July 28 St. Samson of York

Samson was a Welsh by birth, but his noteriety drove him to move from place to place. He started at the abbey at Llanwit Major in South Glamorgan, but soon desired a more solitary life, so he moved on to a small monastery on Caldey Island off Cornwall. Wanting to deepen his learning, he joined a group of Irish monks returning to Ireland for a visit. However, Samson soon gained a reputation for holiness, and many came to him for prayers on their behalf. Uncomfortable with fame, Samson returned to the anonymity of Cornwall. Samson received a vision from God telling him to evangelize Brittany. He and some monks there established a monastery at Dol that later became the center of a new diocese. Samson spent the rest of his life in Brittany, gaining renown for wisdom, holiness and dedication, and is regarded by many as one of the greatest Welsh saints.

July 19 St. Arsenius

St. Arsenius was a 4th century deacon and a tutor to the sons of Emperor Theodosius the Great. About 395 he left to live with the monks of Alexandria. After the emperor’s death, he retired to the wilderness of Scetis, and became a student of Saint John the Short. Hermit, noted for his great austerity.

June 24 St. Bartholomew of Farne

The good St. Bart started life as known as Tostig. But his Norwegian name didn’t go over well with his classmates since he lived in England. So he changed his name to William. He changed it again when he became a priest to Bartholomew. He spent the last 42 years of his life living as a hermit on the island of Farne. All except for that one year when he had a falling out with the one other person on the whole entire island, another monk. He packed up his cell and moved back home. The Bishop told to him to stop acting like a spoiled brat and use the common sense God gave him. And sent him packing back to the Island of Farne.

April 26 – St. Trudpert of Münstethal

St. Trudbert was a seventh century hermit at Münstethal. A local lord was so impressed by his devoutness, he dedicated a portion of his lands on which to build a monastery. Unfortunately, he was not that impressed and set aside the worst of the grounds he owned. He then commanded local serfs to clear the land. It was such miserable work, the workers decided it was easier to kill Trudpert then to finish the job.

April 12 Saint Alferius of La Cava

St. Alferius lead the model life of a nobleman in tenth century Italy. He was learned, acted as an ambassador for the duke of Salerno, Italy, traveled all over southern Italy. When he became seriously ill in Chiusa, Italy  he was taken to the local monastery. Like many a sickly person, he made the  clichéd pact that if he recovers he will join religious life. He did recover and he followed through on his promise to God. He became a monk in France and then was sent to his hometown of Salerno to reform the monasteries and local priests. He met with little success so he became a hermit in the foothills of Salerno.

His gentle teachings and wisdom earned a rather large following. He chose twelve of his favorite students and started his own monastery. The abbey became the motherhouse for scores of others in the region; this network of houses became a powerful force for civilization and religion in Sicily and southern Italy. Alferius lived to be 120, governing the abbey until the day he died, on Holy Thursday. On that day, he celebrated mass, and washed the feet of his brothers, including the future Pope Blessed Victor III. Twelve of the abbots of his monastery have gone on to be beatified.

April 5 St. Derfel Gadarn

Another Welch saint known mostly for who he was related to – various kings and saints. A soldier turned hermit, there are two outstanding facts about St. Derfel –

A wooden statue of St. Derfel on horseback, much beloved by the parish at Llanderfel, was used as the funeral pyre for Blessed John Forest.

Oliver Cromwell personally destroyed his relics.

April 3 St. Mary of Egypt

Patron Saint Against Sexual Temptation

You don’t often read a saint’s biography begin with  “A beautiful, spoiled, cynical, disenchanted, rich child who repaid her family by running away at age 12.”  Born in the mid 300s, she ran to Alexandria, Egypt where she worked as a singer, dancer and prostitute for seventeen years. At age 30 she hopped on a boat of pilgrims heading to Jerusalem, hoping to ply her trade amongst the pilgrims in the Holy City.

On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross she moved with the crowds to the church, looking for customers. At the church door she found herself invisibly repelled, unable to open the door; she was overcome with remorse for her life and exclusion from the Church. Asking for forgiveness, she heard a voice instruct her to cross the Jordan River to find peace. The next day Mary crossed the river, wandered into the desert, and took up the life of a hermit. Quite the turn for the former spoiled child turned prostitute.

February 26 Saint Porphyrius of Gaza

With all the martyrs and mass murders in the early church, one wonders why anyone would become a bishop. It was like signing your own death warrant. Early congregations had to be creative in getting a bishop consecrated.

Saint Porphyrius was a hermit in Gaza in the 400’s  He was happy as a hermit. A few visitor to bring supplies, lots of time to pray, a long nap each day. What’s not to love. When Gaza ended up without a bishop, they did what any desperate congregation would do. They kidnapped Saint Porphyrius, consecrated him at sword point and had armed guards make sure he wouldn’t escape. Eventually he came to love his job. He converted most of the Gaza region and virtually eliminated paganism.  Some of the best leaders are born out of reluctance.

February 20 St. Wulfric of Haselbury

St. Wulfric was a party boy. How you could not be a party boy with a name like Wulfric? He took his vows because it was expected of him, but vows didn’t mean he had to give up the fun times. An avid hunter and eater, he was a regular on the dinner party circuit. Then God gave him a good kick in the ass and he retreated to a life of a hermit. He put his knowledge of setting an extravagant table to use making extraordinary items for use in the mass.

January 28 St. James the Hermit

We have looked at St. Paul the Hermit and St. Anthony of the desert – pious men who lived long lives of devotion. St. James was nothing like them. He might as well have been called St. James the Unsettled Hermit. Or St. James the Half Devoted Hermit. Or St. James the Very Human Hermit.

After a misspent youth that was never fully described but whispered about, St. James converted to Christianity. He lived as a hermit for 15 years. Then he needed a little break and went back to his wild ways. There are rumors of wild women and possibly a murder. Steamy stuff for the early church. A friend brought him back to the church, convincing James that God forgives even the worst of sins and loves the most human of people. James lived the rest of short life in prayer and penance, living in an abandoned sepulchre. I wonder, in the today’s social and political climate swirling around the church, how forgiving we would be of such a man. Would he be allowed to continue his vows and live a life of penance and prayer?

A side note about St. James – His life story was the loose structure for Henry James’ book “The Hermit and the Wild Woman” in which Edith Wharton is the allegedly the wild woman and Henry James is allegedly St. James. I wonder why we never got to read THAT Henry James book in high school?