March 17th Saint Patrick (c.390-c461), the patron saint of Ireland, is enthusiastically celebrated wherever Irish people have settled. He was formally famous all over the English-speaking world for bringing Christianity to Ireland, although the heroic, almost single-handed nature of his ministry has been greatly exaggerated and his two most famous exploits - banning all snakes … Continue reading Saints of The English Year – St. Patrick
March 12th Pope Gregory the Great (c.540-604) holds a key position in the history of Christianity in England, as it was he who sent St. Augustine to convert the Anglo-Saxons. His feast day was thus given a high profile and celebrated in the early English Church, but this popularity does not seem to have translated … Continue reading Saints of The English Year – St. Gregory
March 9th Tradition has it that St Constantine was a Cornish chieftain, of uncertain date, who later became a monk, but the name is so common in early Britain that it is impossible to disentangle one figure from another. One legend told of him (and of others)is that he wa out stag-hunting when the chase … Continue reading Saints of The English Year – St. Constantine
March 5th One of Cornwall's most popular saints, and also known in Brittany and Wales, Piran (or Perran) probably originated from Ireland and died in Cornwall sometime around the year 480. Details of his life are decidedly sketchy, mainly because of the mistaken identification of him as Irish saint Ciaran, which has all but destroyed … Continue reading Saints of The English Year – St. Piran
March 3rd A somewhat obscure Breton saint of the sixth century; so obscure in fact, that even the spelling of his name is uncertain: Winwaloe, Winneral, Winnold and Winnal are just some of the variations. His cult was quite popular in medieval England, particularly in Cornwall and East Anglia, and his day was regularly listed … Continue reading Saints of The English Year – St. Winwaloe
March 2nd Ceadda or Chad (d.672) was the first bishop of the newly converted kingdom of Mercia, and made his seat at Lichfield. No major customs seem to have been attached to his feast day, although there were a number of churches dedicated to his name, and he achieved lasting fame in the sphere of … Continue reading Saints of The English Year – St. Chad
