Celtic and Old English Saints 23 August
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* St. Tydfil of Glamorgan
* St. Eugene of Tyrone
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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
