St. Cuthbert

Saint Cuthbert, the wonderworker of Britain, was born in Northumbria around 634. 

During our Weeks 1 -13: Following in St. Aidan's Footsteps on this blog, he was mentioned many times.

While the saint was young, he would tend his master’s sheep in the Lammermuir hills south of Edinburgh near the River Leader. One night while he was praying, he had a vision of angels taking the soul of Saint Aidan (August 31, 651) to heaven in a fiery sphere. Cuthbert awakened the other shepherds and told them what he had seen. A few days later they learned that Bishop Aidan of Lindisfarne had reposed at the very hour that Cuthbert had seen his vision.

As an adult, Saint Cuthbert decided to give up his life in the world and advanced to better things. He entered the monastery at Melrose in the valley of the Tweed, where he was received by the abbot Saint Boisil.

A few years later, Saint Eata chose some monks of Melrose to live at the new monastery at Ripon. Among them was Saint Cuthbert. Both Eata and Cuthbert were expelled from Ripon and sent back to Melrose in 661 because they (and some other monks) refused to follow the Roman calculation for the date of Pascha. The Celtic Church, which followed a different, older reckoning, resisted Roman practices for a long time. However, in 664 the Synod of Whitby determined that the Roman customs were superior to those of the Celtic Church and should be adopted by all.

Saint Cuthbert was chosen to be abbot of Melrose after the death of Saint Boisil, guiding the brethren by his words and by his example. He made journeys throughout the surrounding area to encourage Christians and to preach the Gospel to those who had never heard it. Sometimes he would be away from the monastery for a month at a time, teaching and preaching. He also worked many miracles, healing the sick and freeing those who were possessed by demons.

In 664, Cuthbert went with Saint Eata to Lindisfarne, and extended his territory to include the inhabitants of Northumberland and Durham. Soon Saint Eata appointed Cuthbert as prior of Lindisfarne (Holy Island). While at Lindisfarne, Saint Cuthbert continued his habit of visiting the common people in order to inspire them to seek the Kingdom of Heaven.

Saint Cuthbert was a true father to his monks, but his soul longed for complete solitude, so he went to live on a small island (Saint Cuthbert’s Isle), a short distance from Lindisfarne. 

St. Cuthbert's Island

In 676, he retired to Inner Farne, an even more remote location, here he remained for nearly nine years. A synod at Twyford elected Cuthbert Bishop of Hexham in 684. Letters and messengers were sent to inform him of the synod’s decision, but he refused to leave his solitude. The King and Bishop went to him in person, entreating him in Christ’s name to accept. At last, Saint Cuthbert came forth and with great reluctance, he submitted to the will of the synod and accepted the office of bishop. Almost immediately, he exchanged Sees with Saint Eata, and became Bishop of Lindisfarne while Saint Eata went to Hexham.

Bishop Cuthbert remained as humble as he had been before his consecration, avoiding finery and dressing in simple clothing. He fulfilled his office with dignity and graciousness, while continuing to live as a monk. Three years later he surrendered his holy soul to God on March 20, 687.

Saint David, Patron of Wales

 

Saint David, Patron of Wales, commemorated on March 1st, is said to have been the son of a Welsh chieftain. He lived in the latter half of the sixth century during the golden age of Celtic Christianity when saints were plentiful, many of them of noble rank--kings, princes, and chieftain--who lived the monastic life, built oratories and churches, and preached the gospel.

Saint Cadoc founded the great Monastery of Llancarfan. Saint Illtyd turned from the life of a soldier to that of a mystic and established the Abbey of Llantwit, where tradition links his name to that of Sir Galahad. But greatest among them was David, cousin of Cadoc and pupil of Illtyd, who was educated in the White House of Carmarathen and who founded the Monastery of Menevia in the place that now bears his name.

According to his biography, David became a priest, studied under Saint Paulinus, the disciple of Saint Germanus of Auxerre, on an unidentified island for several years. He then engaged in missionary activities, founded twelve monasteries from Croyland to Pembrokeshire, the last of which, at Mynyw (Menevia) in southwestern Wales, was known for the extreme asceticism of its rule, which was based on that of the Egyptian Desert Fathers.

Here in this lovely and lonely outpost he gathered his followers. The Monastic Rule of David was strict, with but one daily meal of only bread with salt and herbs, frequent fasts, the drinking only of water, and hours of unbroken silence. Their days were filled with hard manual labor and no plough was permitted in the work of the fields. The monks spent their evenings in prayer, reading and writing. No personal possessions were allowed, nor did David exempt himself from the same rigorous discipline: he drank nothing but water and so came to be known as David the Waterman.

