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.

April 15 St. Ruadhan of Lorrha

The Irish love a good story and a good legend. Some of the legends are bigger than others. St. Ruadman (pronounced roughly Rodan) was part of one of the biggest legends in all of Irish History. As with many legends, there are seeds of truth, some historical facts that start the legend then it grows. So it is with the Curse Of Tara.

The story begins with King Dermont. He was considered a wise a fair ruler, though he made his share of enemies along the way. He held court at Tara – the mystical heart of Ireland. It was the custom at the time for the King’s spear-bearer to make the circuit of the country periodically and to enter every important home with the spear held lengthwise across him.

King Dermont’s spear carrier arrived in the province of Connacht, and made his way to the mansion of Aedh Guaire (Hugh Guaire – henceforth known as Hugh) on Kinelfechin. Hugh, at that time, had round his home a stockade of red oak, and had a new house too, that was just built with a view to his marriage feast. The spear-bearer came accordingly and Hugh bade him welcome. The spear-bearer said that the house must be hewn before him (to make the entrance wide enough). Now Hugh had put a lot of work into his new house and thought the request an insult and idiocy.  So he beheaded the spear carrier.

Now at this time the discipline of Ireland was such that whosoever killed a man void of offense, the slayer must be killed, unless it were that the King should order or permit the acceptance of cattle-price. Hugh fled to Saint Ruadhan for protection. Dermont himself comes to Ruadhan to look for him, but Hugh had been put into a hole in the ground by Ruadhan … Dermont asked Ruadhan where he was, for he was sure he would tell him no lie. ‘I know not where he is,’ said Ruadhan, ‘if he be not under yon thatch.’ After that Dermont departs to his house, but he remembered the cleric’s word and returns to the recluse’s cell, and he sees the candle being brought to the hole where Hugh was. Dermont eventually seized Hugh and carried him off to Tara losing two servants to Ruadhan in this round of the contest. One was blinded when searching the Saint’s kitchen, the other had his arm mangled when trying to pull Hughout of the hole. Both remained with Ruadhan.

Ruadhan then called upon his fellow saints to aid him,a brotherhood of saints who had studied at Clonard, rallied together and hastened with him to Tara where they proceeded to “ fast upon the King”. This was an ancient form of hunger strike where the participants sat outside the king’s tent and fasted until they died or the king gave in from shame. But King Dermont would not be shamed and set up a “fast upon the fasters”.

This brotherhood  set up camp and continued their fast, their tent exposed to weather and to wet,  every other night without food (the slow way to die …), Dermont and the clergy, fasting on each other.

Meantime Brendan the Navigator had landed from one of his expeditions abroad and hearing what was afoot hastened to join his fellow saints. They had by this time established a household of their own on Tara and the bitter contest dragged on for years, while presumably the unfortunate Hugh remained chained in some miserable underground hole. Eventually they asked the King again to grant them custody of Hugh, which he absolutely refused as he did before;

Ruadhan and a bishop that was with him took their bells that they had, which they rung heartily and cursed the king and the place, and prayed God that no king or queen ever after would or could dwell in Tara, and that it should be waste for ever, without court or palace. A hundred and thirty-six pagan and six Christian kings had ruled uninterruptedly at Tara. Dermont was the last of them. His successors deserted the royal hill and lived elsewhere.

March 24 St. Caimin of Lough Derg

Any good Irishman and the followers of Veggie Tales know the stories of the Vikings raiding monasteries in Ireland. One of the Vikings favorite stops was the famous Irish island of Innismore (or Inishmore, Inis More, Árainn (Mhór), Inis Mór). It was the place St. Clement set up shop and created a community of scholar monks. St. Caimen added his monasteries and church in the 600s. They became two of the largest structures on the island. The massive tower and walls of the church still remain. The abbey was visited many times by the Vikings, including being completely plundered in  836 and again in 922. The great Brian Boru himself restored the church  1009.  A fragment of the “Psalter of Saint Caimin,” claimed by some to have been copied by St. Caimin’s own hand, still exists in the Franciscan library at Killiney, County Dublin. He is also credited with authorship of the “Commentary on the Hebrew Text of the Psalms”

March 21 St. Enda of Arran and St. Fanchea of Rossory

These two are brother and sister Irish royalty in 500s. St. Facnchea was called early to religious life. She founded a convent in Rossery and was the first abbess. She was a bit if a big sister, knowing what was best for her little brother.

