you see a dove fly, think of your angel, gentle and white. Think of God, as the sun makes the wild roses bloom on the mountains. In the evening, before going to bed, say your prayers that a white angel may come from heaven and watch you till the dawn. This is the true way to live as Christians. Practice my song, and you will lead holy lives. In addition to teaching, Herve worked the fields near the school. He was venerated for his holiness and his miracles. One day a wolf ate the donkey with which he was ploughing the fields. The young child who was Herve's guide cried out in fear, but at Herve's prayers, the wolf put himself into the donkey's harness and finished the work to be done. Later he decided to move the community to Leon. There the bishop wanted to ordain him priest, but Herve humbly declined. Thus, although he was never a priest, Herve is said to have participated in the solemn anathematizing of the tyrannical ruler Conomor, c. 550. From Leon the holy group travelled west. Beside the road to Lesneven is the fountain of Saint Herve, which he is said to have caused to flow to satisfy the thirst of his companions. Finally, they settled and Herve built a monastery at Lanhouarneau in Finistere, which earned a great reputation. Coming out from his monastery, where he lived for the rest of his life, Herve would travel forth periodically to preach or act as exorcist. He was no longer led by a white dog, but by his little niece, Kristine, who lived near him in a cottage of thatch and wattle built for her by the monks, and who, gay as a fairy, sang to him as she gathered flowers for the altar. When he came to die, he said to her: Tina, my dear, make my bed ready, but make it not as is wont. Make it on the hard earth, before the altar, at the feet of Jesus. Place a stone for my bolster, and strew my bed with ashes. Weeping, she carried out his wish, and said: May I follow in due course, as the boat follows the ship. As his monks watched at his deathbed, they were said to have heard the music of the heavenly choirs welcoming him to heaven. So died
[celt-saints] 31 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 31 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= *Ss. Winnow, Mancus and Myrbad =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ss. Winnow, Mancus and Myrbad - 6th century. Three Irish saints who lived in Cornwall, where they have churches dedicated to their memories (Benedictines). Troparion of Ss Winnow, Mancus and Myrbad Tone 6 O three holy Saints who in honour of the Trinity/ left Ireland to labour in Cornwall:/ having toiled on earth you are glorified in heaven,/ blessed Winnow, Mancus and Myrbad. These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 29 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 29 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Burian of Cornwall * St. Dyfrig of Caerleon =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Burian, Virgin in Cornwall --- 6th century. Saint Buriana was another Irish woman who migrated to Cornwall, where Saint Buryan across from the Scilly Island perpetuates her name. King Athelstan built a college and church there to house her relics (Benedictines, Husenbeth). Present day church of St Buryan http://homepages.tesco.net/~k.wasley/buryan.htm Translation of the Relics of St. Dyfrig, Archbishop of Caerleon, Wales -- (also known as Dubricius Dubritius, Dubric, Dyfig, Devereux) Main Feast is 14 November Born at Madley (?), near Hereford; died c. 545. Saint Dyfrig was an important church leader, probably a monk, in southeast Wales and western Herefordshire. His earliest foundation was Ariconium (Archenfield, Hereford), but his most important centres were at Hentland (Henllan) and Moccas in the Wye valley. Dyfrig attracted numerous disciples to the two monasteries, and from them founded many other monasteries and churches. He was associated with Saint Illtyd and, according to the 7th-century vita of Saint Samson, with the island of Caldey for whose monastery he appointed Saint Samson (July 28) abbot. Later he consecrated Samson bishop. An ancient, but incomplete, inscription at Caldey reads Magl Dubr (the tonsured servant of Dubricius). Dyfrig and Saint Deinol (Daniel) were the two prelates who convinced Saint David to attend the synod of Brefi. Dyfrig spent the last years of his life at Ynys Enlli (Bardsey) and died there. In later medieval legends he becomes the 'archbishop of Caerleon' (Caerlon-on-Usk) and, according to the unreliable Geoffrey of Monmouth, crowns 'King' Arthur at Colchester (he is the high saint of Idylls of a King), and the ecclesiastical politics of the 12th century claimed him as founder of the Normans' see of Llandaff, where he was one of the four titular saints of the cathedral. The later vita written by Benedict of Gloucester claims that Dyfrig was a disciple of Saint Germanus of Auxerre, but this is unlikely. Legend also states that Saint David resigned in his favour as metropolitan of Wales. The relics of Saint Dyfrig were translated from Bardsey to Llandaff in 1120. He is the 'Dubric the high saint, Chief of the church in Britain' of Tennyson's Coming of Arthur, and the place-name Saint Devereux in Herefordshire is a corruption of the saint's name. Church dedications to him at Gwenddwr (Powys) and Porlock (Somerset) suggest that his disciples were active in the expansion of Christianity to the west and southwest, possibly in association with the multitudinous children Saint Brychan of Brecknock (Attwater, Benedictines, Doble, Delaney, Farmer). In art Saint Dubricius is depicted holding two crosiers and an archiepiscopal cross. He is venerated in Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, and Caldey Island (Roeder). Troparion of St Dyfrig tone 1 Thou art worthily honoured as the Father of Welsh Monasticism. O Hierarch Dyfrig,/ labouring to establish true asceticism with thy brother in the Faith, Samson of Dol/ whom thou didst raise to the dignity of the episcopate./ In thy pastoral love, O Saint,/ pray for us that despite our unspiritual lives/ Christ our God will grant us great mercy. Another Life and Stained Glass Window of Saint Dubricius http://www.geocities.com/~dubricius/dubricbg.html Saint Dubricius Home Page Interesting papers on mainly Welsh themes http://www.geocities.com/~dubricius/ 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. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1966). The Book of Saints. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell. Delaney, J. J. (1983). Pocket Dictionary of Saints, NY: Doubleday Image. Doble, G. H. (1943). St. Dubricius. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. Roeder, H. (1956). Saints and Their Attributes, Chicago: Henry Regnery. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints *
[celt-saints] 27 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 27 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Augustine of Canterbury * St. Melangell =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Augustine (Austin) Archbishop of Canterbury - Born in Rome; died on May 26, 604-607; feast day is also May 26. God, in his promises to hear our prayers, is desirous to bestow Himself upon us; if you find anything better than Him, ask it; but if you ask anything beneath Him, you put an affront upon Him, and hurt yourself by preferring to Him a creature which He framed: Pray in the spirit and sentiment of love, in which the royal prophet said to Him, 'Thou, O Lord, are my portion.' Let others choose to themselves portions among creatures, for my part, You are my portion, You alone I have chosen for my whole inheritance. --Saint Austin. Saint Augustine was a Roman, the prior of Saint Andrew's monastery on the Coelian Hill in Rome. In 596, Pope Saint Gregory the Great sent him with 30-40 of his monks to evangelize the English. By the time they had reached southern France, they were frightened by stories of the brutality of the Anglo-Saxons and the dangerous nature of the Channel crossing and his company wanted to return to civilisation. Augustine sought help from the pope, who sent encouragement. Gregory said, It is better never to undertake any high enterprise than to abandon it once it has started. He added, The greater the labour, the greater will be the glory of your eternal reward. Gregory also persuaded some French priests to aid the mission and the group landed near Ebbsfleet near Ramsgate on the isle of Thanet in 597. They were welcomed by King Ethelbert of Kent, then the most sophisticated of the Anglo- Saxon kingdoms. Ethelbert's wife Bertha was the daughter of the king of Paris and already a Christian, which made it much easier for the missionaries to gain a foothold in the land. The king himself was baptized within a year of their arrival. Augustine would later help Ethelbert to write the earliest Anglo-Saxon laws to survive. Augustine went to France to be consecrated bishop of the English by Saint Virgilius, Metropolitan of Arles, and upon his return to England was so successful in making converts that he sent to Rome for more assistance. Among those who responded were Saint Mellitus, Saint Justus, and Saint Paulinus, who brought with them sacred vessels, altar cloths, and books. Augustine rebuilt a church and laid the foundation for what would become the monastery of Christ Church. On land given to him by the king, he built a Benedictine monastery at Canterbury, called SS. Peter and Paul (later called Saint Augustine's). He was unable to convince the bishops in Wales and Cornwall to abandon their Celtic rites and adopt the disciplines and practices of Rome. He invited leading ecclesiastics to meet him at Wessex, known as Augustine's Oak. He urged them to follow Roman rites and to cooperate with him in the evangelization of England, but fidelity to local customs and resentment against their conquerors made them refuse. In 603, he held a second conference with the leaders of the already existing Christian congregations in Britain, but failed to reach an accommodation with them, largely due to his own tactlessness, and his insistence (contrary, it may be noted, to Pope Gregory's explicit advice) on imposing Roman customs on a church long accustomed to its own traditions of worship. It is said that the English bishops, before going to meet Augustine, consulted a hermit with a reputation for wisdom and holiness, asking him, Shall we accept this man as our leader, or not? The hermit replied, If, at your meeting, he rises to greet you, then accept him, but if he remains seated, then he is arrogant and unfit to lead, and you ought to reject him. Augustine, alas, remained seated. It took another sixty years before the breach was healed. He was never able to extend his authority to the existing Christians in Wales and southwest England (Dumnonia). These Britons were suspicious and wary, Augustine was insufficiently conciliatory, and the British bishop refused to recognise him as their archbishop. He spent the rest of his life spreading the word, and he established sees at London and Rochester. He was the first archbishop of Canterbury and was called the Apostle of the English (as opposed to Roman Britain), though his comparatively short mission was perforce confined to a limited area. That he was a very conscientious missionary is clear from the pages of Bede, who gives what purports to be the text of Pope Gregory's answers to Augustine's requests for direction on various matters arising out of his mission. He adapted a gradual course of conversion outlined for him by Pope Saint Gregory. The Pope has asked him not to destroy pagan temples and allowed that innocent pagan rites could be incorporated into Christian feasts, operating under the belief that
