In honor of St. Jospeh-- When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano

Veggie Tales explains St. Patrick!

St. Patrick's Day Bagpipes

Third Annual St. Patrick's Extravaganza!!!!

The Blood of Cu Chulainn

Hilda of Whitby

PRAYERS (contemporary language)
O God of peace, by whose grace the abbess Hilda was endowed with gifts of justice, prudence, and strength to rule as a wise mother over the nuns and monks of her household, and to become a trusted and reconciling friend to leaders of the Church: Give us the grace to respect and love our fellow Christians with whom we disagree, that our common life may be enriched and your gracious will be done, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln

Today we celebrate Hugh of Lincoln (1140-1200).  A pious and extremely learned man, he was a defender of the poor and outcast.  He was not afraid to stand up to Kings.

Once, when King John of England showed him an amulet which John believed could protect him from all harm, Hugh is reported to have said,

"Do not put your trust in lifeless stone, but only in the living and heavenly stone, our Lord Jesus Christ." 

(Not exactly the attitude towards statues, amulets, etc. that we are used to expecting from Medieval believers.  Practically Protestant!)

Hugh was in many ways the English St. Francis of Assisi and the "real" Robin Hood.  Like Francis, he had a great zeal for reforming and rebuilding the Church, defending it against the abuses of the wealthy and powerful, especially the Kings.  And like Francis, he was renowned for his love and kindness, not only for children, the poor and outcast, but for animals.  Reportedly the birds and squirrels ate from his hand and he had a tame swan which followed him around, slept near his bed and defended him from strangers.  (Swans are large and mean birds!)  Like Robin Hood, he was a champion of the poor.  Hugh didn't rob the rich, so much as he refused to participate in the plundering of resources.  He refused to fund Richard the Lion-Heart's foreign wars and would not consent to Henry II's appointment of a royal favorite to a meaningless but well-funded position.  He even risked his life defending Jews when there were riots in England during the Third Crusade.

Hugh of Lincoln, one of my new favorite saints.

PRAYER (contemporary language)
Holy God, our greatest treasure, you blessed Hugh and Robert, Bishops of Lincoln, with wise and cheerful boldness for the proclamation of your Word to rich and poor alike: Grant that all who minister in your Name may serve with diligence, discipline and humility, fearing nothing but the loss of you and drawing all to you through Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you in the communion of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

links: Hugh of Lincoln
Mission St. Clare

St. Francis Day

Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, grant your people grace gladly to renounce the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfect joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.




One of the dogs blessed at this afternoon's service.

All Saints' Day

Reformation Rap

This one goes out to JerusalemAnglican. Happy Reformation Day!



Thanks to Stand Firm

The Wearing of the Green

The Band of the Royal Irish Regiment - The Part Glass

Now, these are PIPERS!

St. Patrick's Confession

The Minstrel Boy

Mary Mack by Hair of the Dog

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Patronal Feast Day!

An excuse for all sorts of paddy-whackery.

I shall indulge myself.....

ABOUT SAINT PATRICK

Saint Patrick is believed to have been born in the late fourth century, and is often confused with Palladius, a bishop who was sent by Pope Celestine in 431 to be the first bishop to the Irish believers in Christ.

Saint Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing christianity to Ireland. Most of what is known about him comes from his two works, the Confessio, a spiritual autobiography, and his Epistola, a denunciation of British mistreatment of Irish christians. Saint Patrick described himself as a "most humble-minded man, pouring forth a continuous paean of thanks to his Maker for having chosen him as the instrument whereby multitudes who had worshipped idols and unclean things had become the people of God."

(taken from the website St. Patrick's Day.com. Follow the link above to check it out.)

Happy St. Cyril & Methodius Day!

Okay, I know it's Valentine's Day. But these guys have always been favorites of mine.
What a passion for the Gospel - to create an alphabet for the sole purpose of putting the Bible into the language of the people. Europe needs such patron saints today.

Happy Saint Andrew's Day