Eventually, he was consecrated Bishop of the primatial See of Wales, Menevia, afterwards known as Saint David’s in his honor. He reposed in the Lord about the year 601 AD (our St. Aidan lived from 590 - 651) and, through the years, has been venerated as one of the greatest and most beloved saints of the British Isles.

(oca.org and Orthodox Christianity Then and Now.)

Family of Saints: Sts. Kentigerna, Fillan and Comgan

Celtic saints lived all over Wales, Cornwall, Ireland, Scotland, Brittany and on hundreds of large and tiny coastal islands. These western lands indeed produced thousands of saints, who lived mostly from the fourth to the eighth centuries.

Celtic saints were very closely connected with each other. The monasteries they founded were interconnected as well and this continued on to following generations. Amazingly, Celtic holiness is unique for its “families of saints”, which were sometimes very large and included representatives of several generations who were relatives by blood: holy parents and children and grandchildren, holy brothers and sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces. We can only wonder at the piety and level of Christian life of that age.

One of the families was the holy relatives Sts. Kentigerna, Fillan and Comgan.

The holy woman Kentigerna († 734) is often called “an island anchoress.” Widowed, she left her native Ireland together with her saintly brother, Comgan, and her children, among whom was St. Fillan, and moved to Scotland in order to preach the Gospel of Christ to pagan people and evangelize some parts of the country that were still not Christian. With time she settled on the island of Inchebroida. The name “Inchebroida” means “the isle of the eldress.” Today this island is commonly known as Inchcailloch, situated on Loch Lomond.

Inchebroida Island

St. Fillan moved together with his mother and other relatives to Scotland. There he became a monk and lived the monastic life until the end of his life. It is known that for some time Fillan preached the Good News together with Sts. Kentigerna and Comgan and then retired to live as a hermit. During his life, Fillan by his prayer healed from many diseases the sick who flocked to him, and worked many miracles.

St. Comgan went to Scotland with his sister Kentigerna and her three children, among whom was Fillan. There were seven companions with them. The missionaries landed in the Highlands in the north of Scotland. Soon Comgan settled at Lochalsh opposite the Isle of Skye (the largest island in the Inner Hebrides off the north-western coast of Scotland) where he founded a monastery and became its abbot. The saint, known as a great ascetic, lived here for many years. St. Comgan has been widely venerated in many parts of Scotland for many centuries. A number of settlements of Scotland bear the name of this saint, among them are Kilcongen, Kilchoan (in Highland, where there is a very ancient ruined church of St. Comgan in this westernmost Scottish village) and others. Several churches in this country are dedicated to him, and there are traces of his monastic and missionary activities in such places as Islay, North Uist, Ardnamurchan and Turriff.

Venerable Kentigerna, Fillan and Comgan, pray to God for us, that He might watch over our families and keep them safe from harm, that He will help us to love and support one another, and always remember that we are blessed. Amen.

Read the full article at orthochristian.com. 

St. Ita

 

Saint Ita was born in the fifth century in County Waterford. At the age of sixteen, she moved to Cluain Credhail, now known as Killeedy (from Cille Ide, meaning ‘Church of St. Ita’) in County Limerick, where she founded a school and convent. A holy well still marks the site of her church, called Tobar Bhaile Ui MhÈidÌn, My Little Ita's Well, although the monastery was destroyed by Viking invaders in the ninth century.

Legend has it that Ita was led to Killeedy by three heavenly lights. The first was at the top of the Galtee mountains, the second on the Mullaghareirk mountains and the third at Cluain Creadhail, which is nowadays Killeedy. Her sister Fiona also went to Killeedy with her and became a member of the community.

The convent became known as a training ground for young boys, many of whom became famous churchmen. She received St. Brendan the Voyager when he was only a year old, and kept him until he was six. She also cared for her nephew Saint Mochaemhoch in his infancy.

Saint Ita once told Saint Brendan that the three things most displeasing to God are: A face that hates mankind, a will that clings to the love of evil, and placing one’s entire trust in riches (Compare Proverbs 6:16-19).

The three things most pleasing to God are: The firm belief of a pure heart in God, the simple religious life, and liberality with charity.

Brendan sailed away from Ireland in 510, traveled the oceans and founded monasteries for 40 years. He then returned to Ireland, visiting the holy island of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland, on the way home to Ireland. St. Ita died in 570 and St. Brendan died seven years later, in 577.

St. Aidan was the founder and first bishop of the Lindisfarne Island monastery. Born in Connacht, Ireland, Aidan was originally a monk at the monastery on the Island of Iona, founded by St Columba. King Oswald of Northumbria spent his youth on Iona, beginning in 616, and brought Aidan from Iona to Northumbria in 634, less than 60 years after the death of St. Brendan the Voyager.

Image and info: oca.org, Wikipedia.