St. David, Patron Saint of Wales (Saint’s Day March 1)
St. David (or Dewi Sant in Welsh) was born in either the late fifth or early sixth century AD, but the first written records of his story come from the eleventh century. David was born of Celtic nobility and, as a youth, was educated in a monastery. Although he was described as tall and strong, he was a gentle man who ate mainly bread and herbs and drank only water. In fact, he is sometimes called David the water drinker. Once he reached manhood, David travelled all over Wales teaching the Christian faith and performing miracles, including bring a young boy back to life. The most famous story of David is that he attended an assembly of holy men who were deciding on who would be the Archbishop of Wales. When David got up to speak, the earth rose up under his feet until everyone could see him. St. David was canonized in 1120.
St. Patrick, Patron Saint of Northern Ireland (Saint’s Day, March 17)
Saint Patrick was born in Scotland. When he was sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and sold into slavery in Northern Ireland. For six years he worked as a Sheppard, before an Angel told him to leave. He returned to Britain and quickly came under the tutelage of St. Germain. It was Germain that sent Patrick to Rome and from there to a mission in Ireland. Patrick spent the rest of his life performing miracles and converting the inhabitants of Ireland. His most famous deed was to banish all of the snakes from Ireland, though these snakes may have been a metaphor for Druids or other practitioners of paganism. Patrick has never been formally canonized by the Pope.
St. George, Patron Saint of England (Saint’s Day, April 23)
St. George was born in Turkey sometime in the third century. At the age of seventeen he joined the Roman army and became renowned for his bravery and feats of arms. The most famous story of St. George is that he slew a Dragon somewhere in Libya. On one of his missions, St. George was sent to England. While in England he heard about the horrible persecutions of Christians in Rome. Returning to Rome, George pleaded for mercy for the Christians, but in the end was himself beheaded when he refused to renounce his faith. In 1222 AD, the Council of Oxford declared St. George as the Patron Saint of England (replacing Edward the Confessor).
St. Andrew, Patron Saint of Scotland (Saint’s Day, November 30)
St. Andrew was the brother of St. Peter and one of the original twelve Apostles of Christ. He is thought to have gone on missions, spreading the faith in Asia Minor and Greece, before he was crucified by the Romans. After his death, he was entombed and 300 years later his bones were dug up by the Roman Emperor Constantine. However, a Greek Monk, named St. Rule was commanded by an angel to protect the remains. He managed to steal some of the bones and fled to Scotland. These were housed in St. Andrew’s Cathedral until they were lost during the Scottish reformation. In 1969, Gordon Gray was appointed the first Scottish Cardinal following the reformation. At this time, Pope Paul VI gave Gray a few relics of St. Andrew to take back to Scotland.
Joseph Allen McCullough - Joseph A. McCullough was born in the town of Greensboro, NC, site of the Battle of Guildford Courthouse. In 1994, he graduated from the ...
Join the Conversation