A Calendar of Scottish Saints

He was the seventh abbot of Iona, and his learning and holiness rank him among the most illustrious monks of that renowned monastery. The Synod of Whitby, which was instrumental in overthrowing the ancient Celtic computation of Easter and substituting the Roman use, occurred during Cumine's occupation of the abbacy. He wrote a life of St. Columba, probably to vindicate his sanctity after the apparent slight offered to his memory by the synod in setting aside the traditional usage which he had cherished. This life seems to have been the result of St. Colman's visit to Iona before his return to Ireland (see Feb. 18th).

A more important work is St. Cumine's letter on the Easter controversy, which he wrote before he became abbot, and which shows a thorough acquaintance with the difficulties of the subject, as well as deep knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures and writings of the Fathers. He is often called Cumine Ailbhe (Cumine the Fair-haired). His name survives in Kilchuimein (Church of St. Cumine), the ancient designation of Fort-Augustus, and the only name by which it is still called in Gaelic. A spot in the same neighbourhood is known as St. Cumine's Return; it is in the vicinity of a hill called St. Cumine's Seat. The parish church of Glenelg also is named after this saint.

MARCH

1 – St. Marnock or Marnan, Bishop, A.D. 625.

Like so many of the Celtic saints, the name of this one has been changed by the addition of particles expressive of reverence. The original form was Ernin; the Scottish name is a contraction of the Gaelic words Mo-Ernin-og (my little Ernin). He is considered by some writers to have been of Irish nationality, but this is by no means established. St. Marnock laboured as a missionary in Moray, being specially noted for his zeal in preaching. He died at Aberchirder in Banffshire, and was buried in the church there. The place after wards received the additional name of Marnock from its connection with the saint. St. Marnock's shrine became a favourite place of pilgrimage, and miracles were wrought through his relics, which were religiously preserved there. The head of St. Marnock was frequently borne in procession to obtain fair weather. It was the custom also to have lights placed round it every Sunday and to wash the relic with water, which was afterwards used, greatly to their benefit, by the sick. The Innes family, who chose the saint as their patron, had a particular devotion to that relic.

Traces of the cultus of St. Marnock are to be found in many districts of Scotland. Besides the church in which his remains were honoured, a holy well at Aberchirder still bears his name. A fair on the second Tuesday in March, held there annually, was known as Marnock Fair. There was a Marnock Fair at Paisley also, which lasted for eight days. The church of the well-known parish of Kilmarnock, in Ayrshire, is another of his dedications. Near Kilfinan, in Argyllshire, and not far from the sea shore, may be seen the foundation and a fragment of the wall of a chapel with a graveyard round it; the field in which the chapel stands is called Ard-Marnoc. On an eminence not far off is a cell which tradition assigns to this saint as a place of retirement for solitary communion with God. Inchmarnock, an island near Bute, is another place connected with him; Dalmarnock at Little Dunkeld, is named after this saint. Other churches and parishes also show traces of the honour paid to him in Catholic ages.

St. Monan, Martyr, 9th century.

According to some writers, he was one of the companions of St. Adrian (who was honoured on March 4), and preached the Gospel in Fifeshire; his relics being afterwards translated to Abercrombie in that county – King David II., in thanksgiving for cures obtained through the saint's intercession, erecting there a noble church to contain them. Dr Skene, however, is of opinion that this saint was not a martyr, but was St. Monan, Bishop of Clonfert, known in Irish calendars as Moinenn, and that his relics were brought to Abercrombie by Irish who had fled from the Danes then plundering and burning Irish monasteries about the year 841. On account of the great devotion of the saint, Abercrombie became generally known as St. Monan's, but has now reverted to its original title. The church was given by James III. to the Dominicans; later on it was transferred to the Canons Regular of St. Andrews. St. Monan's Well is near the ancient building.

2 – St. Fergna, Bishop, A.D. 622.

This saint, a fellow-citizen and relative of St. Columba, became eventually Abbot of Iona. During his rule many of the young nobles who had fled from the sword of the King of Deira took shelter in the monastery. They were instructed and converted to the Christian Faith. St. Fergna is said to have been made a bishop in the later years of his life, but this is called in question by some writers. He seems to have been of partly British descent and is often styled "Fergna the Briton."

4 – St. Adrian and Companions, A.D. 875.

