his throwing through a window bags of gold for three daughters of a widow
for their dowry, these became the origin of the pawnbroker’s three golden
balls and made him patron saint of brides.
There was also the unpleasant story of the boys killed by an innkeeper,
which Nicolas restored back to life. These stories made him the patron of
children and associated with the giving of presents at Christmas.
26 December St Stephen (died about 34 AD)
Stephen was the first deacon of the church and also the first martyr. All we
know of him is contained in the Acts of the Apostles. “Stephen, full of grace
and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.”(6:8). This
caused a group from the synagogue to conspire against him.
He was summoned to the council, where he ended up in telling them that
they were for ever opposing the Holy Spirit. He also told them that he saw
the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right side of God.
Whereupon he was dragged outside the city and stoned to death. Saul, it is
stated, “approved of their killing him” (Paul is thus introduced in the Bible).
Stephens supposed tomb was discovered in 415 by a priest named Lucius,
the relics were taken to Constantinople and Rome. In art he is sometimes
depicted with a Bible, a stone or a martyr’s palm.
13 January St Kentigern (died 603 or 612 in Glasgow)
St Mungo is the commonly used name of Kentigern. He was the late 6 th
century apostle of the Britannic Kingdom of Strathclyde & founder and Patron
Saint of Glasgow. His baptismal name is Welsh (Cyndeym) from cun=hound
& tigerno= Lord, prince, king. ‘ Mungo’ is his pet name from Cymbric
language (Welsh) “my dear one”.
His Biography was written only ca 1195 by Jocelyn of Furness ‘after an Irish
document’. According to this, his mother was the daughter of the Brythonic
King Lleuddun (Lothian) who ruled in the ‘Haddington region’, probably the
Kingdom of Gododdin in the Old Norse. His father was Owain, King of
Rheged. Because the princess had been raped, she was abandoned in a
coracle which drifted to Culross (Fife).
There Mungo was born and brought up by St Serf. Aged 25, Mungo became
a missionary ‘on the Clyde’, where Christianity had first been introduced by
St Ninian. He had a cell near the Molendinar Burn where he later built his
church. Under King Morken he was compelled to flee to St David’s in Wales,
where he founded the Cathedral at Llanelwy (St Asaph). Under King Riderch
he could return and became Bishop.
He first had his bishop’s seat at Hoddom in Dumfriesshire, evangelising
Galloway before returning and building his church known as Clas-gu (‘dear
family’.) He was visited by St Columba and exchanged ‘pastoral staves’. He
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