[celt-saints] 25 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 25 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Dunchadh of Iona * St. Aldhelm of Sherborne =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Dunchad Abbot of Iona (Dumhade, Dumhaid, Dunchadh) - Died March 24, 717. Dunchadh was born into the line of Conall Gulban. He became a monk at Killochuir in southeast Ulster and, from 710 until his death, ruled the abbey of Iona, Scotland. During Dunchadh's abbacy, Saint Egbert (f.d. April 24) finally convinced the Celtic monks of Iona to adopt the Roman customs-- tonsure, date of Easter, Benedictine Rule. For Saint Bede (f.d. tomorrow), this was the final sign of unity from diversity, which was the main theme of his Ecclesiastical History. Dunchadh is the titular saint of Killclocair, in the diocese of Armagh. His feast is still celebrated in Donegal on May 25; elsewhere it is March 24. He is the patron of sailors in Ireland (Benedictines, Farmer, Gill, Husenbeth) St. Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne (Adhelm, Aldelmus) - Born in Wessex, England, c. 640; died at Doulting in Somerset, May 25, 709. In the 7th century an Irish monk named Maeldubh (f.d. May 17) settled in the lonely forest country that in those days lay in the northeast of Wiltshire. After living for a time as a hermit, he gathered the children of the neighbourhood for instruction. In the course of time his hermitage became a school and so continued after his death, acquiring fame as a community of scholars known as Malmesbury. To this centre of learning came a young and clever boy called Aldhelm, a kinsman of Ina (Ine), King of Wessex. He was to be the first English scholar of distinction. After studying under Maeldubh, he learned what he could from Saint Adrian (f.d. January 9) and Saint Theodore (f.d. September 19) at Canterbury, where he probably became a monk (though he may have done so earlier at Malmesbury). He returned to Malmesbury and under Aldhelm the school became a monastery, of which he was appointed abbot about 675. He knew Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, and attracted scholars from other lands. He was also a poet, and was so full of music that it was said that he could play every musical instrument in use. In course of time he established other smaller religious communities in the neighbourhood and, thereby, advanced education in all of Wessex. He was an advisor to Ina and held in high regard by King Alfred, who wrote down this story about him. Aldhelm was distressed because the townspeople were indifferent to the church services, either by absenting themselves or by gossiping and remaining inattentive when they attended. He therefore stood on the town bridge and acted the part of a minstrel by singing popular ballads and reciting his verses interspersed with hymns, passages from the gospels, a bits of clowning in hopes of winning 'men's ears, and then their souls.' The result was that he soon collected a crowd of hearers and was able to impart simple religious teaching to them; 'whereas if he had proceeded with severity and excommunications, he would have made no impression whatever upon them.' Later, at the request of Pope Sergius I, he accompanied Coedwalla, the West Saxon king, to Rome. Later still, he took an active part in disputes between the Celtic and the Anglo-Saxon Church. He addressed a famous letter to Gerent, king of Dumnonia (Devon and Cornwall), explaining the date on which Easter ought to be kept by the Celtic clergy there. At one famous synod (Whitby?) Aldhelm attempted reconciliation with what remained of the old British Church in Cornwall, which was then a kingdom with its own king. In 705, Aldhelm became the first bishop of Sherbourne, his appointment dating from the time of the division of the old diocese of Wessex into Sherborne and Winchester. His brief episcopate was marked by energy and enterprise. He had travelled a long way from the days when he joined the school in the forest and sang as a minstrel on Malmesbury Bridge. But always he is remembered as the Saxon poet-preacher, who first translated the Psalms into the Anglo-Saxon tongue, and who sang the words of Scripture into the hearts of the common people. In King Alfred's words: 'Aldhelm won men to heed sacred things by taking his stand as a gleeman and singing English songs on a bridge. His English writings, hymns and songs, with their music, have all perished; of his Latin works, the longest are a poem in praise of holy maidens and a treatise on virginity written for the nuns of Barking in Essex. In his lighter moments he composed Latin verse and metrical riddles. As a scholar, Saint Aldhelm has been described as 'ingenious,' and it has been well said that the Latin language went to his head. He liked to play with words and his writing was so involved and obscure as often to be unintelligible; but his reading was extensive--so extensive that
[celt-saints] 26 May #3
Celtic and Old English Saints 26 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Bede the Venerable * St. Becan of Cork * St. Odulvald of Melrose * St. Eleutherius of Rome * St. Fugatius and Damian =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Commemoration (Vigil) of Our Venerable Father Bede of Jarrow http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/servbede.htm - -
[celt-saints] 26 May #2
Celtic and Old English Saints 26 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Bede the Venerable * St. Becan of Cork * St. Odulvald of Melrose * St. Eleutherius of Rome * St. Fugatius and Damian =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Becan of Cork 6th century. The Irish Saint Becan lived as a hermit near Cork during the time of Saint Columba (Benedictines). Troparion of St Becan Tone 4 O holy Becan, kinsman of Saint Colum Cille and partaker of his sanctity,/ from thy monastery at Kill Baggan thou didst glorify Christ our God./ Entreat Him to save our souls. St. Odulvald of Melrose, Abbot -- Died 698. Odulvald was a Scottish nobleman--the governor of the province of Laudon. He renounced the world in order to enter Melrose Abbey, where he found his joy in singing the verses of the Psalmist about our delivery from slavery. Eventually, he became abbot of Melrose, where he was noted for his continued advancement in spiritual fervour, his gift of tears, and constant prayer. His sighs after heaven were crowned with a joyful and happy death ten years after that of Saint Cuthbert (Benedictines, Husenbeth). St. Eleutherius, Pope of Rome Martyr -- A Greek, born in Nicopolis, Epirus, Greece; died in Rome, May 24, c.189. Although Eleutherius, son of Habundius, was Greek, he became a deacon in Rome and was elected pope about 174 to succeed Saint Soter. He is known only for his decree that any food fit for humans was suitable for Christians-- probably issued against the rigorism of the Gnostics and the Montanists. He is credited with sending missionaries to Britain. (Benedictines, Delaney). St. Fugatius and Damian -- (also known as Phaganu, Fagan, or Ffager and Diruvianus, Deruvian, Dyfan) 2nd century. Fugatius and Damian are the missionaries sent by Pope Saint Eleutherius to Britain (Benedictines). 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. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1966). The Book of Saints. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell. Delaney, J. J. (1983). Pocket Dictionary of Saints, NY: Doubleday Image. Duckett, E. S. (1955). St. Dunstan of Canterbury. Gill, F. C. (1958). The Glorious Company: Lives of Great Christians for Daily Devotion, vol. I. London: Epworth Press. Hamilton Thompson, A. (ed.). (1936). Bede: His Life, Times and Writings. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. Roeder, H. (1956). Saints and Their Attributes, Chicago: Henry Regnery. 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
[celt-saints] 23 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 23 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Goban of Old-Leighlin =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Goban Gobhnena, Abbot of Old Leighlin Monastery at Tascaffin in County Limerick, Ireland - Also 6 December. 6th or 7th century. This saint is the Goban mentioned in the life of Saint Laserian as governing the monastery of Old-Leighlin. He migrated from there to Tascaffin, County Limerick (Benedictines). Troparion of St Goban Gobhna tone 7 As once thou didst labour in thy monastery at Tascaffin/ and dost now rejoice in heavenly glory:/ we beseech thee to entreat Christ our God/ for the people of Ireland/ and that He may have mercy on us all. The Annals of Clonenagh: A.D. 639. St. Gobban, who founded the monastery of Old Leighlin, and afterwards resigned it to St. Laserian, retiring in 632 to Killamery in Ossory, died this year and was interred at Clonenagh. His feast was observed on the 6th of December. Gobban's feast, a shout of thousands, with a train of great martyrdom, angelic wall, abbot of virginity, lucid descendant of Lane. (Feil. Aeng.) The Gloss in Leabar Breach and entry in Mart. Donegal state that in Clonenagh are Gobban's relics. Source: Rev M Comerford Collections relating to the Dioceses of Kildare and Leighlin Vol. 3 (1886) http://www.irishmidlandsancestry.com/content/laois/community/parishhistories/mountrath_parish.htm -oOo- St. Gobban was the founder of the monastery of Leighlin. There are several saints of that name in the Irish Calendars, but Colgan judged that most probably our saint was the St. Gobban of Kill-Lamraidhe, in the west of Ossory, who is honoured on the 6th of December: Hunc Gobanum existimo fuisse ilium celebrem mille monachorum patrem qui postea Ecclesian de Kill-Lamhraighe rexit (Acta SS. p. 750,). The Martyrology of Donegal styles him: Gobban Fionne, of Kill-Lamhraidhe, in Ui-Cathrenn, in the west of Ossory. . . A thousand monks was the number of his convent, and it is at Clonenagh his relics are preserved. He was of the race of Eoghan Mor, son of Oilioll Olum (p. 327). St. Laserian having visited the monastery about the year 600, St. Gobban, struck with his many virtues, placed it entirely under his charge, and went himself to found another religious house at Kill-Lamhraige, in a western district of Ossory. Source: Monasticon Hibernicum or A Short Account of the Ancient Monasteries of Ireland. Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Vol 6 (1869), 198-99 http://www.archive.org/details/irishecclesiasti06dubluoft -oOo- The Life of St Laisren (Laserian, Molaise, f.d. April 18) , from the Salamanca MS, describes how St Laisren discovered the monastery at Leighlin and assumed its leadership: (S.8 continued.) The holy abbot Goban and his followers served God there. When he heard of the arrival of the man of God [Laisren] he went to meet him and after greeting him led him reverently to the monastery. As they came to the door of the monastery, a certain woman then carrying the body of her son who had been beheaded by robbers, earnestly begged St Lasrianus in the name of God that he might restore her son to life. His feelings of pity were stirred by the lamentations of the mother and he turned to his usual help of prayer, and having placed the head beside its body he restored the dead man to life and gave him back to his mother. Then blessed Goban made a treaty of spiritual brotherhood with him, giving him the place and everything in it and setting up a monastery for himself in another place. Source: Colum Kenny, Molaise - Abbot of Leighlin and Hermit of Holy Island, (Morrigan Press, 1998), 47-48. -oOo- Here is O'Hanlon's entry for St Gobban: AT the 23rd of May, the Martyrology of Tallaght registers the name Goban Mairgi, of Tigh Scuithin. This place by some has been supposed to be identical with Killeshin, in the barony of Slievemarigue, Queen's County ; but, this opinion is now clearly proved to have been a great mistake, although its real situation is not very far distant. The Bollandists follow this authority, likewise, in entering Gobanus Mairgensis, of Tegh-Scuithin, or of the House of Scuthinus; and, they remark, that among the disciples of St. Fursey was a Gobhan, whom Colgan would not specify, among the seven different persons bearing this name, in the Irish Calendars. His family pedigree seems to be unrecorded, or at least it is not known to exist. By most writers, Tigh Scuithin, his place, was thought to have been situated, within the present barony of Sliavemarigue, in the Queen's County. An ingenious local topographer proves, however, that the former name is now resolved into Tascoffin, a parish in the barony of Gowran, in the county of Kilkenny. The Johnswell Mountains, in the neighbourhood, are simply a continuation of the Slievemarigue range ; and, it seems probable, they were formerly
[celt-saints] 22 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 22 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Boethian of Pierrepont * St. Conall of Inniscoel * St. Helen of Carnarvon * St. Quiteria =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Boethian of Pierrepont, Monk Martyr -- Born in Ireland, 7th century. A disciple of Saint Fursey, Boethian built the monastery of Pierrepont near Laon, France. He was murdered by those whom he had felt bound to rebuke. His shrine is still a place of pilgrimage (Benedictines). St. Conall of Inniscoel, Abbot (also known as Coel, Conald) 7th century. Abbot Conall ruled the monastery of Inniscoel in Donegal, where there is a holy well named after him. He is the most celebrated patron of that region (Benedictines, Husenbeth). St. Helen (Elen Luyddog) of Carnarvon - 4th century; another feast day is celebrated on August 25. Saint Helen was a princess, the wife of Emperor Magnus Clemens Maximus who ruled Britain, Gaul, and Spain from 383 until 388, when he died at Aquileia while en route to Rome to obtain recognition. His wife accompanied him. Apparently they stayed at Treves (Trier, Germany) for some time before travelling further. Welsh tradition attributes to her the making of roads (Sarn Elen or Fford Elen) and leading a military expedition into North Wales. She was reputed to have born five children, including one named Constantine. For this reason she is often confused with Saint Helena, the discoverer of the True Cross. Together with St Constantine (Gestynin) and another son St Peblig, she introduced into Wales the Celtic form of monasticism of St Martin of Tours. St.Gregory of Tours records that Elen and Macsen met St. Martin while they were in Gaul. She may be the patron of some of the Welsh churches bearing the name Helen and of Llanelen in West Gower (Farmer). St. Quiteria, Virgin Martyr -- 5th century. According to legend, Quiteria was the daughter of a Spanish Galician prince who fled to escape his demand that she marry and give up her Christianity. His followers found her at Aire, Gascony, and on his orders, beheaded her there. Quiteria is greatly venerated along the borders of France and Spain, especially in Spanish and French Navarre (Benedictines, Delaney). Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: 1. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints
[celt-saints] 23 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 23 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Goban of Old-Leighlin =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Goban Gobhnena, Abbot of Old Leighlin Monastery at Tascaffin in County Limerick, Ireland - 6th or 7th century. This saint is the Goban mentioned in the life of Saint Laserian as governing the monastery of Old-Leighlin. He migrated from there to Tascaffin, County Limerick (Benedictines). Troparion of St Goban Gobhna tone 7 As once thou didst labour in thy monastery at Tascaffin/ and dost now rejoice in heavenly glory:/ we beseech thee to entreat Christ our God/ for the people of Ireland/ and that He may have mercy on us all. Life kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints
[celt-saints] 20 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 20 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Ethelbert of East Anglia =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Ethelbert of East Anglia, Martyr King (Aethelbert) --- Died near Hereford, England, c. 793-794. King Ethelbert had a considerable cultus as a wonder worker and martyr during the middle ages. However, some, such as William of Malmesbury, have misgivings about the continuance of his veneration. He cited the authority of Saint Dunstan (f.d. May 19) and the witness of miracles as reasons to allow the cultus to continue. Ethelbert was murdered at Sutton Walls in Herefordshire, apparently for dynastic reasons at the instigation of the wife of Offa of Mercia. His pious vita, written by Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales), tells us that Ethelbert was a man of prayer from his childhood. While still very young, he succeeded his father Ethelred as king of East Anglia and ruled benevolently for 44 years. It is said that his usual maxim is that the higher the station of man, the humbler he ought to be. This was the rule for his own conduct. Desiring to secure stability for his kingdom by an heir, he sought the hand of the virtuous Alfreda (Aelfthryth), daughter of the powerful King Offa. With this in mind, he visited Offa at Sutton-Walls, four miles from Hereford. He was courteously entertained, but after some days, treacherously murdered by Grimbert, an officer of King Offa, through the contrivance of Queen Quendreda who wanted to add his kingdom to their own. His body was secretly buried by the river Lugg at Maurdine of Marden, but miracles revealed its hiding place. Soon it was moved to a church at Fernley (Heath of Fern), now called Hereford. The town grew around the church bearing Ethelbert's name after King Wilfrid of Mercia enlarged and enriched it. Hereford became the second most important pilgrimage site (next to Canterbury) in medieval England. The body was burned by the Danes in 1050, but Ethelbert's head was buried at Westminster. Ethelbert's feast is kept in the dioceses of Cardiff and Northampton. He is titular patron of the cathedral at Hereford, and the churches at Marden (Herefordshire), Little Dean (Gloucestershire), and eleven others in East Anglia. Quendreda died miserably within three months after her crime. Her daughter Alfreda became a hermit at Croyland. Offa made atonement for the sin of his queen by a pilgrimage to Rome, where he founded a school for the English. Egfrid, the only son of Offa, died after a reign of some months, and the Mercian crown was translated into the family descended of Penda (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, Farmer). Life kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints ¤
[celt-saints] 17 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 17 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Madern of Cornwall * St. Maildulf of Malmesbury * St. Cathan of the Isle of Bute * St. Maw of Saint Mawes =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Madron (Maden, Madern) of Cornwall, Hermit - Died near Land's End, Cornwall, c. 545. Saint Madron, a hermit in Brittany of Cornish descent, is the patron of many churches, including the site of his hermitage at Saint Madern's Well in Cornwall and two parishes in Saint-Malo. Many miracles are ascribed to Saint Madron, but still little is known about the saint except for the dedications in Cornwall and Brittany. He has been identified as Saint Medran (f.d. July 7), the disciple of Saint Kieran (f.d. March 5), the Welsh Saint Padarn (f.d. April 15), or a local man who accompanied Saint Tudwal (f.d. December 1) to Brittany (Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, Husenbeth). Troparion of St Madern tone 2 Out of pagan darkness in the land of Cornwall/ thou didst shine as a witness to Christ./ Holy hermit Madern, entreat Him/ that the light thou didst kindle may ever shine in our hearts. St. Maildulf (Maeldubh) of Malmesbury, Abbot - Died at Malmesbury Abbey, England, in 673. The Irish monk Saint Maildulf left his homeland to spread the Gospel in England. He settled in the lonely forest country that in those days lay in the northeast of Wiltshire. After living for a time as a hermit, he gathered the children of the neighbourhood for instruction. In the course of time his hermitage became a school, where he had Saint Aldhelm (f.d. May 25) among his disciples. The school and foundation flourished even after his death, acquiring fame as a community of scholars known as Malmesbury (Benedictines, Husenbeth, Montague). St. Cathan (Catan, Cadan), Bishop - 6th or 7th century. According to the Scots, the relics of Bishop Saint Cathan rest on the Isle of Bute, where he may have been bishop. They were so famous that the land was often called Kilcathan. His tomb is also shown at Tamlacht near Londonderry. There is the possibility that there were two saints by this name (Benedictines, Husenbeth). St. Maw Born in Ireland. Only Husenbeth mentions this saint, whose name in Cornish means a boy. He appears to have left his homeland in search of solitude in Cornwall. In his hermitage on the sea near Falmouth, he lived a life of prayer and austere penance at Saint Mawes. A church, chair of solid stone in the churchyard, and a holy well still bear his name. Leland writes that Maw had been a teacher and later a bishop in Britain (Husenbeth). 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. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1966). The Book of Saints. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell. Coulson, J. (ed.). (1960). The Saints: A Concise Bographical Dictionary. New York: Hawthorn Books. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. Montague, H. P. (1981). The Saints and Martyrs of Ireland. Guildford: Billing Sons. 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 ¤