An old legend, which was long regarded as authentic, relates that this saint was of royal birth and was a native of Hungary, and that he came to Scotland with several companions to preach the Faith. Modern historians identify him with the Irish St. Odhran, who was driven from his country by the Danes and took refuge in Scotland. He preached the Gospel to the people of Fifeshire and the eastern counties. Eventually he founded a monastery on the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth. Here he suffered martyrdom, together with a great number of his disciples, in an incursion of the Danes. A Priory was built on the island by David I, and placed under the Benedictine Abbey of Reading. Later on it was given over to the Canons Regular of St. Andrews. The Isle of May became a famous place of pilgrimage on account of the connection with it of other saints besides St. Adrian and his companions. James IV visited it several times, having evidently a great affection for the holy place. In 1503 he took the "clerkis of the Kingis chapell to Maii to sing the Mes thair." Other records occur in his treasurer's accounts, such as the following: "To the preistis to say thre trentals of Messis thair"; for "the Kingis offerand in his tua candillis in Maii."

6 – St. Baldred, Hermit, A.D. 608.

This saint, according to a popular tradition, was a disciple of the great St. Kentigern. He has often been styled the Apostle of East Lothian. After his master's death St. Baldred took up his residence upon the Bass Rock, near North Berwick, and there he devoted himself to penance and prayer, his favourite subject of meditation being the Passion of Christ Our Lord. From time to time he would pay missionary visits to the mainland. He died at Aldhame in Haddington, a village which has now disappeared; St. Baldred's Cave is on the sea-shore near its former site. Tyningham Church, in the same county, and also that of Prestonkirk, were dedicated to him. The former was burnt by the Danes in 941. The old parishes of Aldhame and Tyningham are now united under the designation of Whitekirk. At Prestonkirk there is a well which bears the saint's name, whose water, as a Protestant writer notes, is excellent for making tea! An eddy in the Tyne is called St. Baldred's Whirl. A century ago Prestonkirk churchyard possessed an ancient statue of St. Baldred. The ruins of a chapel dedicated to the saint are still discernible on the Bass Rock.

St. Cadroe, Abbot, A.D. 937.

He was connected with the royal family of Strathclyde. In his youth he was sent to Ireland to be educated at Armagh. Returning to Scotland, he devoted himself to the training and education of youths for the priesthood.

Later on he gave himself to a life of pilgrimage and passed into England, where Odo, Arch bishop of Canterbury, received him with great kindness; he also visited the King, Edmund, at Winchester. Crossing over to France, Cadroe, by the direction of St. Fursey, who appeared to him in a vision during prayer, took the monastic habit at the Benedictine Abbey of Fleury. But although he wished to remain there as a simple monk, his sanctity caused him to be made abbot of the monastery of Wassons-on-the Meuse, which he ruled for some years. At the request of the Bishop of Metz he took up his residence in that city in the Abbey of St. Clement, where he instituted a thorough reform of discipline. He remained at the latter monastery till his death at the age of seventy, which was followed by many miracles.

8 – St. Duthac, Bishop, A.D. 1068.

This saint was of Scottish birth, but was educated, like many of his contemporaries, in Ireland. Returning to his native land, he was consecrated bishop, and devoted himself with zeal to the pastoral office. He is said to have especially shown this devotion in hearing the confessions of his people. He laboured as bishop in the districts of Moray and Ross. Both during life and after death he was noted for many miracles. He was buried in the church of Tain, whose Gaelic title is Baile Dhuich (Duthac's Town). Seven years after death his body was found incorrupt, and was removed to a more honourable shrine in the same church. His resting-place became one of the chief places of pilgrimage in the country. James IV. visited it no less than three times, travelling thither with a large retinue. At that date St. Duthac's Bell was treasured at Tain. St. Duthac is patron of Kilduich, at the head of Loch Duich in Kintail. The saint probably visited this spot, which belonged to his pastoral charge. Kilduthie, near the Loch of Leys, Kincardineshire, and Arduthie, near Stonehaven, in the same county, both take their names from this saint. A chapel in the Benedictine Abbey of Arbroath bore the dedication of St. Duthac. Two fairs called after him were held annually at Tain – "St. Duthac in Lent" was on his feast-day; that in December probably indicated some translation of his relics. At Tain is St. Duthac's Cairn. A holy well bears his name in the parish of Cromarty. Leo XIII restored his feast in 1898.

10 – St. Failhbe (the second), Abbot, A.D. 745.

This saint was one of the abbots of Iona. He ruled that monastery for seven years, and died there at the age of seventy.

St. Kessog or Mackessog, Bishop and Martyr, A.D. 560.

He was a native of Ireland, but devoted himself to missionary labours in Scotland, in the province of Lennox. He used as his retreat Innis a' Mhanaich (Monk's Island) in Loch Lomond. Tradition says that he suffered martyrdom near Luss, in Dumbartonshire. Another version is that being martyred in a foreign country, and his body being conveyed to Scotland for burial, the herbs with which it was surrounded took root and grew where he was laid to rest; hence the name Luss (herbs) was given to the spot, and was afterwards extended to the parish. The place of his burial is called "Carnmacheasaig." The church of Luss had the privilege of sanctuary, which extended for three miles round it, so that no one could be molested within that boundary for any cause; this was granted by King Robert Bruce in 1313. The church of Auchterarder, Perthshire, was dedicated to this saint, and he was also venerated at Callander; at both places, as also at Comrie, Perthshire, fairs were held annually on his feast-day. Near Callander is a conical mound bearing his name. The bell of the saint was preserved up to the seventeenth century. At Inverness is "Kessog Ferry." The saint's name was often used by the Scots as a battle-cry, and he is sometimes represented as the patron of soldiers, wearing a kind of military dress.

