MORE BENEDICTINE SAINTS

ST. BAVO (d. 654)  was a Belgian nobleman who spent a wild youth, noted for his selfishness. He was known to have sold his servants as slaves to local noble houses. He later married and was a widower. After hearing a sermon by St. Amand of Maastricht he converted and vowed to change his life.

He built an abbey on his estate, called St. Peter‘s in his day and St. Bavo’s today. He turned it over to St. Amand, and became a monk. He finally gave his estate to the house, his belongings to the poor, and lived as a recluse in a hollow tree and later a cell in the forest near the abbey.

 Because he is so often shown with a falcon, he is considered the patron saint of falconry.











 


ST. LUDGER (d.809) was the son of wealthy Frisian nobles. His brothers were St. Gerburgis and St. Hildegrin. He heard St. Boniface preach in 753, and was greatly moved. He studied at Utrecht, Netherlands under St. Gregory of Utrecht and later under Bl. Alcuin in England.

In 773 he returned to the Netherlands as a missionary. He later lived as a Benedictine monk at Monte Cassino, Italy from 785 to 787, but did not take vows. At the request of Charlemagne, he returned to Friesland as a missionary. It was a successful expedition, and he built a monastery in Werden, Germany to serve He built a monastery at Mimigernaford as the center of this missionary work, and became its abbot.

St. Ludger’s health failed in later years, but he never reduced his work load. No matter how busy or dangerous his outside life, he never neglected his time of prayer and meditation, it being a source of the strength to do everything else.



 He is considered the missionary to the Saxons. In art, St .Ludger is portrayed as a bishop with a swan or goose near him.

BENEDICTINE MEN AND THEIR BIRDS

Sts. Benedict & Scholastica

The most famous of our saints is our founder ST. BENEDICT of NORCIA (d. 547).
He  was born to the Roman nobility and was the twin brother of St. Scholastica (mentioned in our previous blog). As a youth he studied in Rome, but was dismayed by the lack of discipline and the worldly attitude of his fellow students. He fled to the mountains near Subiaco (about 2 hours north of Rome), living as a hermit in a cave for three years where he was befriended by a raven who fed him. His discipline was such that an attempt was made on his life; some monks tried to poison him, but he gave the foul bread to his raven to dispose of.

 He returned to his cave, but continued to attract followers, eventually establishing twelve monasteries.

 He later founded the monastery at Monte Cassino, where he wrote the Rule of our Order. He had the ability to read consciences, the gift of prophesy, and could forestall attacks of the devil.

(Lu Bro) 

A summation of the Rule: “Pray and Work”  is balanced by attention to manual labor, intellectual pursuit and prayer.  He is one of the patrons of modern Europe.

 (One of my favorite images: statue at  St. Martin's Abbey, Lacey, WA)

The raven is a symbol for solitude. It also symbolizes filial gratitude and affection, wisdom, hope, longevity, death, and fertility.












Another great Benedictine saint, but not well known in America is ST. MEINRAD
(d. 861).  He is known as the Martyr of Hospitality.



He was a monk in the monastery at Bollingen (Switzerland) though he longed to become a hermit,  living a life of prayer, penance and meditation. In 828 having at last obtained his superiors' permission, he set off for the Dark Wood on the slopes of Mount Etzel.

Soon after settling in a solitary retreat he found a nest with two young ravens, which he gladly adopted and tamed, perhaps because the he had a statue of the Child Jesus holding a small bird in one hand. St. Meinrad spent seven years on this mountain, but as more and more pilgrims come to visit him, he fled from his tiny cell, taking his two friends, the ravens, with him.

Br. Martin Erspamer, OSB

 He went still farther into the depths of the Dark Wood until one day he found, in the midst of the lofty pine trees on a small table-land surrounded by hills on three sides, a bubbling spring giving forth sparkling, fresh mountain water. Here he built himself a little log hut and a chapel, in which he reverently placed his statue. His faithful ravens often perched on either side of a crucifix, watching the holy hermit as he worked and prayed.