[celt-saints] 11 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 11 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Credan * St. Fremund of Dunstable * St. Lua of Killaloe =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Credan (Credus, Credanus) --- Date unknown. Evidence of the existence of this obscure saint from Cornwall can be found in Counties Moyne and Wicklow in Ireland, as well as in the church of Sancreed, which he founded. According to Roscarrock, he killed by misfortune his own father, with which he was so moved as abandoning the world he became a hogherd, and lived so exemplary as he was after esteemed a saint (Farmer). o The church of Sancreed and its five ancient crosses http://homepages.tesco.net/~k.wasley/sancreed.htm o Photographs of the Sancreed crosses http://www.pznow.co.uk/historic1/church.html http://www.pznow.co.uk/historic1/wells.html St. Fremund of Dunstable, King and Martyr at Harbury in Warwickshire, England - Martyred c.866. Saint Fremund is sometimes depicted as a king, but it is more likely that he was a noble man's son, although he may have been related to St.Edmund, King of East Anglia. He was born in Warwickshire near Offchurch but at quite an early age he left home to lead a solitary life as a hermit on an island called Ylefagel, which may be Steep Holm or Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel. At that time the English were constantly under threat from invasions by the Danes, and it seems that Fremund felt obliged to leave his hermitage to take up arms in defence of the Christian religion and the freedom of his people. He died in battle at Harbury not far from his home, and it was believed that an apostate kinsman by the name of Oswi was responsible for his death, having allied himself to the heathen Danes in order to further his ambitions. Fremund's body was taken to Offchurch for burial, and the fact that the church was founded by King Offa may have been the reason that Fremund has been described as his son. The Life by William of Ramsey and a later one by the monk John Lydgate of Burry say that his tomb was visited by many pilgrims in search of healing and that in 931 his relics were translated to Cropredy in Oxfordshire. Certainly there was a shrine containing his relics there in the Middle Ages, and there is a meadow by the River Cherwell called Freeman's Holm. Richard, Prior of the new foundation at Dunstable, was visitor of the Lincoln Diocese in 1206 and found many pilgrims coming to the little church. Dunstable was a Priory of Austin Canons founded by Henry I late in the twelfth century at the spot where Watling Street crosses the prehistoric Icknield Way. Presumably relics were needed for this church, and in 1210 at least some of St.Fremund's remains were taken to Dunstable and an altar was dedicated to him. The shrine was destroyed at the dissolution, but the magnificent nave and Norman doorway remain in what is now the parish church of St. Peter (Bowen, Farmer, Hole, Stanton). St. Lua of Killaloe -- Died 7th century. Saint Lua gave his name to the ancient town of Killaloe (Church of Lua). He is said to have been born of noble parents in Limerick, and educated at Bangor and Clonard. He founded a church and school on the River Shannon, where one of his pupils was the future Bishop Flannan, who succeeded Lua as abbot. His refuge on Friar's Island, County Tipperary, was a pilgrim's destination even in the 20th century--until a power dam raised the level of the Shannon in 1929 and submerged the island. Lua's chapel had been removed, its stones numbered, and reassembled on the former site of Brian Boru's palace overlooking the Shannon. A legend relates that the horse's hoof-prints in the rock of Friar's Island were those of Saint Patrick's beast -left when the apostle of Ireland was forced to leap one-eighth of a mile from one shore to the other to escape hostile pagans. His charger rose to the challenge and landed with such force on the island that his hoof prints sank deep into the rock (D'Arcy, Montague). Sources: Bowen, Paul. When We Were One: A Yearbook of the Saints of the British Isles Complied from Ancient Calendars. 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.] Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hole, Christina. (1954). English Shrines and Sanctuaries. B T Batsford Ltd.. Montague, H. P. (1981). The Saints and Martyrs of Ireland. Guildford: Billing Sons. Stanton, R A. (1887) Menology of England and Wales. Burns Oates. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm An Alphabetical Index of the Saints of the West
[celt-saints] 10 May #1
Celtic and Old English Saints 10 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= *St. Comgall of Bangor =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Comgall, Bishop and Founder of Bangor Monastery Born in Ulster, Ireland, c. 517; died at Bangor, Ireland, in 603; some list his feast as May 11. It is said that Comgall was a warrior as a young man, but that he studied under Saint Fintan at Cluain Eidnech Monastery, was ordained a priest before he was 40, and with several companions became a hermit in Lough Erne. The rule he imposed was so severe that seven of them died. He left the island and founded a monastery at Bangor (Bennchor) on the south shore of Lake Belfast, where he taught Saint Columban and a band of monks who evangelized Central Europe. Two other of his monks actively evangelized Scotland, Saint Moluag of Lismore in Argyll and Saint Maelrubha of Applecross in Ross. In time, it became the most famous monastery in Ireland, and Comgall is reported to have ruled over some 8,000 monks there and in houses founded from Bangor. Bangor was one of the principal religious centres of Ireland until it was destroyed by the Danes in 823. Although he was known for his ascetism and was said to have only eaten a full meal once a week on a Sunday, many of the miracles ascribed to him concern food. On one occasion, a farmer refused to sell grain to his monks, saying that he would rather his mother-in-law, whom he called Luch, should eat it all rather than the monks. The word luch is the Gaelic for mouse. S.Comgall said, So be it, by luch it shall be eaten, and that night a plague of mice ate two piles of corn, which would have been thirty cart loads. On another occasion, a group of thieves broke into the grounds of the monastery to steal the monks' vegetables, and through the prayers of Comgall they were deprived of their sight until they repented. When they did repent, they were admitted into the community. Yet again, when the monks were short of food, and visitors to the community were expected, S.Comgall prayed to God, and a shoal of fish swam to the shore, so that the brethren might feed their guests. Comgall went to Scotland for a time, where he lived in a monastery on the island of Tiree. He also accompanied Saint Columba on a missionary trip to Inverness to evangelize the Picts. Columba and Comgall are believed to have journeyed together through the Great Glen and preached before King Brude at Inverness. There he founded a monastery at Land of Heth. The manuscript called the Bangor Antiphonary [see below], written there less than a century after Saint Comgall's death, contains a long hymn in his praise. Comgall died after years of suffering resultant from his austerities. St.Fiacre received the message that his friend was dying through an angel and arrived in Bangor in time to see him into the next world. When he returned to Ullard after burying Sr.Comgall, Fiacre took an arm of the saint back as a relic. Nothing now remains of the great monastery, but the Bell of Bangor is preserved in the heritage museum at Belfast, and in the Ambrosian Library there is the Antiphonary of Bangor (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Neeson, Flanagan, Farmer). ...As monasticism changed from solitary to community life, the monks received something of the same privilege of carrying the Eucharist with them. They would have it on their persons when working in the fields or going on a voyage. The species was either placed in a small receptacle (Chrismal = Christ-carrier, Old Irish) worn bandoleer-fashion, or in a little bag (Perula) hung around the neck under their clothes. Irish and British manuscripts make frequent mention of the practice. It was not only to have the hosts ready for Communion but also to insure safety against robbers and protection against the hazards of travel. The life of St. Comgall (died 601) tells how on one occasion he was attacked by heathen Pietists while working in a field. On seeing the Chrismal around his neck, the attackers did not dare touch him for fear of some retaliation since they surmised (as the narrator says) that Comgall was carrying his God. The saint was so moved by the experience that he exclaimed, Lord, you are my strength, my refuge, and my Redeemer (Psalm 18:2). In art, Saint Comgall's emblem is a fish. Usually he is portrayed as an abbot holding a stone, to whom an angel brings a fish (Roeder). A Second Life: St. Comgall Founder and abbot of the great Irish monastery at Bangor, flourished in the sixth century. The year of his birth is uncertain, but according to the testimony of the Irish annals it must be placed between 510 and 520; his death is said to have occurred in 602 (Annals of Tighernach and Chronicon Scotorum), or 597 (Annals of Innisfallen). He was born in Dalaradia in Ulster near the place now known as Magheramorne in the present County Antrim. He seems
[celt-saints] 10 May #2