11 – St. Constantine, King and Martyr, A.D. 590.

This saint was a British king who reigned in Cornwall. His early life was stained by many crimes, but, becoming converted to piety, after his wife's death he entered the monastery of Menevia, now known as St. David's, that he might expiate his sins by penance. St. Kentigern, then an exile in that same monastery, exhorted him to devote himself to preaching the Faith in Cumbria. St. Constantine accordingly founded a monastery at Govan, in Lanarkshire, where he became abbot, and from whence he and his disciples preached Christianity to the people of the surrounding country. He converted the people of Cantyre, and met his death in that district at the hands of the enemies of his teaching. He was buried at Govan, where the church bears his name. Kilchousland in Cantyre takes its name from him. The ancient church of Kinnoul, near Perth, and that of Dunnichen, Forfarshire, were also dedicated to this saint; at the latter place was St. Cousland's (or Causnan's) Fair, and some remains of St. Cousland's chapel are there still. The water of his well at Garrabost, in Lewis, known as St. Cowstan's, is said never to boil any kind of meat, however long it may be kept over a fire. The feast of this saint was restored by Leo XIII.

St. Libranus, Abbot.

He was one of the many saintly abbots of Iona.

12 – St. Indrecht, Abbot and Martyr, A.D. 854.

This saint was also Abbot of Iona, being the twenty-first in order of succession. On his way to Rome he was martyred by the Saxons.

St. Fechno, or Fiachna, Confessor, A.D. 580.

He was one of the twelve disciples who accompanied St. Columba to Scotland. He was probably born in the north of Ireland, and spent some years under St. Columba's rule. Miracles are said to have been wrought at his tomb.

16 – St. Finan, Abbot, A.D. (about) 575.

This saint, surnamed "The Leper," from the disease with which he was afflicted, is mentioned in Irish calendars on the 16th of this month. Although the dedications to St. Finan in Scotland are many, and devotion to him must therefore have been widespread, it is difficult to assign a cause for it. Some have thought that he was at some time at Iona, but the authentic particulars of his life which are now extant are so few that it is impossible to determine. To him is attributed the evangelisation of part of Argyllshire, in the district which still bears the name of Glen-Finan. The ancient burial-place of the district is on Eilean Finan, an island in Loch Shiel, where he is said to have lived, and where is preserved one of the few ancient bronze bells which still exist in Scot land; it is called by the saint's name. A fair was formerly held there annually, and was called "St. Finan's Fair." Other dedications to this saint are at Kilfinan in the same county Kilfinan, near Invergarry, and Mochrum in Wigtonshire. "St. Finzean's Fair" (a manner of denoting Finyan), formerly held at Perth, is supposed to have been in honour of the festival of this saint.

St. Charmaig, A.D. (about) 640.

This was a saint much honoured among the Hebrides. He is patron of the church of Keills, Argyllshire. At Ellanmore, in that county, there are the remains of a chapel, named after him, Kilmacharmaig, and in a recess is a recumbent figure thought to be a representation of the saint. Kirkcormaig, in the parish of Kelton, Kirkcudbright, possibly refers to this saint.

St. Boniface or Curitan, Bishop, 8th century.

An ancient legend, which modern historians have shown to be a fanciful distortion of facts, relates that this saint, an Israelite, came from Rome to Britain, and that after converting Nectan, King of the Picts, and his people to Christianity, he consecrated 150 bishops, ordained 1000 priests, founded 150 churches, and baptised 36,000 persons. The real facts of the case seem to be that this saint is identical with Curitan, an Irish saint, who laboured in Scotland to bring about the Roman observance of Easter. The testimony of St. Bede that King Nectan in the year 710 adopted the Roman computation, and the fact that St. Boniface was zealous in founding churches in honour of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, thus identifying himself with special devotion to Rome, seem to give weight to the supposition. This saint became a bishop, and the cathedral of the diocese of Ross, which replaced the primitive building raised by him at Rosemarkie (now Fortrose) and dedicated to St. Peter, was subsequently named in his honour. A fair was formerly held there annually on his feast-day.

In Glen-Urquhart, Inverness-shire, Clach Churadain, an ancient church at Corrimony, was dedicated to this saint. Croit Churadain ("Curitan's Croft") and Tobar Churadain ("Curitan's Well") are hard by.

