SAINTS’ DaYS

St. DaviD | MARCH 1

On March 1, we remember David, the patron saint of the Welsh people. He lived in the early sixth century and held the dual office of abbot and bishop in southwestern Wales. Like many other British saints, he was an athlete of the spiritual life who pressed himself to the limits of human endurance. But he was also famous for his compassion, and legends tell how he worked many wonders to relieve the poor and the sick. In later centuries, when the Welsh people were oppressed under English rule, these stories made them believe that they had a patron and protector of their own race before God’s throne in heaven. But devotion to David spread far beyond Wales, and in time he became the only Welsh saint ever to be honoured on the calendar of the whole western Church.

Adapted from S. J. Reynolds, For All the Saints: Prayers and Readings for Saints’ Days, According to the Calendar of the Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada. (Toronto: Anglican Book Centre, 2007).

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Many of the tales of St. David come from the hagiography written by Rhygyfarch in the late 11th century. Historians have been suspicious about some of its claims because it was largely propaganda – Rhygyfarch was determined to keep the Welsh church independent from the English one.

St. David is the only patron saint of the United Kingdom who was born in the country where he became a saint. He was supposedly the grandson of the king of Ceredigion, born around 500 AD. Another story says that he was the nephew of King Arthur. He grew up to be a priest, educated at the monastery of Hen Fynyw by St. Paulinus, whose sight he restored. Another feat he performed during this period was bringing a child back to life.

During his many travels, he founded more than 50 churches and 12 monasteries throughout Wales, western England (including Glastonbury), and Brittany. On one of his pilgrimages, he visited Bath, where the waters were cold and deadly, but St. David is said to have blessed it, and it became the warm, healing water we know today. He attended the Synod of Brefi, where, as he was preaching, the ground upon which he stood rose up to form a small hill so that the crowd watching could see and hear him better, a white dove perched on his shoulder. This, and his eloquence in opposing Pelagiansism so impressed the monks that they elected him primate of the region. 

At some point he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where he was consecrated as archbishop by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. A stone that he brought back from this journey now sits on the altar of St. David’s Cathedral, built on the site of his original monastery.

He is also famous for his Monastic Rule. Monks under his rule were forbidden from using draught animals, and at their one meal of the day, they were allowed only water and bread flavoured with salt, herbs, and vegetables. Unlike the rest of the population, the monks did not indulge in wine or beer, or eat the meat of animals. An ascetic, St. David insisted there be no personal possessions among the brothers – even a favourite quill or prayer book was frowned upon. The monks spent their days in silent prayer and hard work and their evenings in prayer, reading, and writing. Speaking out loud, even in prayer, was discouraged within the monastery grounds. St. David himself was known to do penance while standing in cold seawater up to his neck, reciting psalms or preaching.   

The exact year of St. David’s death is not known, but traditionally it was marked on March 1. Said to have been anywhere from 80 to 147 years old when he died, he was buried at his own monastery (later the site of St. David’s Cathedral Pembrokeshire). Several monks claimed they saw angels carry St. David’s soul up to heaven. David’s shrine quickly became a popular place of pilgrimage. His relics and that of Justinian of Ramsey Island were kept in a casket on the base of the shrine, but during the Reformation it was stripped of its jewels and the remains of the two saints were said to be lost. However, in 1996 bones were found in the cathedral which some insist are those of St. David himself.

ASSOCIATIONS

Leeks came to be associated with St. David because prior to an expected battle on March 1, Welsh soldiers attached leeks to their hats so they could easily determine friend from foe. The battle was won, and the credit went to St. David.

He is strongly linked with water: it is said that springs and wells appeared in places where St. David preached or spent time.

Oddly enough, he is also associated with corpse candles – luminescent lights that eerily travelled between cemeteries and people’s homes, said to warn of imminent death. He supposedly prayed that his people would have warning of their deaths, so that they could prepare themselves, and a vision told him that supernatural tapers would be lit when death might be expected – the colour and size indicated whether it applied to a man, woman, or child.

DEPICTIONS

He is usually depicted as a bishop standing on a small hill, and he often has a dove on one shoulder. His flag is black, with a gold cross on it.

PATRON SAINT

In addition to being the patron saint of Wales and the city of St. David’s in particular, he is the patron saint of poets, public speakers, doves, vegetarians, teetotallers, honeybees and beekeepers, candle-makers, cemetery workers, springs, and wells.  

Ways to celebrate the Feast of St. David

 Flying the Welsh flag and the wearing of dragon jewelry, daffodils or leeks, and black and gold clothing are all suitable for St. David’s Day. Welsh foods such as cawl, roast lamb, Welsh rarebit, Glamorgan sausages, bara brith tea loaf, and Welsh cakes are also appropriate. Although it is not a public holiday, the cities of Cardiff, Swansea, and Aberystwyth hold parades on St. David’s Day. Throughout Wales, it is a popular day to hold festivals, processions, concerts, recitals and public dinners.  

