Orthodox Saints of the British Isles: Volume Four - October – December

Introduction

"The Church in The British Isles will only begin to grow when

She begins to again venerate Her own Saints"

(St. Arsenios of Paros †1877)

As I approached my baptism and chrismation into the Orthodox Church, I faced the prospect of choosing a patron saint. Though I generally go by Ellsworth, my given names are William Ellsworth Henry. I knew there was no chance there was a St. Ellsworth, but, due to the Slavo-centrism of my wonderful priest and my own ignorance, I did not know there was an Orthodox, albeit Western, St. William or a St. Henry. No information was available to support my first choice of St. Augustine of Canterbury. So, I asked my priest if there was an Orthodox equivalent to Butler’s Lives of the Saints;* he told me about the Prologue of Ohrid, but that it was not available in English.

In the ensuing two decades, including several years spent in a monastery, I served as a chaplain, and earned graduate degrees in theology and ministry. About seven years ago, as I was looking at the Church calendar I came across SS. Tancred, Torthred, and Tova (30th September), and not recognising them decided to look them up. After several frustrating hours of research, I finally found some information about them; I realised there had to be a better way. The result is this series of books on the lives of Orthodox western saints, my blog, and the Western Saints section of my website.

I started with the saints of the British Isles simply because of my ancestry and Anglophilia. The volumes on the saints of the Continent are not far behind and their lives are just as wonderful, and inspiring to learn about.

We are now very fortunate to have available to us the Prologue of Ohrid in English. However, there is still a dearth of easily accessible information on the lives of Orthodox Western Saints. My goal in writing this book is to create a Butler’s-meets-Prologue.

Divine Providence led me to choose St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco as my patron and I could not have selected a better role model. I shall end this introduction with the wise words of Vladika:

Never, never, never let anyone tell you that, in order to be Orthodox, you must also be eastern. The West was Orthodox for a thousand years, and her venerable liturgy is far older than any of her heresies.

Notes

The dates in this book correspond to the Church calendar. If the reader uses the Revised Julian or New Calendar, then the dates will coincide with the civil date. For those readers who follow the traditional Julian or Old Calendar, the dates in this book are thirteen days behind the civil calendar i.e. the listing for 1st January in this book corresponds to 14th January civil date.

Throughout the text, an asterisk* is used to denote a term or name explained more completely in Appendix I.

Acknowledgments

So many people have been instrumental in getting me through the past six years of researching and writing this series. I know there are some whom I will have forgotten to mention here, but my deepest thanks and appreciation are just as heartfelt.

Thanks to:

My son Iain for his love, support, enthusiasm, and encouragement.

My dearest friend Jennifer Bronwyn Leigh, who has been an outstanding writing coach, as well as an éditrice extraordinaire. This series wouldn’t have made it from idea to finished product without her advice, help, and hard work.

My dear friends Mary Lou and Margaret who have been big supporters of this project.

Destiny Rosario for her enthusiasm and work on the cover.

Kolina who has taught me more about Photoshop than she will ever realise.

I cannot sufficiently express my praise and thanks to the wonderful staff, and especially the managers Cortney Jones and Kimberly Samuels, at Starbucks store #11649. As I worked on this volume they have kept me well supplied with tea, hot water, the occasional pastry, and many smiles and words of encouragement. You’re a fabulous group of people who have made researching and writing this series so very much easier.

May God grant each of you many years!

1st October

Fidharleus — Eighth Century

According to Colgan,* St. Fidharleus was the restorer, and second founding Abbot of Raithin Abbey. The exact location of Raithin Abbey is unknown, but it is generally believed to have been near present-day Longford, Co. Longford, Ireland. St. Fidharleus reposed in 762.

Melorius (Melor, Mylor, Méloir) — Fifth Century

St. Melorius is claimed by both the Cornish and Bretons as a native son. According to the Cornish tradition St. Melorius was the son of a Cornish chieftain and convert to Christianity, who was martyred for his faith. According to the Breton tradition, St. Melorius was a prince and only seven years of age when his uncle Riwal killed his father, St. Miliau (24th July), and wished to kill St. Melorius as well. However, a council of bishops intervened, and Riwal settled for maiming the boy, by cutting off his right hand and left foot, which were replaced by a silver and a bronze prosthesis respectively. St. Melorius was then sent to live at Quimper Abbey in Brittany. At Quimper, his prostheses grew as he did and began to work as well as his natural limbs. When St. Melorius reached the age of fourteen, Riwal decided that he must die, and ordered his guardian to decapitate him. According to Church of England Priest and Hagiographer The Revd. Sabine Baring Baring-Gould* St. Melorius was then buried at Lanmeur in north-western Brittany. In time St. Melorius’ cult is said to have travelled to Cornwall, where he came to be claimed as a native saint, with churches dedicated to him in the civil parishes of Mylor and Linkinhorne. In the late tenth century St. Melorius’ relics were enshrined at the Abbey of St. Mary and St. Melor, at Amesbury, Wiltshire, England of which he is one of the titular saints. Unfortunately, there is no reliable information to support any of the legends, and it is highly likely there were several persons who might have become a composite known to us St. Melorius.