He spent over 20 years alone and was never  harmed by the mountain bears or wolves or other wild animals who dwelt there. However, two hardened criminals, hearing that people made pilgrimages to the hermit, were tempted by the idea that he must have rich treasure hidden away in his lonely hermitage. And so one cold winter night they made their way through the deep snow to his retreat in the forest.

As the saint was  finishing his Mass he heard the shrill screams of warning of his faithful ravens. He went out and welcomed the two men with loving kindness and hospitality, setting before them some bread and wine. When they roughly demanded that he show them his hidden treasure he humbly led them into the little chapel, and pointing to the plain wooden statue above the altar, he said, "I have no other treasure."

In a mad rage the two robbers seized and brutally beat the saintly old hermit to death with a heavy club, while his two ravens flew wildly about, screaming and trying in vain to help their good friend by pecking at the murderers' heads.

The men dragged the saint's body away and were about to begin their search for the supposedly hidden treasure when they noticed a wondrous smell pervading the place. When they perceived that two candles standing by the hermit's bed had somehow just been lighted, without human hand, the two assassins fled in terror all the way to Zurich. But like the accusing finger of God, Meinrad's two ravens persistently followed and attacked the murderers until they were arrested and  confessed the crime.

On the place where he was martyred a church and shrine were built in his memory, which later became the famous and very beautiful Abbey of Einsiedeln. I was able to visit this marvelous monastery and the Black Madonna, when I lived in Germany over 40 years ago.

BENEDICTINE WOMEN (continued)

 One of the interesting things in my search to know new saints and their relationship to birds is that many saints have no stories which connect them to birds, but are portrayed with birds by the artist for some reason or other - sometimes for reasons they never tell us- perhaps their "vision" as an artist just speaks to their mind or heart..

Of the two following Benedictine saints, the first is often portrayed with ravens while the later is rarely seen with a bird and that is usually a dove representing the Holy Spirit.

ST. IDA of TOGGENBURG

Ida (Ita) of Kirchberg (d. 1226) was born at Kirchberg Castle, Swabia, the daughter of Hartmann, Count of Kirchberg, and was married to Count Henry of  Toggenburg, Switzerland. Henry was abusive, especially when the couple had no children.

According to legend a raven stole Ida's wedding ring. The ring was found by a hunter in the nest of the bird. When her husband noticed the ring on the hand of the hunter, he accused Ida of infidelity. He killed the hunter and Ida fell in anger from the window of his castle. Because of  her innocence, Ida had been saved by God but in a miraculous way. The mistake was cleared up, but Ida wanted to dedicate her life to God. Her repentant husband agreed to her becoming a Benedictine nun at Fischingen Abbey where she died in the odor of sanctity.   She is also revered as the saint of runaway cattle.

ST. MECHTILDE of HELFTA (d. 1298)  was born to a pious, powerful Thuringian noble family and her older sister was a nun. Convent educated from age seven, Mechtilde became a nun at Rodersdorf, Switzerland. She moved to the Helfta monastery (Germany) in 1258 where her sister served as abbess. She was the teacher and choir director at the convent school at Helfta and later novice mistress for St. Gertrude the Great who wrote The Book of Special Grace about Mechtilde’s teachings. St. Mechtilde was initially terrified that the book might cause trouble, but Christ appeared to her in prayer and told her not to worry. She became a spiritual adviser to her sister nuns and the laity. She is one of the great mystics of the Benedictine Order.

While I could find no reference to birds, there is a very lovely statue at the Monastery of St. Mechtilde on the island of Malta, by the German artist Mark Glass.

The  figure shows St. Mechthilde reaching upward - as if she wants to follow birds in their flight. In her hands she holds a nightingale. She is barefoot, balancing on one leg and singing.   At her feet are an owl and a raven, birds of wisdom and mystery. The statue radiates energy and vitality.

