Some Saints Days in February
1 February St Brigit of Kildare (451-525)
There are variations of the name, especially
Bridget and Bride. The nickname of the
Saint is Mary of the Gael. . She is one of
Ireland’s patron saints along with St
Patrick and St Columba. She was an
early Christian nun, abbess and founder
of several monasteries. St Brigit’s Day,
or Imboic in Gaelic, marks one of the
quarter days in the pagan year, which
marked the beginning of spring, of
lambing and lactation in cattle. St Brigit is
one of the few saints which stand between
pagan mythology, Druidism and Christian
spirituality, she is sometimes confused with the Celtic goddess Brigid,
venerated by the Brigantes in Northern England, a goddess of harvest and
births.
St Brigit is the most famous female leader of the early Celtic church and
also the patron saint of Learning. She was born in County Louth. Her
parents were possibly a pagan chieftain, also known as a Druid and wizard,
and Brocca, a Pictish slave, baptised by St Patrick. St Brigit is venerated for
her generosity to the poor, she also founded a school of art and metalwork,
the scriptorium there produced the Book of Kildare. Brigit died leaving a
cathedral city and school famous all over Europe. Most of her miracles are
related to healing and domestic tasks -.Hundreds of Place- names in her
honour are found in Scotland and Ireland, including Kilbride and Bridewell.
14 February St Valentine (died probably AD 270)
Latin Valentinus, this is the name of several martyred saints of ancient
Rome, the name is derived from Valens= worthy, strong. Nothing is known of
the life of the saint whose feast day is the 14 February, except his name and
that he was buried at the Via Flaminia North of Rome. The Feast Day was
established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, he appears to have been a priest in
Rome, or a bishop in Terni, Italy. A first picture of the Saint appeared in the
Nuremberg Chronicle (1493). The text there states that Valentine was a
Roman priest, martyred during the reign of Claudius II, also known as
Claudius Gothicus, dates vary: 260. 270, 273. He was to have been arrested
and imprisoned because he married Christian couples and assisted
Christians in general, while they were persecuted in Rome. He was
beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate. St Valentine’s Day has various
traditions, Chaucer suggests this was the day birds chose their mates, but it
StOM Page 8