17 – St. Patrick, Bishop, A.D. 493.

To many it may seem strange that the name of the great Apostle of Ireland should appear among Scottish saints; but the calendar would be incomplete without it. According to many competent authorities St. Patrick was born in Scotland. They fix his birthplace at Kilpatrick on the Clyde, near Dumbarton. Even were this theory rejected, and that one accepted which makes him a native of Gaul, still the number of churches dedicated to the saint in Scotland, testifying to the devotion in which he was held in Catholic ages, would justify the mention of his feast here. About fourteen churches bore his name, and many have given the designation to the parish in which they stand, as Kilpatrick, Temple-Patrick, Ard-Patrick, Dalpatrick, Kirkpatrick, etc. Fairs were held on this day – known as "Patrickmas" – at Dumbarton and Kirkpatrick – Durham (Kirkcudbrightshire). There is a sacred well called by the saint's name, and also a small chapel in honour of St. Patrick, at Muthill, Perthshire, and so highly was he esteemed in that place that a general holiday from labour was observed on his feast up to the beginning of last century. At Dalziel (Lanarkshire), Kilpatrick (Dumbartonshire), and Port Patrick (Wigtonshire), are holy wells bearing St. Patrick's name.

18 – St. Finian or Finan, Bishop, A.D. 660.

This feast is noted both in the Breviary and Martyrology of Aberdeen, as well as in other Scottish calendars. There is a wide divergence of opinion among authorities as to the particular saint referred to, and the Aberdeen Breviary affords no account of his life. It seems, however, not improbable that this is the St. Finan, patron of the churches of Migvie and Lumphanan, both in Aberdeenshire, who is thought by Dr. Skene to have been one of St. Kentigern's Welsh disciples, sent, together with St. Nidan (see Nov. 3), to preach the Gospel in Deeside. "In the upper valley of the Dee, on the north side of the river, we find a group of dedications which must have proceeded from a Welsh source. These are Glengairden, dedicated to Mungo, Migvie and Lumphanan to Finan, the latter name being a corruption of Llanffinan, and Midmar dedicated to Nidan; while in the island of Anglesea we likewise find two adjacent parishes called Llanffinan and Llannidan." ("Celtic Scotland," ii., 193.)

A chapel at Abersnethick in the parish of Monymusk bears the name of St. Finan, and an Aberdeen authority notes in 1703 that: "Finzean Fair at the kirk of Migvie "was kept at that time," whiles in March and whiles in April, on the Tuesday before Midlenton fair at Banchrie."

St. Comman, A.D. 688.

He was the brother of St. Cumine, Abbot of Iona, and therefore of Irish descent. Like him, too, he became a monk at Iona. The parish of Kilchoman, Islay, takes its name from this saint.

20 – St. Cuthbert, Bishop, A.D. 687.

This saint was born of Saxon parents in Northumbria, and was early left an orphan. While tending sheep on the slopes of Lammermoor the youth had a remarkable vision, in which he saw the heavens at night-time all bright with supernatural splendour and choirs of angels bearing some soul of dazzling brightness to its eternal reward. Next day he learned that Aidan, the holy Bishop of Lindisfarne, had passed away. Cuthbert had often before thought of embracing the monastic state, and this vision of the blessedness of one who was a brilliant example of that way of life decided him. He therefore presented himself at the gates of the monastery of Melrose, being probably in his twenty-fourth year. He was received as a novice by St. Boisil, the Prior, who, on first beholding the youth, said to those who stood near: "Behold a true servant of the Lord," a prediction abundantly fulfilled in Cuthbert's life.

For ten years the saint remained hidden at Melrose perfecting himself by the routine of monastic observance. Then on the foundation of Ripon he was sent there as one of the first community. After a short stay he returned to Melrose, and on the death of St. Boisil was made Prior. To the greatest zeal for all that concerned monastic life he added a tender charity for the souls of others, which led him to make many missionary excursions into the surrounding territory.

When Abbot Eata in 664 received the charge of the Abbey of Lindisfarne in addition to Melrose, Cuthbert was sent thither as Prior. For twelve years he was a teacher to his community, both by word and example, of the precepts of the perfect life. Then, desiring more strict seclusion, he retired to a solitary cell on Fame Island, that he might give himself more completely to prayer. Here he lived eight years, visited on great feasts by some of the Lindisfarne monks, and at frequent intervals by pious Christians who sought his direction and intercession.

Having been thus prepared, like St. John Baptist in his desert, for the work God had in store for him, he was chosen Bishop of Lindisfarne. During the two years he exercised this office he was to his flock a model of every virtue, and a pastor full of zeal and charity. He preserved, notwithstanding his high dignity, the humility of heart and simplicity of garb which belonged to his monastic state. Numerous and striking miracles attested his sanctity.