The  Artist

GREAT BENEDICTINES- WOMEN

ST. SCHOLASTICA was the twin sister of St. Benedict of Nursia. They were born to the Italian noblility. Their mother died in childbirth. St. Scholastica became a nun leading a community of women near Montecassino. She died in 543. 

She was accustomed to visiting her brother once a year. He would come down to meet her at a place on the monastery property, not far outside the gate. One day she came as usual and her saintly brother went with some of his disciples. They spent the whole day praising God and talking of sacred things. Their spiritual conversation went on and the hour grew late. The holy nun said to her brother, “Please do not leave me tonight; let us go on until morning talking about the delights of the spiritual life.” “Sister,” he replied, “What are you saying? I simply cannot stay outside my cell.” When she heard her brother refuse her request, the holy woman joined her hands on the table, laid her head on them and began to pray.  As she raised her head from the table, there such a heavy downpour of rain that neither Benedict nor his brethren could stir across the threshold of the place where they had been seated. Sadly, he began to complain. “May God forgive you, Sister. What have you done?”

 

 “Well, she answered, “I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and he did listen. So now go off, if you can, leave me and return to your monastery.” So it came about that they stayed awake the whole night, engrossed in their conversation about the spiritual life.

 Three days later, Benedict was in his cell. Looking up to the sky, he saw his Sister’s soul leave her body in the form of a dove, and fly up to the secret places of heaven. Rejoicing in her great glory, he thanked almighty God with hymns and words of praise. He then sent his brethren to bring her body to the monastery and lay it in the tomb he had prepared for himself. - from Dialogues by Pope Saint Gregory the Great

 

ST. HILEGARD of BINGEN (d.1179 at the age of 81) was officially declared a saint in May of this year by Pope Benedict XVI who has a great devotion to her, recognizing her widespread fame of holiness.

The process was established in the 18th century by Pope Benedict XIV. It takes place "when the Pope enjoins the Church as a whole to observe the veneration of a Servant of God not yet canonized by the insertion of her feast into the liturgical calendar of the universal Church, with Mass and the Divine Office.

An "equivalent canonization" usually occurs, as in the case of St. Hildegard, Sts. Bruno, Margaret of Scotland, Stephen of Hungary, and Wenceslaus, when veneration of the saint is already well established in Church traditions, but for various reasons the formal process of canonization has not been completed.
 

At a time when few women wrote, St.Hildegard produced major works of theology and visionary writings. When few women were respected, she was consulted by and advised bishops, popes, and kings. She used her curative powers of natural objects for healing, and wrote treatises about natural history and the medicinal uses of plants, animals, trees and stones. She is the first musical composer whose biography is known. She founded a vibrant monastery, where her musical plays were performed.

When I received her name at clothing, over 40 years ago, there was only one book written about her

(a novel) and none of her works had yet been translated. The first translation of her SCIVIAS (Visions) was done by our Mother Columba Hart.  At the same time the nuns at the Abbey of St.Hildegard in Germany were doing translations of her works (from the original Latin) into German.  Today all of her works have been translated, into many languages.

 In a 2010 series of audience talks about women’s contributions to the Church, Pope Benedict dedicated two talks to St Hildegard. He said she was a worthy role model for Catholics today because of “her love for Christ and his Church, which was suffering in her time, too, and was wounded also then by the sins of priests and lay people”. In addition, the Pope noted, modern Catholics can learn from her “love for creation, her medicine, her poetry and music that is being recreated today”.

Virginia Marie Romero

In her book PHYSICA she lists many birds and gives characteristics of each - not the kind you would find in a modern book on birds. Heron, swan, vulture, eagle, goose, duck, hawk, raven and crow, dove, parrot, owl, woodpecker, kingfisher, starling, swallow, finch, wren, kinglet, and blackbird are some of the birds mentioned. An example of her shrewd observation of the nature of a bird is the crow.

"They are not useful for medicine because a bird that is with a person by means of its cleverness is not much use to anyone as a remedy".  She also describes how the raven (a member of the same family as the crow)  can recognize faces of humans. Interesting to note  that my Island 4-H birding club is doing a study of crows this year. Much of the research done on this family is at the University of Washington in Seattle, esp. regards to human face recognition by these most intelligent of birds.

SAINTS OF BRITISH ISLES (continued)

ST.  COLUMBA of IONA (597)  Born to the Irish royalty, he became a monk. He was a spiritual student of St. Finian and was the spiritual teacher of other saints. In 563 he traveled to Scotland. He was exiled to Iona  where he founded a monastic community, serving as its abbot for twelve years.
He and the monks of Iona, including  St. Baithen of Iona and St. Eochod, then evangelized the Picts, converting many.

Because he spent so much of his life living on islands he is often pictured surrounded by birds.







ST. MUNGO (also known as ST. KENTIGERN) (603)  He was the Apostle to northwest England and southwest Scotland.  He was the grandson of Prince Lothus of Britain. He taught in Scotland for 13 years, living in great austerity. In 553  he was exiled during an anti-Christian uprising by local pagans. He fled to Wales, where he stayed with St. David of Wales. He founded a monastery at Llanelwy, serving as its first abbot. He returned to Scotland in 573, evangelizing the areas of Galloway and Cumberland, returning to Glasgow in 581 where he ministered to his people for the rest of his life.

Glasgow‘s Coat of Arms includes a bird, a fish, a bell and a tree, the symbols of St. Kentigern. The bird commemorates the pet robin owned by St. Serf, which was accidentally killed by monks who blamed it on St. Kentigern. St. Kentigern took the bird in his hands and prayed over it, restoring it to life.


 



ST. COLUMBANUS (615)  Not to be confused with St. Columba. He was a hermit, monk and missionary. He founded an abbey that was to be the source for evangelization throughout northern Italy for centuries to come. At the end of his life, he retired to a cave for solitude. His influence continued for centuries as those he converted handed on the faith, the brothers he taught evangelized many more, and his monks founded over one hundred monasteries to protect learning and spread the faith.

Susanne Iles

St. Columbanus always enjoyed being in the forests and caves, and as he walked through the woods, birds and squirrels would ride on his shoulders.










ST. KEVIN of GLENDALOUGH (618) Hermit, abbot and friend to many other saints including St. Columba. Noted as a man who did not always like the company of men, but was at home with the animals.

(Statue at Our Lady of Knock, Ireland)

There are several stories of his relationship to birds: Once during Lent, while he held his arms outstretched in prayer, a blackbird laid an egg in  St. Kevin’s hand. He remained in that position until the baby bird hatched. (He is almost always pictured with his blackbird).

(Clive Hicks-Jenkins)

In his old age, King O’Tool of Glendalough made a pet of a goose. As time passed, the goose also became aged and weak, and finally unable to fly. Hearing of St. Kevin’s sanctity and power, the pagan king sent for him, and asked that he make the beloved goose young. St. Kevin asked for a payment of whatever land the goose would fly over. As the goose could no longer take flight, the king agreed. When  St. Kevin touched the bird, it grew young, and flew over the entire valley that was used to found the monastery of Glendalough.


ST. CUTHBERT of LINDISFARNE (867) He was a shepherd who received a vision of St. Aidan of Lindesfarne entering heaven; the sight led St. Cuthbert to become a Benedictine monk at age 17 at the monastery of Melrose, which had been founded by St. Aidan. He became prior in 664.

He is sometimes pictured tended by eagles or swans or rebuking crows.







 


 ST. HUGH of LINCOLN (d. 1200) Born to the nobility he joined the Carthusians in 1160 and became abbot of the first English Carthusian monastery, which was built by King Henry II as part of his penance for the murder of  St. Thomas Becket.  His reputation for holiness spread through England, and attracted many to the monastery.