If celebrating St. David’s Day with children, there is an Activity and Games Pack that was developed for Scouts. Or try some of the crafting projects at Time to Craft. Two Welsh-inspired movies suitable for children are Pete’s Dragon and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. For older children, perhaps include How Green Was My Valley.

ST. MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE | FEBRUARY 24

On February 24, we commemorate Matthias, who was chosen to take the place of Judas Iscariot in the company of the twelve apostles.

We know nothing about his life and ministry beyond the first chapter of the Book of Acts. The eleven apostles wanted a twelfth to complete their number, and the lot fell to Matthias. We never find out what made him the better candidate, nor do we ever hear of him again in all the New Testament. We are left with the impression that he was important only because there needed to be twelve apostles.

According to the Book of Acts, the Apostles were appointed for the sake of proclaiming Jesus to the children of Israel. “Israel” was originally the name of a person, and that person was Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. He had twelve sons, and they became the patriarchs of the twelve Hebrew tribes that Moses led out of Egypt into freedom. That was the reason for having twelve apostles. They were meant to be the twelve patriarchs of the new Israel, who would lead all Jews out of this present age into the glorious liberty of the kingdom of heaven.

Matthias was chosen to fill up the ancient number of twelve and thus fulfil Israel’s heritage by helping to beget the new Israel “in the Spirit.” By honouring him today, we commit ourselves to a similar task, by enabling others to become children of the new Israel, begotten in the Spirit through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Adapted from S. J. Reynolds, For All the Saints: Prayers and Readings for Saints’ Days: According to the Calendar of the Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada (Toronto: Anglican Book Centre, 2007).

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According to the Book of Acts, Matthias had been with Jesus from his baptism by St. John the Baptist until his Ascension. In the days following, St. Peter proposed that the assembled disciples (then numbering around 120) nominate two men to replace Judas. Matthias was one of the nominated, and he won the subsequent election to the Apostles.

After that, there is much confusion about what St. Matthias did next, and where he went. Some say he first preached the Gospel in Judea, then travelled to the eastern end of the Black Sea, now modern-day Georgia, where he was supposedly crucified. Another story indicates that he went to Ethiopia for a time, then to Georgia, dying at Sebastopolis. Yet another tradition has him stoned and beheaded in Jerusalem or, alternatively, dying of old age in the holy city.

It was claimed that Matthias’s remains were found by St. Helena in the Holy Land, and brought back to Italy. Some of his relics were interred in the Abbey of Santa Giustina, Padua, and the rest in the Abbey of St. Matthias in Trier, Germany. According to Greek sources, he is also buried in the castle of Gonio-Apsaros, Georgia.

Depictions

St. Matthias is most often depicted with an open Bible and a battle axe (the supposed instrument of his death).

PATRON SAINT OF:

Carpenters, tailors, recovering alcoholics and other addicts, and those with smallpox. He is invoked in prayers for patience and hope. Places that he is patron saint of include Trier, Germany; Aachen, Germany; Hanover, Germany; Great Falls-Billings, Montana; and Gary, Indiana.

He was reputed to emphasize the need for self-control in his ministry, and told people to subordinate their physical desires to their spiritual ones. Some call upon St. Matthias when circumstances are making them wait, or they are anticipating the judgement or call of others. In this way, he is the patron of those who feel they are living on the margins, waiting to be chosen; and of those who toil quietly in the background, doing important but unglamorous or even unrecognized work.

THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL | JANUARY 25

When modern people speak of “conversion,” they usually mean some tremendous event which moves them from one way of life into its complete opposite. And so, on the feast of the Conversion of Paul, it might be thought that we are celebrating Paul’s change of religion, as if he ceased being a Jew and became a Christian. The Book of Acts, with its story of Paul’s overwhelming experience on the road to Damascus, has reinforced this view.

But Paul himself did not see the event in quite the same way. We have his own words in the Letter to the Galatians: “He who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles.” In using such language, Paul placed himself in the company of the prophets of ancient Israel; and when he tried to say what had happened to him, he spoke in terms of a prophetical calling. So, it was not the revelation of another religion that Paul experienced. Instead, he experienced something which revealed the meaning and purpose of his whole life; and by this revelation of Christ, God also manifested the meaning and purpose of Paul’s Judaism. Paul was not responding to a demand that he deny Judaism and change his religion. He was responding to a call that he share in the fulfilment of Judaism and make all other nations partners with Israel in the one salvation of God.

Adapted from S. J. Reynolds, For All the Saints: Prayers and Readings for Saints’ Days, According to the Calendar of the Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada. Anglican Book Centre 2007.

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The reason the Conversion of St. Paul is celebrated on January 25 is that this is believed to be the date when his relics were transferred from the catacombs on the Via Appia to the basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls—the second biggest basilica in Rome. Paul’s conversion experience is discussed in his Epistles and in the Acts of the Apostles. It is thought that it took place between four and seven years after the crucifixion of Jesus.

