February 3 St. Blaise

Patron Saint of those with fish bones stuck in their throat (and other throat ailments)

St. Blaise was an Armenian priest and physician in the 300s during yet another time of Christian persecution. He hid in a cave deep in the woods. People and animals would find their way to his cave for healing. It is said the animals always waited for him to finish his prayers. The humans were much ruder.

When he was eventually discovered by the evil ruler Agricola, he then minister to people in prison. He saved a child who was choking on a fish bone. This led to him being punished to death by drowning. Except he walked on the lake water and challenged his persecutors to come and get him. When half drowned, he walked to shore where the other half combed him to death with sheep combs.

Today is the traditional blessing of the throats. Both people suffering from throat ailments and singers seek out the blessings of St. Blasie. And people choking on fish bones.

January 19 St. Fillan

Patron Saint of the Mentally Ill

One of the heroes of the Scottish Church, St. Fillan was actually born in Ireland, the son of St. Kentigerna. They moved to Scotland when St. Fillian was quite young, but once an Irishman, always an Irishman.

St. Fillan alternated between living in a cave – praying and writing – and traveling the Scottish countryside. His travels led to many legends, from convincing a fox of his moral wrongs to saving the faithful from the Loch Ness monster. What is known is that he blest a pool of water in his home base town of Auchentyre and staff of his survives to this day in the National Museum of Scotland.

His blessed pool and his cave became a pilgrimage spot for the mentally ill. After being blessed by the waters, the individuals were bound and put in St. Fillan’s hermitage cave. If the bindings were loosened by morning, the person was considered cured. It is rumored Houdini learned some of his tricks from cave writings left by the poor souls. As the cave was only accessible by boat, later uses of the cave included a pirate’s hideout and a fish net storage. Today the cave can be reached by a walking path with fish and chips stops along the way. This, for me, is an imminently doable pilgrimage.