He loved all the animals in the monastery gardens, especially a wild swan that would eat from his hand and follow him about and yet the swan would attack anyone else who came near Hugh.

SAINTS AND THEIR BIRDS

People ask me in reference to this blog:  who are these Saints that related to birds??? For the first leg of our journey we start in the British Isles with some amazing women.

Br. Robert Lentz, OFM,’s beautiful image from ancient Celtic religious experience was God as a trinity of women. The Maiden gave birth to creation. The Mother nurtured and protected it, and the Crone brought it wisely to its end.  A raven accompanied the Crone as a symbol of life and death: though it ate dead things, it flew high into the heavens.

The Benedictine nun St. Milburga, (d. 715) was a daughter of the King of Mercia. Her mother was St. Ermenburga and one her sisters was St. Mildred.

Founding Wenlock abbey in Shropshire, England, she was known as a miracle worker and had a mysterious power over birds; they would avoid damaging the local crops when she asked them to. 

Another great Benedictine, St. Hilda of Whitby (d.680) was noted for the wisdom that drew kings to her for advice. As Bede the Venerable wrote: "All who knew her called her mother because of her outstanding devotion and grace". 

 

A local legend says that when sea birds fly over the Abbey they dip their wings in honor of Saint Hilda. She is often pictured with geese as she would stop them from eating the planted corn.

St. Ode was a blind Scottish princess who was miraculously cured of her blindness. She became a Catholic and  devoted her life to God. In a desperate attempt not to be made queen of her realm she fled to the Continent. 

 She traveled from one place to another, wherever she could find silence for worshiping. She is usually pictured with birds who warned her of the arrival of strangers.  Eventually she arrived in the Netherlands where she spent the rest of her days.

St Columba the Virgin is a 6^th C. saint of  Cornwall. She became a Christian when the Holy Spirit appeared to her in the form of a dove. She is one of the first saints to be pictured with a bird.

One of my favorites is the Benedictine nun St. Frideswide, daughter of Prince Didan. When a neighboring noble, Prince Algar, asked for her hand in an arranged marriage, Frideswide fled to Thomwry Wood, Birnsey, England where she lived as a hermitess, hiding in barnyards. She later founded Saint Mary’s and served as its abbess. The  monastery is now Christ Church College, (Oxford) and the church became Oxford Cathedral. 

(Daniel Mitsui)

She is usually pictured with birds of the fields and barnyards.

THE GOLDEN YEAR

February 10, the feast of St. Scholastica (twin to our founder St. Benedict) our Mother Prioress Therese celebrated 50 years of monastic vows. It was a quiet but joyous celebration for the Community and a few guests.  Mother left for our Abbey in Connecticut May 1 for a joint celebration on Mother's Day (May 13) with our Mother Abbess who also celebrates her golden jubilee this year. We will have a larger celebration at OLR for friends this summer.

Mother Prioress Therese

Most people do not realize that Benedictines profess three vows at Profession but not the three that modern orders take (obedience, poverty, chastity).  We take Obedience, Stability & Conversatio Morum:

    Obedience is to the Abbot, the Rule and the laws of the Church. It is attuning one’s spiritual ear to the voice of God in all situations and responding to His call.  

Tabernacle in OLR  Chapel

    Stability refers to a physical stability, meaning that we commit to life in a particular community and are not transferred around as in more active orders

    Conversatio Morum is conversion of one's life, not as something in the past but an on-going change, now and in the future. It is to remain open to change and transformation.

When pondering the Rule of St. Benedict, the one word that first comes to mind is BALANCE. His Rule is about moderation. A true psychologist (as was our American foundress) he understood the need for nourishing body, mind and soul.  The three vows we profess allow this balance in our lives as Benedictines in a modern world. They are the “glue” which bind us to Christ and the Community.