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 1. The Irish Abbey of Bangor 2. The Antiphonary of Bangor 3. The Celtic Rites 4. The Bangor Communion Hymn: Draw Nigh... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Irish Abbey of Bangor -- Situated in County Down, on the southern shore of Belfast Lough. Sometimes the name was written Beannchor, from the Irish word beann, a horn. According to Keating, a king of Leinster once had cattle killed there, the horns being scattered round, hence the name. The place was also called the Vale of Angels, because, says Jocelin, St. Patrick once rested there and saw the valley filled with angels. The founder of the abbey was St. Comgall, born in Antrim in 517, and educated at Clooneenagh and Clonmacnoise. The spirit of monasticism was then strong in Ireland. Many sought solitude the better to serve God, and with this object Comgall retired to a lonely island. The persuasions of his friends drew him from his retreat; later on he founded the monastery of Bangor, in 559. Under his rule, which was rigid, prayer and fasting were incessant. But these austerities attracted rather than repelled; crowds came to share his penances and his vigils; they also came for learning, for Bangor soon became the greatest monastic school in Ulster. Within the extensive rampart which encircled its monastic buildings, the Scriptures were expounded, theology and logic taught, and geometry, and arithmetic, and music; the beauties of the pagan classics were appreciated, and two at least of its students wrote good Latin verse. Such was its rapid rise that its pupils soon went forth to found new monasteries, and when, in 601, St. Comgall died, 3,000 monks looked up for light and guidance to the Abbot of Bangor. With the Danes came a disastrous change. Easily accessible from the sea, Bangor invited attack, and in 824 these pirates plundered it, killed 900 of its monks, treated with indignity the relics of St. Comgall, and then carried away his shrine. A succession of abbots continued, but they were abbots only in name. The lands passed into the hands of laymen, the buildings crumbled, and when Malachy, in the twelfth century, became Abbot of Bangor he had to build everything anew. The impress of his zeal might have had lasting results had he continued in this position. But he was promoted to the See of Down, and Bangor again decayed. Among the Abbots of Bangor few acquired fame, but many of the students did. Findchua has his life written in the Book of Lismore; Luanus founded 100 monasteries and St. Carthage founded the great School of Lismore. From Bangor Columbanus and Gall crossed the sea, the former to found Luxeuil and Bobbio, the latter to evangelize Switzerland. In the ninth century a Bangor student, Dungal, defended orthodoxy against the Western iconoclasts. The present town of Bangor is a thriving little place, popular as a seaside resort. Local tradition has it that some ruined walls near the Protestant church mark the site of the ancient abbey; nothing else is left of the place hallowed by the prayers and penances of St. Comgall. ~*~*~*~*~* The Antiphonary of Bangor: An ancient Latin manuscript, written at Bangor -- The codex, found by Muratori in the Ambrosian Library at Milan, and named by him the Antiphonary of Bangor (Antiphonarium Benchorense), was brought to Milan from Bobbio with many other books by Cardinal Federigo Borromeo when he founded the Ambrosian Library in 1609. Bobbio, which is situated in a gorge of the Apennines thirty-seven miles north-east of Genoa, was founded by St. Columbanus, a disciple of St. Comgall, founder of the great monastery at Bangor on the south side of Belfast Lough in the county of Down. St. Columbanus died at Bobbio and was buried there in 615. This establishes at once a connection between Bobbio and Bangor, and an examination of the contents of the codex placed it beyond all doubt that it was originally compiled in Bangor and brought thence to Bobbio, not, however, in the time of St. Columbanus. There is in the codex a hymn entitled ymnum sancti Congilli abbatis nostri, and he is referred to in it as nostri patroni Comgilli sancti. Again there is a list of fifteen abbots, beginning with Comgal and ending with Cronanus who died in 691; the date of the compilation, therefore, may be referred to 680-691. Muratori, however, is careful to state in his preface that the codex, though very old, and in part mutilated, may have been a copy made at Bobbio, by some of the local monks there, from the original service book. It is written, as regards the orthography, the form of the letters, and the dotted ornamentation of the capital letters, in the Scottic style, but this, of course, may have been done by Gaelic monks at Bobbio. The actual bearer of the codex from Bangor is generally supposed and stated to have been St. Dungal, who left Ireland early in the ninth century, acquired great
[celt-saints] 9 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 9 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Gofor of Llanover * St. Sanctan of Kill-da-Les * St. Tudy of Landevennec =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Gofor of Llanover --- Date unknown. The Welsh patron of Llanover, Monmouthshire, Wales (Benedictines). St. Sanctan, Bishop of Kill-da-Les --- 6th century. Saint Sanctan was bishop of Kill-da-Les and Kill-na-Sanctan (now Dublin), ancient sees in Ireland. He is likely to have been born in Britain (Benedictines). St. Tudy of Landevennec, Abbot (Tudec, Tudinus, Tegwin, Thetgo) --- 5th or 6th century. Saint Tudy was a hermit who founded monasteries and evangelized in Brittany, where place-names and dedications memorialise his activity or that of his disciples in areas such as Ile-Tudy on the mouth of the Odet (Finistere), near Quimper. He appears to have been a disciple of Saint Mawes (f.d. November 18) and fellow-worker with Saint Corentinus (f.d. December 12). There is also a parish in Cornwall named after him, which may indicate his presence there, too. He may also have been a companion of Saint Brioc (f.d. May 1) (Benedictines, Farmer). Sources: Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1966). The Book of Saints. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University 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 ¤
[celt-saints] 8 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 8 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Gibrian of Ireland * St. Catald of Taranto * St. Odrian of Waterford * St. Wiro and St. Otger =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St.Gibrian, Hermit in Ireland -- Died c. 515. The Irish hermit Saint Gibrian was the eldest of nine (or eight) siblings, all of whom migrated to Brittany where they became saints. They include his brothers Tressan (Trasain, a priest), Helan(us) (priest), Germanus, Abran (seems to be Gibrian himself), Petran, and sisters Franca, Promptia, Possenna. Gibrian laboured near Rheims and was buried at a place now called after him Saint Gibrian. His cultus spread because of the many miracles reported at his tomb, especially the healing of blindness. His relics were translated to the basilica of Saint Remigius in Rheims (Benedictines, Montague). St. Catald of Taranto (Tarentum), Bishop (also known as Cataldus, Cathaluds, Cattaldo, Cathal) Born in Munster, Ireland, 7th century. Saint Cataldus was a pupil, then the headmaster of the monastic school of Lismore in Waterford after the death of its founder, Saint Carthage. Upon his return from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he was shipwrecked at Taranto in southern Italy and chosen by the people as their bishop. He is the titular of Taranto's cathedral and the principal patron of the diocese. This epitaph is given under an image of Saint Catald in Rome: Me tulit Hiberne, Solyme traxere, Tarentum Nunc tenet: huic ritus, dogmata, jura dedi. This has been loosely translated as: Hibernia gave me birth: thence wafted over, I sought the sacred Solymean shore. To thee Tarentum, holy rites I gave, Precepts divine; and thou to me a grave. It is odd that an Irishman, should be so honoured throughout Italy, Malta, and France, but have almost no recognition in his homeland. His Irish origins were discovered only two or three centuries after his death, when his relics were recovered during the renovation of the cathedral of Taranto. A small golden cross, of 7th- or 8th- century Irish workmanship, was with the relics. Further investigations identified him with Cathal, the teacher of Lismore. Veneration to Catald spread, especially in southern Italy, after the May 10, 1017, translation of his relics when the cathedral was being rebuilt following its destruction at the hands of Saracens in 927. Four remarkable cures occurred as the relics were moved to the new cathedral. When his coffin was open at that time, a pastoral staff of Irish workmanship was found with the inscription Cathaldus Rachau. There is a town of San Cataldo in Sicily and another on the southeast coast of Italy (Benedictines, D'Arcy, Farmer, Husenbeth, Kenney, Montague, Neeson, Tommasini). Saint Catald is depicted in art as an early Christian bishop with a mitre and pallium in a 12th century mosaic at Palermo (Roeder). He is the subject of a painting on the 8th pillar of the nave on the left in the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem (D'Arcy, Montague). There are also 12th-century mosaics in Palermo and Monreale depicting the saint (Farmer). Catald is invoked against plagues, drought, and storms (Farmer). St. Odrian, Bishop of Waterford --- Date unknown. Odrian is one of the early bishops of Waterford, Ireland (Benedictines, Husenbeth). Ss. Wiro and Otger, Martyrs -- (also known as Plechelm or Pleghelm and Odger or Oteger) Born in Northumbria; died c. 739 or 753 (the later date seems more probable). While Wiro is believed to have been a native of Northumbria, he might possibly be from Ireland or Scotland--the record is not clear. (The Roman Martyrology styles him Wiro, bishop of Scotiae.) His biographer tells us that he was ordained a priest and with Plechelm (a fellow Northumbrian and priest) and Otger (a deacon) went to Rome, where Wiro and Plechelm were consecrated regionary bishops. Others say that Wiro was consecrated bishop of Utrecht by Saint Boniface. He joined with Boniface in his letter of correction to King Ethelbald of Mercia in 746. After doing missionary work in Northumbria, they went to Friesland in the Netherlands where they evangelized the inhabitants of the lower Meuse Valley under the direction of either Saint Swithbert or Saint Willibrord. They built a small church and monastery at Peterkloster (later Odilienberg) on land granted them by Pepin of Herstal. Later they were martyred by the Frieslanders while preaching the Gospel. The relics of Wiro and Plechelm were translated to the church they built at Roermond, but Otger's remained at their original burial place at Odilienberg (Benedictines, Delaney, Farmer). Saint Wiro is portrayed as hearing the confession of the king. He is venerated in Peterkloster (Odilienberg) (Roeder). Sources: Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947).