Troparion of the Holy Martyr Melorius — Tone IV

Jealousy and spite were thy enemies, O righteous Melorius, yet despite poison and mutilation thou didst not waver in the faith, and wast found worthy to wear the crown of martyrdom. Pray, O holy one, that following thy example, we may withstand the assaults of the enemy and finally attain eternal salvation.

2nd October

There are no Saints of the British Isles listed on the Calendar for this date.

3rd October

There are no Saints of the British Isles listed on the Calendar for this date.

4th October

There are no Saints of the British Isles listed on the Calendar for this date.

5th October

There are no Saints of the British Isles listed on the Calendar for this date.

6th October

Ceollach — Seventh Century ?

A native of Ireland, St. Ceollach briefly served as Bishop of the Mercians or Mid-Angles. He retired to Iona,* though he returned to his native land to repose. The exact dates of his life are uncertain, but it is believed he lived during the seventh century.

7th October

Cynog (Canog, Cenneur) — Fifth Century

The eldest son of the great King St. Brychan of Brycheiniog (6th April), St. Cynog was martyred by Barbarians at Merthyr-Cynog (Shrine of Cynog) in Powys, Wales c.492. There is a grade II* listed church, where his relics are enshrined, at Merthyr-Cynog, and several other churches in Wales were dedicated to him. St. Cynog is known as St. Cenneur in Brittany, where at least one church in the Ancient Diocese of Saint-Malo was dedicated to him.

Troparion of St. Cynog — Tone IV

Spurred on by their impiety, God-hating barbarians sought to destroy thee, O holy Cynog, but by death thou didst gain the victory. Pray for us, that we too may triumph over evil by faithfulness unto the end, that we may be granted great mercy.

Dubhthach (Dubthach, Dubtach) — Sixth Century

There were two Abbot-Bishops of Armagh by the name of Dubhthach. Dubhthach the First was the sixth Abbot-Bishop of Armagh, serving from 497 until his repose in 513. Dubhthach the Second (or Younger) served as the ninth Abbot-Bishop of Armagh Ireland for twelve years from 536 until his repose in 548.

The Annals of the Four Masters, in its record of the repose of Dubhthach the Second refer to him as a saint; however, there is no other record extant of his veneration or Feast Day. However, the Annals do not refer to Dubhthach the First as a saint.

There is an anecdote about Dubhthach in the Life of St. Tigernach of Clones (4th April) which refers to him as a saint, without specifying the First or Second. Many scholars, including Charles Plummer and Kim McCone, believe this to be a reference to Dubhthach the Second. Ohers, including The V. Revd. John Canon O’Hanlon M.R.I.A. and Sir James Ware, are of the opinion that the position of the anecdote in St. Tigernach’s Life indicates it most likely refers to Dubhthach the First.

The Book-of-Saints by the Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine at Ramsgate, England, as well as several other contemporary listings of saints, lists a feast date of 7th October giving the particulars for Dubhthach the First , sixth Abbot-Bishop (497–513). Since the Annals of the Four Masters is the only record which differentiates between the two Dubhthachs, and only lists the Second as a saint, it seems much more likely that Plummer and McCone are correct, and the St. Dubhthach commemorated today is Dubhthach the Second.

Troparion of St. Dubtach, Hierarch — Tone I

Compassionate pastor and inspired teacher of Armagh's flock, O Hierarch Dubtach, thou art a model of piety for both the pastors and the laity of Christ's holy Church. Intercede with Christ our God that we may be given grace to emulate thee in bringing others to Him that we all may be saved.

Osyth (Osith) — Seventh Century

According to tradition St. Osyth was the daughter of Frithwald (Frithuwold), a sub-King of Mercia and Wilburga, the daughter of the pagan King Penda of Mercia, and niece of St. Edith of Polesworth (15th July), and St. Edburga of Bicester (18th July). She was raised by her aunt St. Edith at St. Edith’s monastery, or under the guidance of St. Modwenna of Burton (5th July), which led to St. Osyth’s desire to become a monastic. However, her father betrothed her to Sighere, King of the East Saxons for political reasons. This union produced the future King St. Offa (15th December). In time, Sighere acquiesced to St. Osyth’s desire for the monastic life, and she founded an abbey on land given to her by Sighere at Chich in Essex, England, serving as its first Abbess. St. Osyth was martyred by heathen Danes or other pirates c.700.

Unfortunately, we are dependent upon two twelfth-century lives, which are now only available in later and fragmentary versions for information on St. Osyth’s life. These lives give us two distinct bodies of tradition, one seemingly originating from Aylesbury, and the second from Chich (latter day St. Osyth’s Priory) in Essex. This is a perfect example of the inherent difficulties in attempting to write an accurate Life of early British saints from hagiographies, which date from four or five hundred years after the saint’s repose. In St. Osyth’s case, these two accounts are also conflated and confused with traditions from the Lives of SS. Modwenna of Burton, and Edith of Polesworth, which only complicates matters. Moreover, there is uncertainty as to whether these legends actually refer to one St. Osyth, or to two different, and most likely near-contemporary ones.

The essential differences between the two versions are:

• St. Osyth being raised by St. Edith v. St. Modwenna. This Modwenna is identified as Modwenna of Burton, however, this is impossible, as Modwenna of Burton flourished in the ninth century, hence it was more likely St. Modwenna of Northumbria (5th July) who reposed in 695.

• Her marriage to Sighere not being consummated, vs. her giving birth to St.