St Cuthbert

Today we keep the feast of St Cuthbert, who is also the secondary patron of my diocese in Lancaster.

He was born around the year 635AD probably near what is now Melrose. St Bede tells us he tended sheep, which indicates a humble background. After seeing a vision of St Aiden’s soul ascending to heaven (651AD) he entered Melrose monastry. However these were turbulent times and it seems he was recruited into one the local war lords armies and for a number of years was a soldier. After about 4 years or so he returned to the monastry. Shortly after that he went to Ripon as guest master. He returned to Melrose, where there was a plague, the prior died and Cuthbert took his place. In 661 after the synod of Whitby which adopted the Roman usage for  Easter and other matters, he was sent to LIndisfarne to help the monks there adopt to the new usage.  This his did through his holiness and gentle manner. He also spent times evangelising and catechising the local people. His devotion to celebrating Mass was such that it moved him to tears. Eventually he sought a more demanding and austere life and retired the one of the Farne islands. This did not last too long as he was persuaded to be Bishop of Lindisfarne. He was consecrated Bishop in 685. He died on March 20th 687.

As I mentioned above, he is a patron of my diocese. We ask his intercession at this time for our own Bishop.