February 14th Saint Valentine is one of the few festivals which have increased in popularity in recent decades, and it shows no sign of going out of fashion. Despite having an undisputed history spanning at least 600 years, the origins of the festival are still obscure, and the only certainty is that it has nothing … Continue reading Saints of The English Year – St. Valentine
February 10th: Saint Scholastica (c.480-c.543) established a convent at Plombariola in Italy and was the sister of Benedict, the founder of the Benedictine monastic order. Brother and sister met regularly to discuss spiritual topics, and it is said that when Benedict wanted to go home after one such meeting, Scholastica successfully prayed for a storm … Continue reading Saints of The English Year – St. Scholastica
February 3rd. St. Blaise was widely popular in Britain from the eighth century to beyond the Middle Ages, although nothing for certain is known of his life. He is believed to have been Bishop of Sebaste in 4th century Armenia, but stories of his martyrdom and miracles are later inventions. According to these stories, while … Continue reading Saints of The English Year – St. Blaise.
February 1st. In Ireland, Brighid, who died around the year 525, is second only in popularity to Saint Patrick, and her feast is a day of widespread celebration. She was of humble origins, was baptised by St. Patrick himself, and later became a nun and first abbess of Kildare. Little is known of her beyond … Continue reading Saints of The English Year – St. Bridget/Bride.
January 25th. Saint Paul was important enough in Church history to receive more than one feast day; June 29th is his main day, which he shares with St. Peter, while January 25th commemorates his conversion to Christianity on the road to Damascus. In the secular sphere, it was said that the weather on this day … Continue reading Saints of The English Year – St. Paul.
January 22nd. Little is known of Vincent of Saragossa apart from the fact that he was martyred for his faith in AD 304, but he was a widely popular saint across Europe and in Anglo-Saxon England. In English tradition, his day is only remembered in weather predictions, most of which agree that sunshine on the … Continue reading Saints of The English Year – St. Vincent.
