ENGLISH SAINTS AND MARTYRS JUNE 13-19

June 13

St. Damhnade. Virgin venerated in Ireland.

June 14

St. Cearan, 870 A.D. Irish abbot called “the Devout,” also known as Ciaran. He was abbot of Bellach-Duin now Castle Kerrant, County Meath.

St. Dogmael, 6th century. Welsh monk of the house of Cunedda, the son of Ithel ab Ceredig ab Cunedda Wledig. He preached in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and then went to Brittany, in France. Several churches bear his name.

St. Elgar, 1100 A.D. Hermit on the isle of Bardsey, off the coast of Cearnarvon, Wales. He was born in Devonshire, England, and spent many years as a captive in Ireland.

St. Nennus. Abbot. From Ireland, he became abbot of monasteries on the isles of Arran and Bute. Nennus was the successor of St. Enda

June 15

St. Vouga, 6th century. Irish bishop also called Vougar, Veho, and Fiech. He gave up his post and went to Brittany, France, where he lived as a hermit near Lesneven.

St. Trillo, 6th century. A Welsh saint of whom little is known beyond his status as patron saint of two sites in Gwynedd, Wales. In some lists he is called Drel or Drillo.

St. Edburga of Winchester, 960 A.D. Benedictine abbess, the daughter of King Edward the Elder and his third wife Edgiva, and the granddaughter of Alfred the Great. She became a nun at Winchester Abbey, then abbess, and was known for her miracles. Her shrine is at Pershore, in Worchestershire, England.

Bls. Thomas Green, Thomas Scryven, and Thomas Reding, 1537 A.D. English Carthusian martyrs. Thomas Green studied at St. John's College, Cambridge, entering the London Charterhouse of the Carthusians where he took vows and received ordination. Arrested for opposing King Henry VIII's (r. 1509-1547) claim of spiritual supremacy over the English Church, Thomas was imprisoned with two other Carthusians, the lay brothers Thomas Scryven and Thomas Reding, and four other companions. All were starved to death at Newgate Prison.

June 16

Bl. William Greenwood, 1537 A.D. Carthusian martyr of England. A lay brother in the Carthusian London Charterhouse, he was arrested for opposing the policies of King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547) and starved to death in Newgate Prison with six companions.

St. Cettin, 5th century. Bishop and disciple of St.Patrick also called Cetagh. Cettin was consecrated a bishop to help St. Patrick.

St. Colman McRhoi, 6th century. An abbot and disciple of St. Columba. He founded the monastery of Reachrain, now Lamboy Island, in Dublin, Ireland, ruling as abbot.

St. Curig, 6th century. Welsh bishop in the see of Llanbadarn. Several churches in Wales are dedicated to Curig.

June 17

St. Herve, 575 A.D. Welsh bard who was is a popular patron in Brittany, France. Herve, sometimes called Harvey or Hervues, was the son of the bard Hyvarnion, and was born blind. Raised by his uncles because his mother was a hermitess, he was taken to Brittany. There he built an abbey at Lanhourneau, and he was venerated as a miracle worker and bard. He is invoked against eye trouble, and he is depicted with a wolf. Tales and legends associated Herve with a wolf.

St. Adulf, 680 A.D. Bishop and missionary, venerated with his brother, Butulf. They were nobles of Saxon or Irish lineage who became monks. Both went as missionaries to Germany. There Adulf was made the bishop of Utrecht. Butulf returned to England and founded a religious house in 654, becoming widely respected for his holiness.

St. Briavel. The patron of a parish in Dean Forest, Gloucestershire, England.

St. Nectan. Hermit and martyr also called Nighton or Nectaran. Possibly a native of Wales or Ireland, he is best known through legends. He lived as a hermit in Devonshire, England, founding churches there and in Cornwall, England. The patron saint of Hartland, Devonshire, he was much venerated during the Middle Ages and his shrine was a popular place for pilgrims until its destruction during the Reformation in the sixteenth century. He was reported beheaded by robbers, and in some traditions was a relative of the chieftain Brychan.

St. Moling, 697 A.D. Bishop of Ferns, the successor of St. Aidan. Born in Wexford, Ireland, he is also listed as Dairchilla, Molignus, Moling, or Myllin. Moling was a monk at Glendalough and then founded an abbey at Achad Cainigh, which became Teghmollin, or Tech Molin, St. Mullins. He was buried there.

June 19

Bl. Humphrey Middlemore, 1572-1591 A.D. Carthusian martyr of England. He was hanged at Tyburn with two monks of the London Charterhouse.

Bl. William Exmew, 1535 A.D. Carthusian martyr. An Englishman, he was educated at Cambridge and entered the Carthusians, eventually becoming sub-prior of the London Charterhouse. Owing to their refusal to accept the reforms of King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547), William was executed with Blesseds Sebastian Newdigate and Humphrey Middlemore. They were beatified in 1886.

Bl. Thomas Woodhouse, 1573 A.D. English martyr. A resident of Lincolnshire, he received ordination as a secular priest and took up a post there. Forced to resign from this post, he became a tutor in Wales. He was arrested in 1561 for celebrating a Mass and was sent to Fleet Prison. During the period of his incarceration, which lasted twelve years, he entered the Society of Jesus Thomas was tried in 1570. He was hanged at Tyburn.

Bl. Sebastian Newdigate, 1535 A.D. Carthusian martyr of England. Born at Harefield, Middlesex, England, he studied at Cambridge and was married. His wife died in 1524 and he became a priest. Before entering the Carthusians in the London Charterhouse, he also served as King Henry VIII’s privy counselor. When Sebastian and fellow monks refused to accept the declaration of King Henry VIII’s Supremacy over the Church of England, they were arrested. Sebastian was executed at Tyburn on June 19 with Blesseds Humphrey Middlemore and William Exmew.