Prior to this, Paul was a zealous persecutor of the followers of Jesus. The reason he was on the road to Damascus in the first place was because he had a mandate from the High Priest of Jerusalem to find and arrest the followers of Jesus, and bring them to Jerusalem for trial and possible execution. However, as he neared the city, he had a vision of great light and a conversation with Jesus about the persecution he intended. Paul was struck blind for three days, and his companions (who heard the conversation but did not see the light) led him into Damascus by hand.

Paul was baptized shortly after recovering his sight, and then he made his way to Jerusalem to meet St. Peter. Afterwards, he travelled to Arabia, the Middle East, and all around the Mediterranean, often with Saints Barnabas, Timothy, and sometimes Luke. He preached ceaselessly, and tried to convert everyone he met to Christianity. His activities often drew ire—Paul was frequently beaten up, run out of town, or arrested as a public nuisance. Throughout his travels and many imprisonments, he kept up a regular correspondence with other Apostles, and many of these Epistles are included in the Bible. Returning to Rome in 67 AD, he was arrested again and executed with a “merciful” beheading—as was his right as a Roman citizen.

The conversion of Paul, in spite of his attempts to completely eradicate Christianity, demonstrates “God’s power to use everything, even the hostile persecutor, to achieve the divine purpose.”

PATRON SAINT OF:

Gentiles, lay people, missionaries, authors, evangelists, journalists, public relations, publishers, rope braiders, saddle makers, and tent makers. He was invoked against snakes and hailstorms. He is also the patron saint of Greece; Malta; the cities of London; Rome; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Caraballo, Cuba; Las Vegas, Nevada; and St. Paul, Minnesota.

DEPICTIONS

He is most often depicted as an elderly man with a high forehead and a pointed beard. Usually he is shown with a book, sword (because of the nature of his beheading), scrolls, palm trees, phoenixes, three springs or fountains (which sprang up on the place where he was executed), and the shield of faith—distinguished by two crossed silver swords or a palm tree (to represent the resurrection).

In rural England, the conditions on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul were believed to predict the weather for the coming year. The following poem is from A Yearbook of Seasons and Celebrations:

If St. Paul’s day be fair and clear,
It does betide a happy year;
But if by chance it snow or rain,
Then will be dear all kinds of grain;
If clouds or mist do dark the skie,
Great store of birds and beasts shall die;
And if the winds do fly aloft,
Then war shall vex the kingdom oft.  

Ways to Celebrate the Conversion of St. Paul

• Read some of Paul’s Epistles.

• Visit one of the many churches dedicated to him.

• Visit a library (St. Paul is associated with books).

• Go to YouTube and search for Pauline canticles.

• Write an encouraging letter to someone.

• Children can make Pauline shields (see description above) out of paper, swords, or banners commemorating the conversion.

• There are no specific foods associated with St, Paul, but a cake shaped like an open book would be appropriate, as would any cookies or other foods in the shape of horses or horseshoes. Some people make cupcakes to mark the occasion, with swords, shields, or scrolls added as decorations.

St. Andrew the Apostle | November 30

On this day, we honour the memory of an apostle named Andrew. The Gospels say that he was a fisherman and the brother of Peter, and his name always appears near the top in the lists of the twelve apostles. The Fourth Gospel pairs him with Philip in answering the Lord’s questions at the feeding of the five thousand and later in acting as an intermediary for some pagans who wished to meet Jesus. But that is all: Andrew’s story is no sooner begun than it is swallowed up in the greater story of Jesus.

The people of the Church later invented legends about Andrew, to give their memory more than just a name to honour and more than just a single episode to recount. These legends gave Andrew exotic adventures travelling and preaching in many different places until he was martyred, crucified on a cross in the form of an “X.” Some of these legends may indeed be true, but biographical truth is not their purpose or function. So, we come back to the gospels and their brief account of Andrew’s calling.

Andrew was a Galilean fisherman minding his own business, mending his own nets, when along came Jesus. The Lord called him, and Andrew got up and walked — he walked into the story of Jesus. From that moment on, his life was no longer his own; Andrew had no other story but the story of Jesus, the story that is told about Jesus, the story that Jesus himself tells.

And that is how we honour the memory of the apostle named Andrew: by remembering his name as we tell the story of Jesus, the One who called both Andrew and us into the story of salvation.

Adapted from S. J. Reynolds, For All the Saints: Prayers and Readings for Saints’ Days, According to the Calendar of the Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada. Anglican Book Centre (Toronto: 2007).

St. Andrew has the misfortune of having his Holy Day on November 30, which means that while he is acknowledged at Low Mass, he is never featured at High Mass on a Sunday because it is always either The Sunday Next Before Advent or the First Sunday in Advent. Like St. Mark (April 25), St. Thomas** (December 21), and St. John the Evangelist (December 27), his Holy Day falls awkwardly in the church year. This is a shame, for St. Andrew is believed to be the first disciple of Christ.

Jesus met St. Andrew and his younger brother St. Simon Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee while they were working as fishermen, and he persuaded them to leave their nets and follow him, to become “fishers of men.”