An Irish prince, St. Edna was the son of King Conall Derg of Ergall Ulster. Brother-in-law to King Oengus of Munster, Ireland. He trained as a soldier as a young man and took over the throne upon his father’s death, but gave up his dreams of conquest to marry and settle in as the next king. Big sister Franchea set him up with a beautiful young virgin, but she died after the pledge had been made but before St. Enda could lay eyes on her. Upon arriving at her deathbed, St. Fanchea  conducted her brother to her bedside. Uncovering the departed maiden’s features, Fanchea exclaimed, “Look now upon the face of her whom thou hast desired.” Enda, struck with horror, cried out, “It is at present sadly pale and ghastly.” “And so shall your features hereafter be,” replied the dead virgin. Then Fanchea spoke to him regarding the pains of Hell, and dwelt also on the joys of Heaven, until the young man burst into tears. The trauma and of the lecture by his older sister besides the talking corpse threw St. Edna into a period of despair.  His dear sister, not so gently, suggested maybe becoming a priest would cure him of his dark emotions. She sent him to her choice of seminaries – Rosnat Monastery in Britain. It is said that on the day that he would leave, a strange man came to him in a vision and told him of an isle where he would find peace, Innish. He made a pilgrimage to Rome and was finally ordained there. On a visit to see her baby brother in Britain, St. Fanchea decided it was time for St. Edna to move yet again. Big Sis advised that as God had gifted him with talents, he ought to exercise these among the people of his native land, and thus enhance doubly their value. St. Edna was a dutiful little brother (very hard to find amongst Irish families) and did as his sister wished.
Returning to Ireland, Enda built churches at Drogheda, and a monastery in the Boyne valley. Thereafter (about 484) he begged his brother-in-law, the King Oengus of Munster, to let him go to the wild and barren isle of Innish in Galway Bay. Oengus wanted to give him a fertile plot in the Golden Vale, but Innish suited Enda’s ideal for religious life. It was in the Aran Islands that St. Edna’s legacy came into being. St. Fanchea had recently died, so he was free to set up the monastery however he wanted.  Enda divided the island of Innish into 8 parts, in each of which he built a “place of refuge”, and under his rule the abbey of St. Enda became a burning light of sanctity for centuries in Western Europe.  These structures were the chosen home of a group of poor and devoted men under Saint Enda. He taught them to love the hard rock, the dripping cave, and the barren earth swept by the western gales. They were “men of the caves”, and “also men of the Cross”.

Some of the people who spent time in prayer living on Innish included Saint Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, who came there first as a youth to grind corn, and would have remained there for life but for Enda’s insistence that his true work lay elsewhere, reluctant though he was to part with him; Saint Finnian, who left St Enda and founded the monastery of Moville (where Saint Columba spent part of his youth) and who afterwards became bishop of Lucca in Tuscany, Italy; Among them also was Saint Brendan the Voyager, Saint Columba of Iona, Jarlathof Tuam, and Carthach the Elder. These and many others formed a great and valiant company who spent time in the beehives and caves establish by St. Edna.

When Saint Brendan returned from his travels far to the West, his first stop was Innish.  He presented the only gift he bought back from his travels, a stone with an eye carved on one end and a rune on the other. Legend has it was given him by a dwarf far to the West. This stone floats if placed on water and the gem points to the Last Isle of the West. The rune is a variant of the Norse Reith rune which resembles the letter r. This is called the “Styrimathr” (STEE-ri-mah-thur) meaning in Norse “the Captain of the Seas path”. It has been continuously carried from then until today,  in a small silk purse by the Abbot of the Abbey of St. Enda.

The two siblings, so connected in life, both died on March 21, though in different years.

Sie Note #1: For those familiar with Irish history, Padraig Pearse named his National School after St. Edna. (Scoil Éanna in Gaelic)

Side Note #2: For those interested in modern hermits and monk on Innishmore today, it is worth reading the web page of Dara Mollow.

March 20 St. Clement of Ireland

First a quick biography: Born in Ireland ca. 750 AD, educated as a priest in France, returned to Ireland to start educating the masses. Had such great success that Charlemagne asked him and his companion, Ailbe,  to return to France to serve the court. Started a palace school and a school in Paris. These became the seeds of the education culture in Paris that grew into the famed University of Paris. Died in 818 Ad while in retirement in Auxerre, France.