[celt-saints] 5 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 5 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Diuma of Peterborough * St. Echa of Crayk * St. Hydroc of Lanhydroc * St. Gibrian of Ireland =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Diuma, Bishop - 7th century. Saint Diuma, a Scottish priest, was sent with Saint Cedd to convert Mercia and became its first bishop. His monastery, Saint Peter's, grew into the modern town of Peterborough (Benedictines, Montague). St. Echa (Etha) of Crayk, Hermit Died 767. Echa was an Anglo-Saxon priest and monk-hermit at Crayk, near York, England (Benedictines). St. Hydroc (Hydoc) of Lanhydroc 5th century. Hydroc, the patron saint of Lanhydroc, Cornwall, England, may have been a hermit. It is implausible that he is identical to the Irish Huydhran or Odran (Benedictines, Farmer). Troparion of St Hydroc tone 4 O holy Hydroc who didst witness for the Faith and shine in Cornwall:/ pray that the darkness of our present times may be dispersed by bold preachers like thyself,/ that God may be glorified in these lands. St. Gibrian, Hermit in Ireland --- Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints ¤
[celt-saints] 6 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 6 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Edbert of Lindisfarne * St. Colman Mac Ui Cluasigh of Cork =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Edbert (Eadbert, Eadbeorht) Bishop of Lindisfarne --- Died May 6, 698. When Saint Cuthbert, bishop of Lindisfarne, died in 687, he was succeeded by Saint Edbert. The venerable Bede wrote that Edbert was a man noted for his knowledge of the Scriptures and for his obedience to God's commandments, and especially for his generosity. Bede tells us that Saint Edbert every year obeyed the law of the Old Testament by giving one tenth of all his cattle, his crops, his fruit, and his clothing to the poor. Eleven years after Cuthbert's death, his coffin was opened and the body was found to be incorrupt, the joints still pliable and the clothing fresh and bright. Edbert kissed the clothing that had covered the saint's body, then ordered that new garments be put on the saint and a new coffin made. The coffin, he said, must be given a place of honour. And he instructed his monks to leave a space under it for his own grave, which he filled within a very short time. Edbert imitated his predecessor in other acts of godliness, spending 40 days in solitary meditation twice annually (the Lent and before Christmas) on a small island, and building fine churches for the worship of God. He installed a leaden roof on the wooden church built by Saint Finan and dedicated to Saint Peter on Lindisfarne. Edbert lies, like Cuthbert, in Durham Cathedral, for the bodies of both saints were carried there in 875 after many years of being moved around to escape the marauders from Scandinavia (Benedictines, Bentley, Farmer, Husenbeth). St. Colman Mac Ui Cluasigh (of Cork) Died 7th century. This Saint Colman was a professor at Cork. About 664, he wrote a prayer in verse (or 'lorica') seeking protection for the yellow plague that killed one-third of Ireland's population. He took his students to an island in the ocean to escape the pestilence. En route they chanted the prayer, which is believed to be the only extant writing from Finbarr's (f.d. July 4) school at Cork. The prayer was included in Kathleen Hoagland's 1000 years of Irish Poetry published November 1999 (D'Arcy, Healy, Hoagland). Sources: Benedictine Monks of Saint Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1966). The Book of Saints. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell. Bentley, J. (1986). A Calendar of Saints: The Lives of the Principal Saints of the Christian Year, NY: Facts on File. 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.] Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Healy, J. (1902). Ireland's Ancient Schools and Scholars. Dublin: Sealy, Bryers and Walker. Hoagland, K. (ed.) (1950). 1000 years of Irish Poetry. New York: Devin-Adair Co. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. 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 ¤
[celt-saints] 7 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 7 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. John of Beverly * St. Liudhard of Canterbury =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St.John of Beverly, Bishop of York, Who Ordained Saint Bede to the Priesthood Born in Harpham (Humberside), Yorkshire, England; died at Beverley, England, May 7, 721; canonized in 1037; feast of translation, October 25. Saint John trained for the priesthood and monastic life in Kent under the direction of Saints Adrian and Theodore, but returned to Yorkshire upon completing his studies to become a monk at Whitby Abbey, which was then under the rule of Saint Hilda. John founded a monastery in Humberside, England, on the site of a small church dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist, where he asked to be buried. In 687, after the death of Saint Eata, John he was consecrated bishop of Hexham. He is said to have shown special care for the poor and the handicapped. Whatever time he could spare from his episcopal duties he spent in contemplation. At regular seasons, especially during Lent, he retired to pray in a cell by the church of Saint Michael beyond the Tyne, near Hexham. He would take with him some poor person, whom he would serve during his retirement. He was transferred York as archbishop upon the death of Saint Bosa in 705, and Saint Wilfrid succeeded him at Hexham as part of the final settlement of the latter's long dispute with the Northumbrian kings. He continued his practice of periodic retirement for spiritual refreshment. His chosen retreat was an abbey that he had built at Beverley, then a forest. Not until old age had worn him out did he resign his office to Saint Wilfrid the Younger in order to spend the last four years of his life in the peace of his beloved abbey at Beverley. According to the Venerable Bede in Ecclesiastical History, who was ordained both deacon and priest by John when he was bishop of Hexham, John of Beverley possessed the gift of healing. He cured a youth of dumbness, even though the boy had never utter a single word. (The boy was apparently bald from a scalp disease also.) On the second Sunday of Lent, John made the sign of the cross upon the youth's tongue, and loosed it. Bede tells of how the saint patiently taught the boy the alphabet. He taught him to say gea, which signifies in Saxon Yea; then the letters of the alphabet, and afterwards syllables. Thus the youth miraculously obtained his speech. Moreover, by the saint's blessing and the remedies prescribed by a physician whom he employed, his head was entirely healed, and became covered with hair. Bede also records that John cured a noblewoman of a pain so grievous that she had been unable to move for three weeks. Several people who seemed in immediate danger of death were saved by his prayers. In addition to his own eye-witness accounts, Bede tells us of cures witnessed by Abbot Bercthun of Beverley and Abbot Herebald of Tinmouth. After the saint's death, such miracles continued around his shrine, which became a famous pilgrimage site. The Bollandist Henschenius devoted four books to the miracles wrought at the holy bishop's shrine. So many were drawn there that the magnificent Beverley Minster was built, which rivals some of England's great cathedral churches. Alcuin also records miracles worked at John's intercession. For example, King Athelstan invoked John's intercession for victory against the Scots. In 1307, his relics were translated--the occasion of a vita written by Folcard. Some of the sweet-smelling relics were discovered in September 1664, when a grave was being dug, in a lead box within a vault of freestone. These relics had been hidden in the beginning of the reign of king Edward VI. Icon can be viewed at http://www.allmercifulsavior.com/icons/Icons-John-Beverley.htm##1 St.Liudhard (Letard), Bishop of Canterbury -- Died at Canterbury, England, c. 600. Frankish Saint Liudhard was chaplain to Queen Bertha of Kent, who agreed to marriage with the pagan King Ethelbert on the condition that she be free to practice her religion and bring her bishop with her. Liudhard was that bishop. He is said to have played an important part in the conversion of the king to Christianity; however, there are no letters extant from the prolific writer Pope Saint Gregory to him. There is one (dated to 601) to Queen Bertha, which reproaches her for her failure to achieve her husband's conversion. Liudhard restored an ancient Romano-British church for her at Canterbury. He was buried in the abbey of SS. Peter and Paul (now St. Augustine's) in Canterbury. In the 11th century, Goselin wrote a short vita of Liudhard, but seems to have confused him with Saint Liephard, whose feast is kept at Cambrai and who is called archbishop of Canterbury and martyr. Liudhard was neither (Benedictines, Farmer). Lives kindly supplied by: For
[celt-saints] 3 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 3 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Conleth of Kildare * St. Ethelwin of Lindsey * St. Philip of Zell * St. Scannal of Cell-Coleraine * St. Fumach =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Conleth of Kildare, Bishop (also known as Conleat) Died c. 519; feast day also on May 10. Conleth, an Irish recluse at Old Connell (County Kildare) on the Liffey, was a metal- worker and very skilled as a copyist and illuminator. Saint Brigid, according to her vita by Cogitosus, came to know him and invited him to make sacred vessels for her convent and asked him to be the spiritual director of her nuns at Kildare. Eventually, he became the first bishop of Kildare, which the Annuario Pontificio quotes as being founded in 519. Conleth, Tassach of Elphin (Saint Patrick's craftsman), and Daigh (craftsman of Kieran of Saigher were acclaimed the three chief artisans of Ireland during their period. Conleth, who was the head of the Kildare school of metal-work and penmanship, is traditionally regarded as the sculptor of the crosier of Saint Finbar of Termon Barry, which can now be seen in the Royal Irish Academy. He also created the golden crown that was suspended over Brigid's tomb. A gloss in an Irish martyrology says that he was devoured by wolves on his way to Rome--a journey undertaken against the wishes of Brigid. This could be an explanation of his name: coin to wolves and leth half (Benedictines, Curtayne, D'Arcy, Farmer, Montague, Neeson). Cogitosus, who write as St Brigid's biographer a century after her death, has interesting things to say about her monastery, about her grave, and about the presence of many painted pictures: ..The hermit-bishop who joined Brigid at Kildare was St. Conleth, now revered as patron of the diocese of Kildare. He was a craftsman in metal; a crozier, said to be of his workmanship, is extant. Brigid's brazier, he was called, in old writings. Under him a community of monks grew up which excelled in the making of beautiful chalices and other metal objects needed in the church, and in the writing and ornamentation of missals, gospels, and psalters. ...This double monastery, as we have said, was unique in Ireland. It continued in existence for several generations. Cogitosus, who