After Jesus’s death, St. Andrew was said to have travelled around the Black Sea and beyond, going as far as Kiev and Novgorod. He preached in what is now Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and in 38 AD was present in Constantinople for the installation of Bishop Stachys. He was martyred in Patras, Greece, because in the opinion of the Roman provincial governor, he had converted too many people to Christianity (including the governor’s wife), so he ordered Andrew be scourged and crucified by being bound to an X-shaped cross. It is said that St. Andrew himself requested this manner of death, because he was unworthy to be executed on the same type of cross as Jesus.

So how did a humble fisherman from Galilee, who never travelled west of Greece, end up patron saint of Scotland? Tradition says the Greek monk St. Regulus had a vision, which told him he had to take St. Andrew’s relics to the ends of the earth for safekeeping, and to build a shrine wherever he was shipwrecked. He travelled as far as the shores of Fife, Scotland, where the town of St. Andrews now stands. Over time, more relics of St. Andrew were brought to Scotland.

Legend has it that King Angus II prayed to St. Andrew for help in battle in 832. His army was outnumbered by the Saxons, and he was pessimistic about their chances. He promised to make St. Andrew Scotland’s patron saint if he was victorious. On the day of the battle, clouds formed in a saltire (an X-shaped cross) in the sky. This was seen as a sign of favour, and the Scots army won the battle. St. Andrew came to be known as protector of the Scots, and became an honourary Scotsman. The Scots pledged St. Andrew to their cause during the Wars of Independence, and he was officially declared their patron saint in 1320.

In addition to Scotland, St. Andrew is also patron saint of Greece; Russia; Ukraine; Romania; Barbados; the Amalfi region of Italy; and Patras, Greece. He is also the patron saint of the Order of the Thistle, the second-highest rank of chivalry in the world.

People who pray to St. Andrew for intercession include:

singers, spinsters, maidens, fishmongers, fishermen, women who want to have children, and those who suffer from gout and sore throats.

iconography:

St. Andrew is usually depicted as an old man with long white hair and beard, sometimes holding a scroll or book, but often with a saltire cross. In Scottish depictions there are often thistles as well.

Ways to celebrate the Feast of Saint Andrew:

Haggis, neeps (mashed turnip), and tatties (mashed potatoes) are traditionally eaten on St. Andrew’s Day in Scotland. Other foods include smoked salmon, black pudding, cullen skink (smoked fish soup) , shortbread, and cranachan (a dessert of cream, oatmeal and whisky) .

In Scotland, big hoolies (wild parties) take place in various cities, including St. Andrews and Edinburgh. They usually feature ceilidhs, concerts, dancing, food, whisky, story-telling, poetry recitals (Robbie Burns being a favourite), and sometimes a procession or fireworks.

St. Andrews Day is an excuse to wear your kilt, if you have one. If you do not, wear tartan or plaid clothing. Some people prefer to wear blue and white (the colours of the Scottish flag). Flag pins, thistle, and unicorn jewellery are also appropriate. Some people fly full-sized Scottish flags this day, as well.

ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN:

Activity Village has these suggestions for children‘s activities.

** As we know here at St. Thomas’s, Patronal Festivals can be transferred to more convenient times of the year – but that only applies to patron saints of that specific church. Thus, we could not transfer St. Andrew’s Day to the summer, but a church dedicated to him would be allowed to do so.

St. Cecilia | November 22

Cecilia, a patrician girl of Rome, was brought up a Christian. She wore a coarse garment beneath the clothes of her rank, fasted several days of the week, and determined to remain a maiden for the love of God. Her father had other views and gave her in marriage to a young patrician named Valerian. On the day of marriage, she said to her husband, “I have a secret to tell you. You must know that I have an angel of God watching over me. If you touch me in the way of marriage, he will be angry and you will suffer; but if you respect my maidenhood, he will love you as he loves me.” “Show me this angel,” Valerian replied. Cecilia said, “If you believe in the living and one true God and receive the water of baptism, you shall see the angel.” Valerian agreed and was sent to find Bishop Urban. He was received with joy and was baptized. Then appeared his brother, Tiburtius. He, too, was offered a deathless crown if he would renounce his false God. Cecilia talked to him until he was convinced by what she told him of Jesus, and he, too, was baptized.

From that time forth the two young men gave themselves up to good works. Because of their zeal in burying the bodies of martyrs, they were both arrested. Valerian rejoiced when they were delivered over to be scourged. They were accordingly condemned to death and were beheaded in a place called Pagus Triopius. With them perished one of the officials, Maximus, who had declared himself a Christian after witnessing their fortitude. Cecilia gave burial to the three bodies, and then she in turn was called upon to repudiate her faith. Instead, she converted those who came to induce her to sacrifice, and when Pope Urban visited her at home, he baptized over 400 persons there. Almachius argued with Cecilia at length, and she was sentenced to be suffocated to death in the bathroom of her own house. Cecilia remained for a day and a night without receiving any harm, and a soldier was sent to behead her. He struck her neck three times, and then left her lying. She was not dead and lingered for three days, during which the Christians flocked to her side, and she formally made over her house to Urban and committed her household to his care.

