Celtic and Old English Saints 10 March

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* St. Failbhe the Little
* St. Kessog of Lennox
* St. Emilian of Lagny
* St. Attalas of Bobbio
* St. Himelin of Vissenaeken
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St. Failbhe the Little, Abbot
-------------------------
Died 754. Saint Failbhe was abbot of Iona for seven years before his
death
at age eighty (Benedictines).


St. Kessog of Lennox, Bishop & Martyr
(also known as Mackessog)
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Born in Cashel, Ulster, Ireland; died c. 560. Son of the king of Cashel
(Munster), Saint Kessog is said to have worked miracles even as a child.
He
left Ireland to evangelize Scotland, where he was consecrated a
missionary
bishop. Using Monks' Island in Loch Lomond as his headquarters, he
evangelized the surrounding area until he was martyred, though where is
uncertain--some claim at Bandry where a heap of stones was known as St.
Kessog's Cairn, and others abroad. Part of the cairn at Bandry was
removed
in the 18th century to clear the way for a road. At that time, a stone
statue of Kessog was found inside it. Luss was the principal center of
his
cultus with a sanctuary granted by Robert the Bruce.

Many miracles were ascribed to Kessog, who is the patron of Lennox. A
celebrated Scottish church still bears the title of St. Kessoge-Kirk.
For a
long time the Scots used his name for their cry in battle, but later
changed
it for that of Saint Andrew. They sometimes painted Kessog in a
soldier's
habit, holding a bow bent with an arrow in it (Benedictines, Delaney,
Farmer, Husenbeth).


St. Emilian of Lagny, Abbot
----------------------------
(also known as Eminian)
Died 675. Saint Emilian was another of the Irish missionary-monks, who
migrated to the Continent, where he became the abbot of a monastery in
Lagny, France (Benedictines).


St. Attalas of Bobbio, Abbot
-----------------------------
Born in Burgundy, France; died 627. Saint Attalas was educated under
Bishop
Aregius of Gap, professed himself a monk at Lérins, but followed Saint
Columbanus to Luxeuil in search of a stricter rule. When the Irish
missionaries were expelled from France because Columbanus decried
Austrasian
King Theodoric for keeping concubines, Attalas went with the Irish saint
to
Bobbio, Italy. He helped Columbanus build the abbey in Bobbio on land
granted them by the Lombard King Agilulf and succeeded him as abbot in
615.
It was during Attalas's abbacy that most of the monks stood out against
the
severity of the Columbanian Rule. Attalas was, like Columbanus, a
vigorous
opponent of Arianism and was known for the miracles he performed. He
died at
Bobbio and was buried there in the same tomb as his predecessor
(Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Montague). Saint Attalas is
portrayed
in art as an abbot near a mill with his staff in hand. He may also have
a
chair near him or be shown with Saint Columbanus (Roeder). He is
venerated
at Lérins and Luxeuil (Roeder).


St. Himelin of Vissenaeken
(also known as Hymelin)
---------------------------

Died c. 750. Saint Himelin, an Irish or Scottish priest, is said to have
been the brother of Saint Rumold of Malines. He died and was buried at
Vissenaeken, near Tirlemont, Belgium, on his return from a pilgrimage to
Rome. His shrine, in turn, is a noted pilgrimage center (Benedictines,
Montague).


Lives kindly supplied by:
For All the Saints:
http://users.erols.com/saintpat/ss/ss-index.htm

Celtic Orthodox Christianity Home Page
http://www.nireland.com/orthodox/celtic.htm

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