wrote the life of Brigid at the request of the sisterhood in the seventh century, describes the great monastic church at Kildare as it existed in his own time, when the bodies of Conleth and Brigid lay entombed at the Gospel and Epistle sides of the altar, deposited in monuments which were decorated with various embellishments of gold and silver and precious stones, with crowns of gold and silver hung above them. ...Saving the tombs, the description of the church in the days of Cogitosus probably applies to the building as it stood when Conleth and Brigid built it. We gain an interesting picture of the ancient Irish churches of timber, of the larger kind. COGITOSUS WRITES: The church occupied a wide area, and was raised to a towering height, and was adorned with painted pictures. It had within it three spacious oratories, separated by plank partitions, under the one roof of the greater house, wherein one partition, decorated and painted with figures and covered with linen hangings, extended along the breadth of the eastern part of the church from one wall of the church to the other. That means that the sanctuary was shut off by an ornamented screen like the iconostasis in a Greek church. The partition, Cogitosus continues, has at its end two doors. Through one, the bishop enters the sanctuary, accompanied by his monks and those who are to offer the Dominical sacrifice; through the other, placed in the left of the same cross-wall, enter the Abbess with her virgins and faithful widows to enjoy the feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Cogitosus goes on to tell that a central partition reaches from the lower end of the church to the cross-wall before the sanctuary, dividing the nave into two portions. These divisions are entered by separate, ornamental doors, at right and left of the church; men occupy the right (or Gospel) half, women the left. Thus in one very great temple, a multitude of people in different order and ranks, separated by partitions, but of one mind, worship Almighty God. More may be perused at http://www.cin.org/saints/bridget.html St. Ethelwin of Lindsey, Bishop --- 8th century. Saint Ethelwin was a monk at Ripon Abbey. He succeeded Saint Cuthbert (f.d. March 20) as a hermit on Farne Island, where he lived for twelve years. After his death, he was buried at Lindisfarne (Benedictines). St. Philip of Zell, Hermit --- Died c. 770. The town of Zell, Germany, grew up around Saint Philip's cell, after which it was named. He was an Anglo-Saxon pilgrim who
[celt-saints] 4 May
Celtic and Old English Saints 4 May =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Ethelred of Bardney * St. Chad of Lichfield =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Ethelred of Bardney, King and Monk - Died 716. Ethelred, king of Mercia, abdicated to become a monk at Bardney, where he was later elected abbot (Benedictines). Saint Ethelred is depicted as an abbot with royal regalia at his feet. He is venerated at Leominster (Roeder). Translation of St. Chad of Lichfield - The Venerable Bede says that in his day the tomb of St.Chad was in the form of a small wooden house, with an aperture at the side, through which the faithful might put their hands and obtain dust, which, mixed with water, was used as a cure for both sick humans and animals. In 700 Bishop Headda built a church to contain the tomb, and as the stream of pilgrims continued after the Conquest, a Norman church was constructed in the twelfth century. This second church, however, lasted only about a hundred years before it was replaced by the present Gothic Cathedral, which had a larger East End, including a Lady Chapel, to facilitate the flow of pilgrims. Walter de Langton, who became bishop of Lichfield in 1296, had a marble shrine erected behind the High Altar. Some of the saint's bones were kept in a portable shrine, called a feretory, his head was venerated in the Chapel of St.Chad's Head and other relics were displayed from the gallery in the South Choir Aisle. Numerous miracles were attributed to St.Chad's relics. The earliest is recorded by the Venerable Bede, who recounts that a mentally deranged vagrant took shelter in the church where the saint was buried and left it the next morning restored to sanity. These evidences of his sanctity did not save his shrine from spoliation at the Reformation. At first Bishop Robert Lee persuaded King Henry VIII to allow the tomb to remain undisturbed, but it was not long before the lure of the gold and gems were too much for the king's officers and it was broken up. It is possible that St.Chad's relics still lie behind the altar at Lichfield, but a certain prebend Dudley took away four pieces of bone for safe keeping, and these were treasured by recusants until the consecration of the Roman Catholic Cathedral at Birmingham. In 1841 they were enshrined there above the High Altar. The Feast of the Translation of St.Chad is observed in the Midlands on the Thursday after the Fourth Sunday after Easter (Bowen, Wall). St. Chad's church, Lichfield http://www.saintchads.org.uk/home.htm Sources: Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Bowen, Paul. When We Were One: A Yearbook of the Saints of the British Isles Complied from Ancient Calendars. Roeder, Helen. (1955). Saints and Their Attributes. Chicago: Henry Regnery Company. Wall, J. C. (1905). Shrines of British Saints Methuen Co. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints
[celt-saints] 30 April
Celtic and Old English Saints 30 April =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Cynwl of Wales * St. Erconwald of London * St. Forannan * St. Swithbert the Younger * St. Onenn of Brittany =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Cynwl of Wales, Hermit 6th century. Cynwl, the brother of Saint Deiniol (Daniel), was the first bishop of Bangor (Wales.) He lived an austere life in northern Wales. Many churches have been dedicated to his honour (Benedictines). Troparion of St Cynwl Tone 7 Thou wast a worthy brother of Bangor's Bishop Deiniol,/ O holy hermit Cynwl./ Having passed from thine austere life on earth/ to eternal glory in heaven,/ pray to Christ our God for the people of these lands,/ that He may grant us His great mercy. St. Erconwald (Erkenwald) Bishop of London, Abbot of Chertsey -- Born in East Anglia; died at Barking, April 30, c. 686-693; second feast day on May 13. Erconwald is reputed to have been of royal blood, son of Annas or Offa. In 675, Saint Theodore of Canterbury appointed Erconwald bishop of the East Saxons with his see in London and extending over Essex and Middlesex. His episcopate was the most important in that diocese between that of Saint Mellitus and Saint Dunstan. His shrine in Saint Paul's Cathedral was a much visited pilgrimage site during the Middle Ages, where miracles were reported until the 16th century, but little is known of his life except that he founded a monastery at Chertsey in Surrey, which he governed, and a convent at Barking in Essex to which he appointed as abbess his sister, Ethelburga. Erconwald took some part in the reconciliation of Saint Theodore with Saint Wilfrid. In Saint Bede's time, miracles were recorded as a result of touching the couch used by Erconwald in his later years. At his death, Erconwald's relics were claimed by Barking, Chertsey, and London; he was finally buried in Saint Paul's Cathedral in London, which he had enlarged. The relics escaped the fire of 1087 and were placed in the crypt. November 14, 1148, they were translated to a new shrine behind the high altar, from where they were again moved on February 1, 1326 (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Farmer) Erconwald is portrayed in art as a bishop in a small 'chariot' (the Saxon equivalent of a bath chair) in which he travelled because of his gout. Sometimes there is a woman touching it or he may be shown with Saint Ethelburga of Barking (Roeder). Erconwald is invoked against gout (Roeder). Another Life: Believed to be an early convert of the mission led by S. Mellitus, Erconwald founded two religious houses on either side of the Thames, on the pattern that was later adopted by S. Benedict Biscop, when he built the twin monasteries of St. Peter, Monk Wearmouth and St. Paul, Jarrow. The abbey Erconwald built at Chertsey he presided over, as Abbot, but the other, at Barking, he gave to his sister St. Ethelburga, recalling St. Hildelid from France to train her in the religious life and to guide her in the governance of this double monastery of monks and nuns. His sister remained very close to him and later, when he was Bishop of London, used to accompany him on his journeys. Latterly, he was incapacitated by gout and had to be helped into a wheeled litter, the fore-runner of the Bath-chair, and the remains of this was preserved in Old St Paul's and shown as a relic. On the death of St. Cedd, in the plague of 664, Erconwald, who was descended from the house of Uffa, the royal family of the East Angles, was recommended by King Sebbi, to Archbishop Theodore, as the new Bishop of London. His ministry for the next eleven years was to be one of reconciliation. His diocese still contained some Britons who had remained, when the land was overrun by the Saxons, but the invaders were the predominant population. They had received the Christian Faith first of all through the Roman clergy sent by St. Gregory, but it had been established by the monks from Lindisfarne under St. Cedd, who were of the Celtic Church, so the see had a mixed tradition. Moreover, there was a certain amount of resistance to the reforms being introduced by St. Theodore, and Erconwald had a share in healing the divisions in the English Church as a whole, for the quarrel between Wilfrid and Theodore was finally settled in Erconwald's house just before the Archbishop's death. St. Erconwald's sanctity and peacemaking earned him an enduring place in the hearts of Londoners, and there are also many stories of miracles. A curious tale has been preserved of how, during the rebuilding of St Paul's, a coffin was discovered containing the body of a man wearing a crown and with a sceptre in his hand. There was no indication to whom this well preserved body belonged and, on the following day, St. Erconwald said mass for him and then asked who he was. The corpse immediately replied that he had been a judge of
[celt-saints] 29 April