Adapted from H. Hoever, Illustrated Lives of the Saints: For Every Day of the Year (Catholic Book Publishing, 2005).

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Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions
To all musicians, appear and inspire:
Translated Daughter, come down and startle
Composing mortals with immortal fire.

 – Hymn to Saint Cecilia, W. H. Auden

PATRON SAINT
According to tradition, St. Cecilia prayed to God and sang sacred chants as she was being led to the altar on her wedding day. This is why she is specifically the patron saint of church music. She is also the patron saint of music, musicians, composers, singers, musical instrument makers, poets, the blind, martyrs, and bodily purity. Places where she is the patron saint include Albi, France; the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska; and Mar del Plata, Argentina.

St. Cecilia has the distinction of being the first incorruptible saint, and of being one of the seven women commemorated by name in the Roman Canon.

What many people don’t know is that the first verse of Simon and Garfunkel’s song Cecilia is about musical writer’s block, and thus a prayer to the saint. In 2015 the Foo Fighters released the single “Saint Cecilia” to, in the words of frontman Dave Grohl, “remind us that music is life.” Other musicians who dedicated compositions to St. Cecilia include Henry Purcell (Hail! Bright Cecilia), Charles Gounod (St. Cecilia Mass), George Frideric Handel (Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day) and Benjamin Britten (Hymn to St. Cecilia).

DEPICTIONS
In iconography she often has a red string of pearls around her throat and flowers in her hair. She usually sits at a table, virginal, or other musical instrument, sometimes holding a palm (a symbol of her martyrdom) in one hand and a sheet of music in the other.

WAYS TO CELEBRATE

• The best way to honour St. Cecilia is to sing praises from our hearts and our tongues, which become double prayers sent to heaven in praise of God. Sing out loud, alone, or in a group. Go out and enjoy some karaoke!

•  Thank your parish music director and other musicians! Acknowledge their work and dedication in becoming such a wonderful musician.

• Listen to one of the pieces listed above, or go to a concert. Even in modern times, concerts and music festivals are scheduled on St. Cecilia’s Day. For example, in London, England, there is a charity called Help Musicians that holds an annual festival on November 22. It usually takes place at Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, or St. Paul’s Cathedral.

• Wear musical jewellery or clothing with a musical print on it.

• There are no foods specifically associated with St. Cecilia, but anything with a musical theme seems appropriate. St. Cecilia’s Heavenly Music Candy Bar can be found on Catholic Cuisine . Since she lived in Rome during her lifetime, Italian food would also be appropriate to serve on St. Cecilia’s Day.

ST. HILDA OF WHITBY | NOVEMBER 17

Hilda was a seventh-century Englishwoman who became the abbess of Whitby and nurtured adjoining households of nuns and monks. The Venerable Bede wrote of her: “All who knew abbess Hilda, the servant of Christ, called her Mother because of her wonderful devotion and grace ...; she never ceased to give thanks to her Maker or to instruct the flock committed to her care.” She was born into the royal family of Northumbria and lived a quiet, devout life in the world until the age of thirty-three, when she decided to take the habit of a nun. Almost at once she was given charge of a small community at Wearmouth, and her guidance proved so effective that she was asked to renew the life of another community nearby. In the year 657, she finally moved to Whitby, a monastery that included a household of monks and a household of nuns. Under her leadership, it became the most famous religious community in all England.

The Venerable Bede reported: “Not only was Hilda an outstanding example of holy life to all who were in her monastery, but she also provided an opportunity for salvation and repentance to many who lived far away and who heard the happy story of her industry and virtue.” Bede went on to say: “So great was Hilda’s prudence that not only ordinary people but also kings and princes sometimes sought and received her advice when they were in difficulties. She compelled those under her direction to devote so much time to the study of the holy Scriptures and so much time to the doing of good works, that there was no trouble in finding many who were fitted ... for the service of the altar.” So, we give thanks for Hilda of Whitby, who died in the year 680 and used her own gifts of holiness and wisdom to nurture holy gifts in others, that they might serve the people of Christ and make seventh-century England a household of God.

Adapted from S. J. Reynolds, For All the Saints: Prayers and Readings for Saints’ Days: According to the Calendar of the Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada. Toronto: Anglican Book Centre (2007).

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As all parishioners of St. Thomas’s should know, St. Hilda of Whitby is on our reredos, to the right of St. Thomas himself. She was chosen for such an honour for three reasons: the first is because when the original wooden church of St. Thomas’s moved to its present location, it became part of the new parish church of St. Hilda’s; historically, there were many links between St. Thomas’s and St. Hilda’s College (the women’s residence at Trinity College); and perhaps most significant, she deserves such prominence due to her role in the development of the Church of England.

PATRON SAINT OF:

Learning, literacy, culture, and poetry. Many schools are named after her, especially schools for girls.

In her own time St. Hilda was well-respected, and she is still considered one of the greatest and most influential of English women. She was competent, active, and very energetic in what she viewed as her mission, and that included making certain that the monks and nuns in her care studied the Holy Scriptures and did good works. She amassed an impressive library at Whitby Abbey, and taught priests and clerics Latin and literature. So great was her wisdom, kings and bishops often asked for her advice.  No fewer than five bishops were trained by her personally, and she was a patroness of the cowhand- turned-poet, St. Caedmon.

Playing a role in politics as well as religion, Hilda was at the 664 Synod of Whitby, which had been called to settle the date of Easter. At the time, Easter was celebrated at different times by the Celtic Britons and the Romans. Hilda took the side of her own people, but the Northumbrian king ruled in the favour of the Roman tradition. She appears to have accepted his decision with equanimity. This was a landmark in the history of English Christianity.

During the final years of her life St. Hilda was seriously ill with sporadic fever and weakness, dying in 680 at the age of 66. She was initially buried at Whitby.

One hundred years after her death, Vikings destroyed the monastery she had presided over, but her relics were saved, and her body was transported to Glastonbury, with her skull going to the monastery in Durham (the cathedral now has it). In 1078 a Norman knight called Reinfrid, suffering from guilt for his participation in William the Conqueror’s genocidal Harrying of the North, built another monastery on the site of the one St. Hilda presided over – St Peter and St. Hilda. It remained active until Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in 1547.

DEPICITIONS:

St. Hilda is usually depicted in art as an abbess holding the model of a church.

She was said to have turned snakes that had invaded Whitby and the abbey to stone, and removed their heads in the process. Along the shoreline near Whitby many “headless snakes” of stone can still be found. They are in fact ammonite fossils that date from the Jurassic Period.

There is a local belief in Whitby that seabirds will not fly above the Abbey ruins out of respect for St. Hilda; and those birds bold enough to so anyway, slow down considerably.

Ways to celebrate:

There are no foods specifically associated with St. Hilda, but layer cakes, especially lemon flavoured, are associated with nuns. See this recipe at Rich and Delish. Some also say that cakes in the shape of a church are appropriate for marking St. Hilda’s Day.

Suitable activities to honour St. Hilda include reading the Scriptures, reciting poetry, taking a class, or reading with the intention of learning something new.

ST. Martin, Bishop of Tours | November 11

Today the Church honours Martin, a fourth-century bishop of Tours who was “filled with power from on high” and used it to serve the poor and strengthen the faithful in their witness to Christ.

Martin was a soldier by profession, but renounced military life when he accepted the gospel and became a catechumen, which is the Church’s name for someone preparing for baptism. There is a story which shows that he already understood what his new life required of him. He was riding into Amiens when he met a beggar who was almost naked, and he cut his soldier’s cloak in half to clothe the man. The following night he had a dream in which he saw Christ himself wrapped in half of a soldier’s cloak and saying, “Martin, a mere catechumen, covered me with his garment.” After his baptism Martin spent several years wandering, then settled near Poitiers and built himself a little shelter where he lived and prayed as a monk. Other Christians in quest of perfection began to gather around him, and he eventually organized the first monastic community in France.

In the year 372 he was elected bishop of Tours, but he continued to live as a monk, dwelling in a bare cell and holding no property for himself, even as he cared for the people of his diocese. He also launched a continuing mission to the pagan countryfolk in his district, and took an active part in the wider life of the Church. Even before his death in the year 397 Martin became the subject of a biography which concentrated on his miraculous powers and ensured his fame as a wonderworker down through the Middle Ages. Today we do not forget the powers that God bestowed on him, but prefer to remember how he used them — for the peace of the Church, for the spread of the gospel, for leading the faithful in the way of holiness, and for mercy to the poor.

Adapted from S. J. Reynolds, For All the Saints: Prayers and Readings for Saints’ Days: According to the Calendar of the Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada. Toronto: Anglican Book Centre (2007).

PATRON SAINT OF:

St. Martin is the patron saint of the poor and those who help them, soldiers, contentious objectors, wool-weavers, tailors, late summer, swallows, geese, horses, vintners, outcasts, drunkards, reformed alcoholics, bartenders, business owners, inn keepers, beekeepers, the US army quartermaster corps, and the pontifical Swiss guards. In 2021, he was proclaimed patron saint of Italian volunteering by the bishops of Italy.

He is patron saint of the countries of France, Argentina, Paraguay, and South Africa. He is also patron saint of the cities of Tours, France; Leicester, Great Britain; Szombathely, Hungary; Utrecht, The Netherlands; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Taal, The Philippines; and Bydgoszcz, Poland. 

Symbols and Depictions: 

In artwork, he is usually depicted on horseback owing to his military background, and there are many paintings of him dividing his cloak with a beggar. As for the other half of that cloak, it was said to have been carried into battle by the Frankish kings. It is now on display in a little chapel in Tours, not far from the cathedral where St. Martin was buried.

His emblem in English hagiography is a goose, possibly because their annual migration coincided with St. Martin’s Day.

From the late fourth century to the late Middle Ages much of western Europe fasted for 40 days (not including Saturdays and Sundays) from the day after St. Martin’s Day. This was called Quadragesima Sancti Martini, which translates to “the forty days of St. Martin.” In preparation for this, on St. Martin’s eve and on his feast day, people ate and drank heartily in preparation for their fast. Eventually, this fasting period turned into Advent, and was considered a spiritual time in preparation for Christmas.

FEAST DAY OF ALL SAINTS | NOVEMBER 1

All Saints’ Day is an opportunity for believers to remember all saints and martyrs, known and unknown, throughout Christian history. Turning our thoughts to those who have attained Heaven points to the path that will lead us to that destination.

Today’s festival had its origins in the fourth century, when churches in the East began to celebrate “the feast of the martyrs of the whole world” on the Sunday after Pentecost. Several Western churches adopted this festival and kept it on various dates in April or May, but in the early Middle Ages the church of Rome assigned it the much later date of November first and broadened the feast to include all the saints. Western Christendom has followed this custom ever since.

Saints are Christians who in various ways, often against great odds, showed an extraordinary love for Christ. The Holy Spirit acted in their lives so that they chose to bring aid to the needy, justice to the oppressed, hope to the sorrowful, and the divine word of forgiveness to sinners. For the sake of Christ, they were servants to the people of their day; and the service they rendered in the past makes them examples to the rest of the people of God throughout history. The Church also believes that our life on earth has eternal consequences; and so, our remembrance of what the saints were is directed to what they are. It is the Church’s conviction — a conviction often expressed in the Anglican tradition — that the saints continue to be our partners and fellow-servants before the face of God’s glory. We pray for our present needs, and the saints pray with us — not as if their prayers were better than our own, but because they are still bound to us in mutual service as members of the one body of Christ.

For this very reason, we may say of the Church’s saints what the Letter to the Hebrews says about the Old Testament saints — that they and their service shall not be perfect until all of God’s friends have answered the invitation of Christ and arrived at the banquet of glory. For that is the ministry of the saints in heaven as on earth: to help others become partners in the salvation of God. 

Adapted from Reynolds, S. J. (2007). For All the Saints: Prayers and Readings for Saints’ Days: According to the Calendar of the Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada. Anglican Book Centre.

(Image: Free Catholic Clip Art)

St. Simon and St. Jude | October 28

Saints Simon and Jude are two of the most obscure of Christ’s disciples. They were both mentioned by name in the Gospels, and it was St. Jude who asked Jesus why he chose to reveal himself only to the disciples at the Last Supper, but neither of them is mentioned again after Pentecost. Some claim that they were brothers, while others are adamant that they were not. There are many legends of their activities, and they are often contradictory.

St. Simon is known as the Zealot, so named because he either passionately cared about the Law of Moses or he was part of an anti-Roman resistance movement. Some scholars are of the opinion that Simon was a cousin of Jesus through Mary’s sister, but others insist he was the son of Joseph’s brother Cleophas. He may also have been the bridegroom at the wedding in Cana, afterwards leaving his bride to follow Christ. He is one of the two Apostles who have no quotes attributed to them the Bible (the other being St. James the Lesser).

Tradition holds that he went to Africa after Pentecost, possibly visiting Egypt and Ethiopia, and wandered throughout the Middle East for 30 years or more, with St. Jude as his frequent travelling companion. He is also said to have visited Britain, and some claim that he was martyred in Lincolnshire. He is also said to have been crucified in Samaria, sawn in half at Suanir, Persia, and beheaded at Weriosphora, Persia. Others insist that he died of extreme old age in Edessa. In art, he is often depicted with a saw or a fish.

PATRON SAINT OF:

saw workers, tanners, leatherworkers, couriers, and the country of Georgia.

SYMBOL:

A fish lying on a Bible. It is said to indicate that he gave up his job as a fisherman to become a fisher of men through his ministry.

Tradition holds that St. Jude was a cousin of Jesus, and he preached the Gospel in Judea, Lebanon, Samaria, Syria, Persia Libya, Turkey, and Armenia, where he became patron saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He is commonly identified with Thaddaeus, who appears in the list of Apostles in Matthew and Mark, but where there is no mention of Jude. He is also believed to be the author of the letter in the New Testament bearing his name. As with St. Simon, nothing certain is known of his life after Pentecost, but there are many legends. He is known as the “patron of hopeless causes,” and this devotion is said to have come from fear of praying to the betrayer, Judas Iscariot, because of their similar names. The theory was that the ignored St. Jude became eager to assist anyone who sought his help, to the point of intervening in the most dire of circumstances.

Some say Jude was martyred at Beirut in about 65 AD along with St. Simon, having variously been beheaded, clubbed, or stoned to death. The other place of his martyrdom has been given as Armenia, again alongside St. Simon. Other scholars insist that as St. Simon was the last of the Apostles to die, of old age, Saints Simon and Jude were probably not together when Jude met his end. In art, St. Jude is usually portrayed holding an axe, club, the image of Christ, or the model of a ship.

