British Saints

BRITISH AND IRISH SAINTS OF THE WEEK

(Including saints having a connection with these lands.)

When the Church in the British Isles begins to venerate her own saints, then the Church there will grow. - St Arsenios of Paros. (1877)

Week commencing Sunday 16 March 2025. A week rich in famous saints, commemorated as follows:

Sunday – St Finan, of Iona and Lindisfarne, 661

Monday – St Patrick, Apostle to the Irish, 461

- St Withburga, Solitary of Holkham, 743

Tuesday – St Edward, king and martyr, 978

Thursday – St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, 687

- St Herbert of Derwentwater, 687

Friday – St Enda of Innismore, Ireland, 530

St Finan – The first monk sent from Iona, to replace St. Aidan as Bishop of Lindisfarne in 651, was the Irishman, St. Finan. His episcopate was prosperous and followed that of his predecessor in both policy and character. It lasted ten years and was not interrupted by any melancholy event, such as those which had troubled the life of Aidan. St. Finan always lived on good terms and worked in close co-operation with King Oswiu of Northumbria.

St Patrick – Perhaps the most famous saint of all since he is so closely connected with Ireland and the Irish diaspora, most especially in the USA where some ten percent of the population claim Irish heritage. Actually British, Patrick was captured as a young man and taken to Ireland as a slave, mostly as a shepherd. It was there he learned the local language. After six years, Patrick escaped but, inspired by a vision, he turned to the priesthood, having been trained by St Germanus of Auxerre. St Germanus arranged for Patrick to be ordained bishop, and blessed to return to Ireland to preach the Gospel. He used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. Patrick laboured for forty years in Ireland. Some of his writings survive.

St Withburga – from a family of saints, Withburga was the youngest of the saintly daughters of Anna, King of East Anglia. Her sisters were SS. Ethedreda and Sexburga; they had an elder half-sister St. Saethrith. Withburga was also aunt of St. Ermengild. When a young girl, she was sent to live with her nurse at Holkham in Norfolk where, in process of time, a church was built in her honour and the place called Withburgstowe. After her father's death, she built a convent at East Dereham. Little is known about her for certain as she is not mentioned by St Bede.

St Edward – He was King of the English from 8 July 975 until he was killed in 978. He was the eldest son of King Edgar (959–975). On Edgar's death, the succession to the throne was contested between Edward's supporters and those of his younger half-brother, the future King Æthelred. Edward's short reign was brought to an end by his murder in March 978 in unclear circumstances. Medieval kings were believed to be sacrosanct, and Edward's murder deeply troubled contemporaries who regarded it as a mortal sin. He soon came to be revered as a saint.

St Cuthbert and St Herbert – these are paired because Herbert was a devoted follower of St Cuthbert who was his spiritual father. St Cuthbert is one of the most prominent saints in the English Calendar. His life is fully documented by St Bede in a separate ‘Life’ as well as in his ‘Ecclesiastical History of the English People’. Cuthbert was from a well-to-do family and led a normal boyish childhood until his life changed when he was about 17 years old. He was looking after some neighbour's sheep on the hills. Gazing into the night sky he saw a light descend to Earth and then return, escorting, he believed, a human soul to Heaven. The date was 31 August 651 - the night that Aidan died. Cuthbert went to the monastery at Melrose, also founded by Aidan, and asked to be admitted as a Novice. After some years, Cuthbert moved to a new monastery at Ripon in North Yorkshire. After the Synod of Whitby (664), the abbot of Melrose became abbot of Lindisfarne and Cuthbert its prior. Cuthbert loved to pray in harsh solitude; a famous story is of his praying in the cold North Sea, and otters warming his feet afterwards. There are other accounts of his great sancitity. He reluctantly accepted being made Bishop of Lindisfarne. He gave up his earthly life at his hermitage on Inner Farne Island and his body was brought to Lindisfarne for burial. His remains now lie in Durham Cathedral.

Herbert was devoted to Cuthbert and saw him once a year for spiritual guidance. Herbert lived on a small island in Lake Derwentwater in Cumbria. He prayed that he might pass on from the earthly life at the same time as Cuthbert. His pray was heard.

St Enda – A warrior king in western Ireland, Enda was converted to the Christian faith by his sister who was abbess of a monastery. He studied for the priesthood, was ordained, and took monastic vows. He built a church in eastern Ireland, but was then given the Aran Islands by the king of Munster. The Aran islands are off the west coast of Ireland. Enda established a monastery on the largest of the islands. Enda’s community followed the example of the early Egyptian fathers in their asceticism and simplicity and asceticism. The monastery became well known and St Columba called it the ‘Sun of the west’. Other well-known saints came to visit. St Enda had a great impact on the development of Irish monasticism. Enda is a popular boy’s name to this day.