Celtic and Old English Saints 29 April =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Endellion of Cornwall * St. Wilfrid of York * St. Fiachan of Lismore * St. Senan of North Wales * St. Dichu of Ulster =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Endellion (Endelient), Virgin, Nun, Recluse --- 6th century. Near Port Isaac, on the north coast of Cornwall, is the little village of Endellion, where the Roscarrock family made their home for four hundred years, and where Nicholas, to whom we owe so much information about the saints of Cornwall was born. He lived through the latter part of the sixteenth century and into the early years of the seventeenth, at a time when the veneration of the saints was being suppressed, and their shrines were being demolished. He had a great regard for the saint of his native village, and it is from his description that we are able to identify the original shrine of St. Endellion. St. Endelienta was one of the numerous children of Brychan, who settled at Trenkeny, where she lived a very austere life, sustained by the milk of one cow only. This animal was killed by the lord of Tregony because it trespassed on his land. Her godfather, a great man, had the lord killed for this offence, but Endellion miraculously brought him back to life. When she perceived that the day of her death was drawing near, she asked her friend that her body should be laid on a bier and be buried where certain young stots, bullocks and calves, should of their own accord draw her. The beasts drew the bier to the top of a hill, where there was a piece of waste mirey ground, and there she was buried and a church raised over the grave dedicated to her memory. The late Sir John Betjeman poet laureate wrote Inside the church gives the impression that it goes on praying night and day, whether there are people in it or not. A modern carved angel in memory of Sir John Betjeman may be seen in the sanctuary above a slate tablet. Nicholas Roscarrock tells us that there was another church bearing her name on Lundy Island, which is opposite Hartland, where her brother St. Nectan is buried. He also mentions two wells called after her and says that the one more distant from Endellion Church is the one she used. The tomb, which is now in the south aisle, is evidence of the affection and reverence with which she was held in the middle ages, for it is fifteenth century workmanship, in Catacluse stone, with fine niches and moulding. It originally stood under the easternmost arch of the nave on the south side, and as the tomb is empty, the bones of the saint are probably buried under the floor in that place. In the fourteenth century the church was served by a college of priests. The parish revel was held on the Saturday after the Ascension but Nicholas Roscarrock gives her feast day as April 29th (Baring Gould and Fisher, Bowen). Troparion of St Endelienta tone 5 O holy Endelienta,/ when thy cow, thine only source of sustenance,/ was cruelly killed,/ thy heart was filled with forgiveness for the slaughterer./ Pray to Christ our God/ that we may ever forgive our enemies and ourselves find mercy. St. Wilfrid (Wilfrith) the Younger, Bishop Died at Ripon in 744. Saint Wilfrid was one of the five future bishops who were educated by Saint Hilda (f.d. November 17) at Whitby. This indefatigable bishop of York was the favourite disciple of Saint John of Beverly (f.d. May 7) at Whitby. But first he was appointed abbot of the cathedral community at York, and shortly thereafter coadjutor of John of Beverly, whom he succeeded as bishop. Little is known of Wilfrid's episcopate except that he was zealous for education. Twelve years before his death at Ripon Abbey, Wilfrid retired to a monastery in order to be free to serve God with his whole soul. In the 10th century, two different groups claim to have taken the relics of Saint Wilfrid the Great (f.d. October 12) from Ripon; most likely one party took those of Wilfrid the Younger. This saint's feast is attested in the Calendar of Winchcombe and later martyrologies, though he does not seem to have had a widespread or popular cultus (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Farmer). St. Fiachan (Fiachina, Fianchne) of Lismore Born in Desies, Munster, Ireland; 7th century. An Irish monk of Lismore, whose sterling quality was obedience, Saint Fiachan was the disciple of Saint Carthage the Younger (f.d. May 14). He is titular saint of the parish of Kill-Fiachna, in the diocese of Ardfert (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Husenbeth). St. Senan of North Wales, Hermit 7th century. Senan was a hermit in northern Wales, but there is so much confusion in the records among the various saints of this name that it is impossible to give any precise history (Benedictines). St. Dichu of
[celt-saints] 28 April
Celtic and Old English Saints 28 April =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Cronan of Roscrea * St. Gerard the Pilgrim * St. Probe and St. Germaine =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Cronan (Croman) of Roscrea, Abbot --- Born in Munster, Ireland; died c. 626. Cronan was a monk and a maker of monks. He is patron of Roscrea, County Tipperary, one of the several monasteries that he founded, and highly venerated in the region Another Life: Saint Cronan was born in Munster and grew up in Clare. When he was old enough, he went with his two brothers Mochoinne and Mobi, to study at various religious houses; Scattery Island and Clonmacnois were among those they visited. When Cronan returned to his native county, he founded a monastery at a very remote spot, Seanruis, where there are still ruins of his settlement to be seen, near Lough Cree, which has since dried up. There is a story that the saint lost a precious copy of the Gospels in the lake, and although it was in the water for forty days and nights before it was recovered, he was delighted to find not a single letter had been destroyed. Here he was visited by Sr. Molua and to whom he gave the Sacrament before his death, receiving in return the charge of his monastery Clonfert-Molua. St. Cronan was particularly noted for his generosity and hospitality, and these particular characteristics caused him to move his monastery. Some travellers came to pay him a visit, but so remote was the place that they could not discover it and had to spend the night in the open amid the bogs that surrounded the lake. Cronan was so distressed by this that he built a new abbey at Rosecrea, where people on their journeys or those in distress could more easily find refreshment, and this was the beginning of the township on the road between Port Laoise and Nenagh. There are still remains of a round tower, a Romanesque doorway, a High Cross and a much weathered figure of St. Cronan to mark this second foundation. The Book of Dimma in the library of Trinity College Dublin belonged to the monastery. Cronan was much revered by his contemporaries, and King Fingen had a great regard for him. There is a record of his visiting Cashel, when he was very old, just before his death, on April 28th about 620 (Baring Gould, Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Flanagan, Gill, Husenbeth, Montague, Neeson). Medieval Irish Book Shrines and Book Satchels http://www.eskimo.com/~hmiller/cumdachs.html ] Troparion of St Cronan Tone 1 O holy Cronan, in the monasteries that thou didst found/ thou wast known for thy hospitality to the poor and to travellers./ Pray for us that we may follow thine example/ and welcome all in Christ's Name, to His glory. St. Gerard the Pilgrim -- Died c. 639 (?). Gerard was one of four English pilgrims--the other three were Ardwine, Bernard, and Hugh--who died at Galinaro in southern Italy (Benedictines). Ss. Probe and Germaine, Virgin Martyrs --- 4th century. These two were Irish virgins who refused marriage and were found near Laon, then murdered (Encyclopaedia). Sources: Baring-Gould, S. (1882) The Lives of the Saints (15 volumes) John Hodges. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1966). The Book of Saints. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell. Bowen, Paul. When We Were One: A Yearbook of the Saints of the British Isles Complied from Ancient Calendars. Encyclopaedia of Catholic Saints, July. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Flanagan,L.A. (1990). Chronicle of Irish Saints, The Blackstaff Press, Belfast. Gill, F. C. (1958). The Glorious Company: Lives of Great Christians for Daily Devotion, vol. I. London: Epworth Press. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue Co. Montague, H. P. (1981). The Saints and Martyrs of Ireland. Guildford: Billing Sons. Neeson, E. (1967). The Book of Irish Saints, The Mercier Press, Cork. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints
[celt-saints] 27 April
Celtic and Old English Saints 27 April =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Assic of Elphin * St. Enoder of Wales * St. Winebald of Beverley =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Assic of Elphin, Bishop (also known as Asic, Assicus, Tassach) Died c. 490. Bishop and Patron of Elphin, in Ireland, one of St. Patrick's converts, and his worker in iron. In the Tripartite Life of St Patrick (ed. Whitley Stokes) we read: Bishop St Assic was Patrick's coppersmith, and made altars and square bookcases. Besides, he made our saint's patens in honour of Bishop Patrick, and of them I have seen three square patens, that is, a paten in the Church of Patrick in Armagh, and another in the Church of Elphin, and a third in the great-church of Donough-patrick (at Carns near Tulsk). Asicus was a coppersmith and was married when he first met St. Patrick. In time he was made the first abbot-bishop of Elphim Monastery in Roscommon, Ireland. Humble and not believing he was worthy of the office, Asicus went to an island in Donegal Bay, where he resigned his rank and became a hermit. After seven years the monks of Elphin found him and persuaded him to return to the monastery. He died at Raith Cungilor on the return journey. St. Assicus was a most expert metal worker, and was also renowned as a bellfounder. Some remarkable specimens of his handicraft are extant. There is confusion between this saint and Tassach (April 14), which suggests that they may be the same person. They were both skilled metal workers, their names are similar, and they died the same year. Of his last days the following graphic description is given by Archbishop Healy: Assicus himself in shame because of a lie told either by him, or, as others say, of him, fled into Donegal, and for seven years abode in the island of Rathlin O'Birne. Then his monks sought him out, and after much labour found him in the mountain glens, and tried to bring him home to his own monastery at Elphin. But he fell sick by the way and died with them in the wilderness. So they buried the venerable old man in the churchyard of Rath Cunga, now Racoon, in the Barony of Tirhugh, County Donegal. The old churchyard is there still, though now disused, on the summit of a round hillock close to the left of the road from Ballyshannon to Donegal, about a mile to the south of the village of Ballintra. We sought in vain for any trace of an inscribed stone in the old churchyard. He fled from men during life, and, like Moses, his grave is hidden from them in death. His feast is celebrated 27 April, as is recorded in the Martyrology of Tallaght under that date. Troparion of St Asic Tone 4 Thou didst glorify God both by preaching the Word and by thy coppersmith's skill,/ O glorious Father Asic./ Thou wast abbot and bishop and didst die a hermit./ Pray to Christ our God that we may find grace/ to devote our gifts and skills to His service. St. Enoder (Cynidr, Keneder, Quidic), Abbot --- 6th century. Saint Enoder is said to be one of the grandsons of the prolific Welsh chieftain, Brychan. He may be identical to Saint Enodoch. Enoder's memory is perpetuated by Llangynidr in Brecknockshire, and possibly St. Enoder or Enodoc in Cornwall (Benedictines). St. Winebald (Winewald) of Beverley, Abbot --- Died c. 731. Saint Winebald succeeded Saint Bercthun (f.d. September 24) as abbot of Beverley (Benedictines). Sources: Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Montague, H. P. (1981). The saints and martyrs of Ireland. Guildford: Billing Sons. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints
