of miracles Christ worked as a child. He is patron Saint of builders since he
is supposed to have built a palace for a local Indian King (repeated in the
Golden Legend)
27 July St Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373), Patron Saint of Sweden,
known for her astonishing 'Revelations' especially about the Nativity and the
Crucifixion, canonised because of her works of practical charity and religious
foundations of the Order of the Most High Saviour (or Bridgettines). She was
married at 13, had 8 children, became Lady in Waiting to the Queen of
Sweden, went on pilgrimages to Santiago and to the Holy Land. She went to
Rome where she wrote her 'Sermo Angelicus', dictated by an angel. Died in
Rome following her pilgrimage in 1373, her remains were taken to Vadstena
in Sweden.
5 August St Oswald of Northumbria, King and Martyr. (605-642) The
second of 7 sons of Ethelfrid, King of Northumbria, who was killed by
Redwald of East Anglia. His family fled to Scotland, where the children were
brought up at Iona. In 635 Oswald set up a wooden cross at a spot near
Hadrian's Wall, later called
'Hevenfelt' nr Hexham, encouraged by a vision of St Columba, in order
to win back his father's kingdom. After his victory, he spread Christianity
throughout his lands, aided by Aidan, who was sent from Iona and
established as bishop in Lindisfarne. According to Bede, Oswald was
the most powerful king in the North West, uniting the Britons, Picts,
Scots and English', he also was overlord over the Welsh kingdom of
Strathclyde and 'sponsor' at the baptism of Cynegils, king of Wessex,
whose daughter he married. Oswald was killed in the 8 th year of his
reign by Penda of Mercia at the battle of Maserfeld nr Shrewsbury. His
body was dismembered and later given to the monks of Bardney in
Lindsey; some of the bones were taken to St Peter's in Gloucester, his
head to St Peter's Church at Banborough castle and later to
Lindisfarne, where it was buried in the coffin of St Cuthbert and
transferred in 815 to Durham .His arm and leg, taken to Peterborough
in 948, were said to have remained
incorrupt, which was interpreted as a
sign of sainthood - Strangely, I came
across a painting in Graz, Austria, in
which Oswald was depicted as a
helper in case of fire and patron saint
of firemen.
9 August St Teresa Benedicts of
the Cross (Edith Stein 1891-1942),
born to an orthodox Jewish family in
Breslau (Wroclaw) in Germany, she
became an atheist while at school,
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