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Coulumban and BenedictineSaints O'the Day

April 1






Berhard B


Died 644. Berhard was a saintly bishop who had a great affection for Saint Valéry and who tried to have him buried in his cathedral in Amiens (Encyclopedia)

Caidoc and Fricor (Adrian) HH (AC)

7th century; they had four feast days at Centula: January 24, March 31, April 1, and May 30. The Irishmen Caidoc and Fricor evangelized the country of the Morini in Picardy, northern France, beginning about 622. Among the souls they won for Christ was the nobleman Riquier (Saint Ricarius), who intervened when some locals to offense to their preaching and took them into his home. Riquier became a fervent Christian, who engaged in penitential austerities and eventually was ordained. In 625, Riquier founded Centula based on the Rule of Columbanus, another Irishman. Their relics are still venerated at the parish church of Saint-Riquier in the diocese of Amiens, although they rested in Centula until the 17th century. Saints Caidoc and Fricor joined Riquier's community and remained there until they were buried in Saint Riquier's church (Benedictines, D'Arcy, Fitzpatrick2, McCarthy, Montague, O'Hanlon).

Cellach of Armagh B (AC)

(also known as Ceilach, Keilach)


9th century. It seems that Saint Cellach may have been the abbot of Iona. He also seems to have founded of the abbey of Kells before his consecration as archbishop of Armagh, Ireland (Benedictines).

Gilbert of Caithness B (AC)

Died April 1, 1245. Saint Gilbert was the son of William de Moravia, lord of Duffus and Strabrok, who owned enormous tracts of land in northern Scotland. King Alexander II appointed him archdeacon of Moray, which gave him secular and religious power during a turbulent period. Enemies set his accounting ledgers ablaze, but miraculously, they survived.

In 1223, Gilbert was appointed bishop of Caithness to succeed Saint Adam, who had been burned alive. He held that position for 20 years during which he built the cathedral of the diocese. The statues of this cathedral of Dornoch were modelled on those of Moray and Lincoln. He also established several homes for the poor. Gilbert was a valued servant of the Scottish kings, a zealous upholder of Scottish independence against the archbishop of York (though this is disputed), and a great preacher and administrator. As patron of Caithness, his name is in the Aberdeen Breviary. Until the Reformation (1545) , Gilbert's relics were venerated and used for the swearing of oaths (Attwater2, Benedictines, Farmer, Husenbeth).

Tewdric, Hermit (AC)

(also known as Theodoric)

5th to 6th century; feast day is sometimes listed as January 3. Saint Tewdric, prince of Glamorgan, is discussed in the Book of Llan Dav, written much later. According to this source, in his later years he resigned his position in favor of his son Meurig in order to become a hermit at Tintern. During an invasion of the Saxons, he placed himself at the head of his people. In the ensuing battle, he was mortally wounded by a lance. Tewdric was buried at Mathern, near Chepstow, formerly called Merthyr Tewdrig, where the church still bears his name. He is the reputed founder of the churches at Bedwas Llandow and Merthyr Tydfil. In the early 17th century, Bishop Francis Godwin of Llandaff found the saints bones, including a badly fractured skull in the church at Mathern (Farmer).

Walaricus of Leucone, Abbot (RM)

(also known as Valéry, Walericus)

Born in Auvergne, France; died in Leucone, Picardy, France, on December 12, c. 622; feast of his translation is December 12.

Valéry discovered Benedictine life at Issoire, developed it at Auxerre, fructified it at Luxeuil under Saint Columbanus, and multiplied it with missionary work at Leuconnais (Leuconay), in the Somme region of northern France.

Born into a peasant family in the Auvergne, Valéry tended his father's sheep in his childhood, which gave him plenty of time to develop his prayer life. Out of an ardent desire to grow in spiritual knowledge, he learned to read at an early age and memorized the Psalter. Dissatisfied with his life as a shepherd, he took the monastic habit in the neighboring monastery of St. Antony's at Autumo.

His fervor from the first day of monastic life led him to live the rule perfectly. Sincere humility permitted him to meekly and cheerfully subjected himself to everyone. Seeking a stricter rule, he migrated to the more austere monastery of St. Germanus, where he was received by Bishop Saint Anacharius of Auxerre. He was drawn to Luxeuil by the reputation of the penitential lives of its monks and the spiritual wisdom of Saint Columbanus. There he spent many years, always esteeming himself an unprofitable servant and a slothful monk, who stood in need of the severest and harshest rules and superiors. Next to sin, he dreaded nothing so much as the applause of men or a reputation of sanctity. At Luxeuil he also distinguished himself as a horticulturalist--the preservation of his fruit and vegetables against the ravages of insects that destroyed most other crops was considered miraculous.

When Saint Columbanus was banished from Luxeuil by King Theodoric, the monastery was placed in Valéry's hands until he was sent by Saint Eustasius with his fellow-monk Waldolanus to preach the Gospel in Neustria. There King Clotaire II gave them the territory of Leucone in Picardy, near the mouth of the river Somme. In 611, with the permission of Bishop Bertard of Amiens, they built a chapel and two cells. Saint Valéry by his preaching and the example of his virtue, converted many and attracted fervent disciples with whom he laid the foundation of a monastery.

His fasts he sometimes prolonged for six days, eating only on the Sunday; and he used no other bed than twigs laid on the floor. His time was entirely occupied with preaching, prayer, reading, and manual labor. By this he earned something for the relief of the poor, and he often repeated to others, "The more cheerfully we give to those who are in distress, the more readily will God give us what we ask of him."

When Valéry died, cures were claimed at his tomb and a cultus developed, which eventually spread to England during the Norman Conquest. William the Conqueror exposed Valéry's relics for public veneration. He was invoked for a favorable wind for the expedition in 1066, which sailed from Saint-Valéry

Valéry is honored at Chester Abbey in England and in France, where a famous monastery arose from his cells. His vita was carefully written in 660, by Raimbert, second abbot of Leucone after him. King Richard the Lion Hearted had his relics restored to Saint-Valéry-en-Caux; however, his original abbey later recovered them. Two towns in the Somme district are called Saint- Valéry after him, and there are several dedications to him in England as well (Attwater2, Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Husenbeth).


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Copyright © 1999 | Katherine I. Rabenstein | Created April 1999