Only by the Grace of and only to the Glory of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Unbegotten; God the Son, Onlybegotten; and God the Holy Spirit from the Father Proceeding: Celtic Orthodox Christian News

Concerning Saint Brigit of Kildare (Feb 1/14):

Brigit the fair, strong, praiseworthy, chaste head of Erin's nuns.

Brigit the fair, Virgin, Abbess, daughter of Dubthach son of Demre, son of Bresal, son of Connla, son of Art Corp, son of Cairbre Nia, son of Cormac, son of Oengus the Dumb, son of Eochaid Find Fuathnairt, son of Feidlimid Rechtmad.

The white-one from Liffey of the slopes, daughter of Dubthach of Druim derg: tomorrow she goes quickly, so that from her hand is Patrick's bequest.

Brigit's three eighths, to wit, her birth on the eighth (of the month), her veil on the eighteenth, her death on the twenty-eighth.

Eight Bishops came to Brigit out of Hui Briuin Cualann, i.e. from Telach na n-epscop to Loch Lemnachta beside Kildare on the north. Brigit asked her cook, Blathnait, whether she had food for the Bishops. She said she did not. Brigit was ashamed: so the angel told her to milk the cows again. The cows were milked and they filled the tubs, and they would have filled all the vessels in Leinster, so that the milk went over the vessels and made a lake thereof, so Loch Lemnachta is called 'New-milk Lough'.

A robber came to Dubthach, who took a joint out of the caldron for him, and he made five pieces thereof, and gave them to Brigit to keep. But a wretched hound came to her, and she gave it the five pieces out of the caldron,and the five pieces were then found in the caldron. That was told to Dubthach, and then he gave to her and to God the land, to wit, the site of an oratory in Tuath da Maige.

A young cleric of the community of Ferns, a foster-son of Brigit's, used to come to her with wishes. He was with her in the refectory, to partake of food. Once after coming to Communion she strikes a clapper. "Well, young cleric there," says Brigit, "hast thou a soulfriend?" "I have," replied the young cleric. "Let us sing his requiem," says Brigit, "for he has died. I saw when half thy portion had gone, that thy quota was put into thy trunk, and tho without any head on thee, for thy soulfriend died, and anyone without a soulfriend is a body without a head; and eat no more till thou gettest a soulfriend."

Amra Plea a convent of Brigit's which is on the brink of the sea of Wight, or the Tyrrhene (sea), and its Rule is that of Brigit's community. It happened in this manner: Brigit despatched seven persons to learn the Rule of Peter and Paul, for God did not determine that she should go. And they brought not the Rule. So she sent eastward a third time, together with her blind boy, for everything he used to hear he remembered. When they reached the sea of Wight, a storm fell upon them, so they let down their anchor, which stuck on the peak of the oratory. They cast a lot among themselve as to who was going down, and it fell to the blind (boy). He loosed the anchor, and remained there to the end of a year, learning the Rule, till the rest of the party came to him from Rome, and a storm fell upon them again in the same place, so they let down an anchor,and the blind boy came up from below with the Rule of Plea and with a beautiful bell, and it is the Rule of Plea that abides today.

Now Brigit was fain to have the orders of penitence conferred upon her; so she went to Bri Eile, accompanied by seven nuns, since she had heard that Bishop Mel was there. When they arrived, Bishop Mel was not there, but had gone into the district of the Hui Neill. So she fared forth on the morrow with Mac caille before her as a guide to Moin Faithnig. Brigit wrought so that the bog became a smooth flowery plain for them. When they drew nigh the place wherein Bishop Mel was biding Brigit told Mac caille that she would take a veil on her head so that she might not come unveiled to the clerics; and that may be the veil that is commemorated here. Now after reaching the clerics a fiery column flamed from her head to the ridge of the church. Said Mac caille: "This is the famous nun of Leinster, even Brigit." "My welcome to her," quoth Bishop Mel: "'Tis I," quoth he, "that prophesied her in her mother's womb, and 'tis I that will confer the orders upon her."

Once upon a time Bishop Mel came to Dubthach's house and saw Dubthach's wife in grief. So the Bishop asked, "What is the matter with the woman?" "Cause of grief I have," she says, "for dearer than I am to Dubthach is the bondmaid who is washing you." "Thou hast good reason, " says Bishop Mel, "for thy seed will serve the seed of the bondmaid."

"Why have the nuns come?" asked Bishop Mel. "To have the orders of penitence conferred on Brigit," says Mac caille. Thereafter the orders were read out over Brigit, and Bishop Mel bewtowed Episcopal orders upon her, and it is then that Mac caille set a veil on (her) head. Hence Brigit's successor is entitled to have Episcopal orders conferred upon her. [These are the orders of Abbess, with the power of jurisdiction over her own nuns and also over her churches and lands, but not Sacramental which would allow her to give Communion. No deacons, priests or bishops are recorded to have been ordained by her nor does any Bishop claim succession through her or her successors.]

Beloved and little the month of dear February, which comprises for us those festivals,

Brigit's festival... Finntains's festival which I have chosen.

Save great Mary, good her fame, Mother of the Lord Jesus,

none under heaven has been found more wondrous than bright-white Brigit.

Concerning Saint Lucia (Lucy) (Feb 6/19):

Lucia with splendor, whom thousands moved not.

Lucia whom thousands moved not: many thousands were unable to move her. Lucy was in Sicily in the city of Syracuse and she was married but was able to come with her mother Eutichia to the city of Catinensius to the relics of Saint Agatha to entreat her for her mother who was fatigued for seven years by an issue of blood and her mother was freed of her malady as predicted and Agatha appeared to Lucia in her sleep and she forswore the bed of her husband. Therefore her husband went to Paschasius the proconsul who want in Syracuse and told him everything and the proconsul said: "carry her off violently", but he was unable to move her by himself, but others with him sought to move her but the added numbers were still unable to move her even up to a hundred. Therefore a thousand were called even to many thousand and even many yoke of bulls were brought and they could not move her from her place, so she was slain by a sword.
[A wife who would not submit to her husband was not only subject to divorce, but often was carried off to a brothel. St. Lucy did not move, and instead of being carried off, was Martyred.]

Saint Helena (+330) was the mother of the Emperor Saint Constantine and was influential in his conversion to Christianity and his edict permitting Christians to worship without fear of persecution.   Saint Constantine was first proclaimed Emperor at York  July 25, 306.

          Feb 11  II Sunday afer the Magnification of Peter  [P] (Sunday IV)
          Feb 1/14 Saint Brigid[W]
          Feb 2/15 The Purification of the Birthgiver of God [W] (Blessing of  wax and Candles)

          Feb 18  Sexagesima [P]

          Feb 25  Quinquagesima [P]

     Feb 15/28 Commemoration of the devil tempting Christ and fleeing from His presence. Last day of Winter Fast. [P]

          Mar 4 Lent I (First day of Lent)Sunday Fast Rules [P]
              Liturgy followed by the Service of the Sunday of Orthodoxy(the Synodicon).
          Mar 5 First Weekday of Lent [P]
          Mar 6 Blessing of Children and Catechumens [P]
          Mar 7 Annointing with Oil [P]
          Feb 23/Mar 8-- Apostle Matthias [W]

          Mar 11 Lent II [P]

          Mar 18 Lent III [P]

          Mar 25  Mid Lent (IV) [P]
          Mar 17/30 Saint Patrick of Ireland[W]