For me, there are two interesting facets of his life. One was the impact of the Irish intellect on the French Court. St. Clement and Ailbe brought intellect and logic to the forefront of the Court’s psyche. St. Clement influenced not only the current court of Charlemagne, but many future courts through his students such as Bruno, Modestus, and Candidus. His legacy of learning and thought was the foundation upon which Paris grew into a modern and urbane center of culture and learning. Yet another contribution of the Irish.

Second interesting fact: St. Clement was deposed from the priesthood for his belief that when Christ descended into Hell, he restored all the damned. This doctrine came from his belief as a Christian Universalist. CU’s believed  that all immortal souls, because of the love and mercy of God, will ultimately be ‘reconciled’ with God. Despite being removed from the priesthood, he was still made a saint.

A small side note, the first biography of St. Clement was written while he was still alive by an unnamed Irish monk and the book was dedicated to Charles The Fat.

March 18 Saint Frigidian of Lucca

Son of the king of Ulster, Ireland, St. Frigidian is sometimes known as the Wayward Saint. After becoming a priest in the 500s, St. Frigidian went on a short pilgrimage to Rome. He stopped for a few days in the town of Lucca, Italy when he discovered a small, well tended cemetery of martyrs. While he was staying over in the town, hanging out at the cemetery, the local bishop died. The local clergy looked around for a worthy and devout candidate, chose the gregarious Irish monk lounging about the cemetery. Makes one wonder about the condition of all the local priests. While he preferred a life of solitude, he did his best as bishop. He managed to organize the local clergy into a coherent group with regular laws governing the wide flung churches. He still took regulars sojourns into the countryside to satisfy his monastic side. On one of these trips he realized the river that ran through the town of Lucca was rising rapidly. He borrowed a hoe, said a prayer, ordered the river to follow him, then dug a new, safe course for the river by dragging the tool through the dirt.

I pray for the intercessions of Saint Frigidian for all the people of Japan.

March 5 St. Piran

Patron Saint of Cornwall, England and Tin Miners

St. Piran’s life can be divided into Five Acts.

Act I – St, Piran shows up in Wales. Tradition says he arrived from his home country of Ireland. He became friends with St. Finnian of Clonard.  The two started a couple of monasteries, took some colleges classes and spent their young adulthood  ministering to the needs of the people of Cardiff, Wales.

Act II – Needing a little adventure, the two friends set off for Ireland. Piran traveled amongst the islands off the west coast of Ireland. He founded monasteries and communities before returning to the mainland and starting a college along the banks of the Shannon River. Act II ends with the pagan rulers of the area attaching a millstone around his neck and tossing him off a cliff into a stormy sea.

Act III – Miraculously, after being thrown into the sea, the skies clear, the sea calms and the mill stone floats. St, Piran rides the millstone to Cornwall England. He  immediately began converting the locals – starting with a badger, a fox and a bear. He built several churches in Cornwall and legend has that he became the chaplain to King Arthur. He traveled in old age to France, founding churches along the way.

Act IV – Upon returning to Cornwall, St. Piran chose a large black rock as a fireplace  stone. When heated to high heat,  a white liquid oozed from the stone. He shared his discovery with the locals who started what would become Cornwall’s claim to fame for centuries to come – tin work.

Act V – The people were so glad to be free of poverty, they threw a party for St. Piran. After many toasts, St. Piran found himself quite drunk, coining the English saying, “As drunk as a Perraner”. St. Piran died quietly in his little hermitage cave by the sea. The trickled of white metal upon a black background remains as the White Cross of Saint Piran on the Cornish national flag.

February 1 St. Brigid of Kildare

Patron Saint of Cows (and numerous other things, including Ireland)

St. Brigid began life as the daughter of the pagan king Dubhthach and a slave. She was named after the pagan goddess of Fire, which represented knowledge through music and poetry. After spending much time giving away her father’s cows, milk and swords to the poor and infirmed, it was decided she would be better suited to life as a nun. When she received her vows (depending on which legend you choose to believe) she was ordained as a man by accident. She maintained administrative rights equal to a bishop until the Synod of Kells in 1152. She made the progressive decision to found a dual monastery for both men and women at the pagan strong hold of Kildare, Ireland. A radical woman who can hold her own besides St. Patrick as Patron Saint of Ireland.

 

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.