July 17 St. Kenelm

There is one area of living in community that crosses religious sects, nationalities and languages. Most, if not all, congregations find their leader’s fault’s, at the least, frustrating and, at the most, maddening. Except in extreme cases, congregations learn to live with the faults, grit their teeth and get through the day. But wouldn’t it be lovely to have one day, just one day out of the whole year, to take your frustrations out on the minister? It would relieve the tension and make the rest of the days much smoother. Not to mention decreased dental bills. Well now you have that day!

Kenelm was a Mercian prince, the son of King Coenwulf. Venerated as a boy king and martyr in the Middle Ages, though his biography became mixed with pious legends, one of which says he was killed on orders of his sister.

Mentioned in the Canterbury Tales’s Nun’s Priest’s Tale. Venerable John Henry Newman made frequent pilgrimages to the shrine of Saint Kenelm’s martyrdom. For many years the villagers of Kenelstowe, England celebrated Saint Kenelm’s Day with the ancient custom of “crabbing the parson” – bombarding the parson with crab apples!