Sometime after their deaths, the bodies of Saints Simon and Jude were brought from the place of their martyrdom to Rome, and reburied in one tomb under the main altar of St. Joseph in St. Peter’s Basilica. October 28 is thought to be the date of the dedication of their shrine.

PATRON SAINT OF:

hopeless causes, those in despair, the ill, and customs officers, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Chicago Police Department, a soccer team in Rio de Janeiro, a soccer team in Dublin, Ireland, and many hospitals around the world.

SYMBOL:

a ship, because he is thought to have been a fisherman.

WAYS TO CELEBRATE:

A food that has come to be associated with St. Jude in modern times is Impossible Pie, which forms its own pie crust while baking. A good recipe for this can be found here, at The Southern Lady Cooks.

St. Luke the evangelist | OCTOBER 18

St. Luke was not only a follower of Christ, but also a physician, writer, and historian.

It is said that he was born in the city of Antioch. At the time, Antioch was a cultural centre, and its schools were the most renowned in the known world, producing the ablest masters in all arts and sciences. Educated as a physician in the Greek-speaking city, Luke was one of the most cultured and sophisticated members of the early church. It is not known whether Luke was Jewish, but many Biblical scholars believe he was a gentile convert.

He is of course the author of the Gospel that bears his name, but some scholars believe he also wrote at least part of the Acts of the Apostles. If this is true, then he wrote nearly 28 per cent of the New Testament.

Although by his own admission not an eyewitness to Jesus’s ministry, he almost certainly wrote his Gospel from the accounts of those who were there. Luke appears in Acts during St. Paul’s second journey, and he then remained in Philippi for several years, afterwards going with Paul to Jerusalem, remaining nearby when Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea for two years.

During that time, he probably met people who had known Jesus, and he took the opportunity to interview them. Fortunately, he was also capable of writing down his findings in an orderly manner. Paul referred to St. Mark next to Luke in his epistles, clearly indicating that Mark and Luke knew each other well. Luke’s Gospel was written after Mark’s, suggesting that Luke may have used Mark and his writings as an information source.

Paul also referred to Luke as his “most dear physician,” suggesting that Luke still practised his profession. As Paul was often been beaten or stoned while evangelizing to the Western Roman Empire, he may have had first-hand knowledge of Luke’s skill.

In his Gospel, Luke wrote about the doings and politics of the Roman Empire with great accuracy. He also recorded six miracles and eighteen parables, and included details about Mary, her maternity, and the history of the Divine Family that could only have come from Mary herself. 

Unlike the other Gospels, women have an important place in Luke’s. He wrote about the women who accompanied Jesus, such as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and Martha and Mary, and he made it clear that “many other women . . . used their own resources to help Jesus and his disciples.” It is only in the Gospel of Luke that the story of Mary’s Annunciation, her visit to Elizabeth, the Magnificat, the Presentation in the Temple and Jesus’ remaining in Jerusalem are told. We learn the words spoken by the angel to Mary at the Annunciation, “Hail Mary, full of grace,” and Elizabeth’s words to Mary, “Blessed are you and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.”

He also accompanied Paul on his last journey to Rome and was one of the few who did not abandon him during his final imprisonment and death. After Paul’s execution in 67 AD, Luke is said to have preached throughout the Mediterranean. Some say he died a martyr in Thebes, but the most common tradition has it that that St. Luke died at the age of 84, in Boeotia, Greece, and was buried in Thebes. Later, he was reburied in Constantinople. 

PATRON SAINT OF:

artists, physicians, book binders, bachelors, brewers, glass artists, goldsmiths, lace makers, notaries, surgeons, sculptors, students, and butchers. He is also the patron saint of Capena, Italy; Hermersdorf, Germany; Petrovac, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

HIS SYMBOLS INCLUDE:

the winged ox; winged calf; ox; picture of the Virgin; palette and brushes; phials of medicine; physician’s robes; easels; books and pens; hatchets; and wooden horses.

Ways to Celebrate:

• Since St. Luke is associated with winged oxen, traditional fare has included roast beef or steak. In England, Banbury Tarts are associated with St. Luke’s day, and so are cakes shaped like cows or books. In Scotland, it is known as Sour Cakes Day because cakes were eaten with sour cream on St. Luke’s Day.

• Christian tradition says that St. Luke was the first icon painter, said to have painted pictures of the Virgin and Child. So paint! Draw! Do some artwork!

• Write, or read prose, poetry, or perhaps most appropriate, the Gospel of Saint Luke or the Acts of the Apostles.

• Google images of Saint Luke.

• Say a prayer of healing for someone you care about.

• Pray for doctors and those who care for the sick through the intercession of St. Luke.

• Do a good deed, help the needy, or volunteer your services for the day.

• Training Happy Hearts has a lot of good suggestions for activities and food.