1 March ~ David of Wales

Posted on by Fr. Peter
When Scots folk talk of St. David more often than not they mean the patron of Wales, Dewi Sant, rather than King David, Son of Queen Margaret. Dewi Ddyfrwr, David the water drinker, was roughly contemporary with Columba but he lacked a biographer like Adamnan to record his life and works. Rhygyfarch (1057-99) came so much later that his Latin Life of St. David, alleges Professor Bowen, ‘cannot be relied on for a single historical fact’.

Traditionally obligingly furnished the saint with a princely pedigree – son of a Welsh chief named Sant, great-grandson of Cunedda Wledig, the famous prince who led his people south from Scotland to help the Welsh Britons to repel Irish invaders. His mother was Nonnita, also reputedly the daughter of a chief, although another suggestion says that she was a nun raped by the prince.

David was born on the Cardigan coast at a place called Mybyw, Latinised to Menevia, now Henfynw. When he set up a community he chose a place further south on a neck of land, the Vallis Rosina or Valley of the Little Bog. Later, in his honor, it was known as Ty Ddewi, David’s House, and it is now the miniature cathedral city of St. David’s. Later, when Canterbury achived control of the Welsh Church, history was distorted to present David as the first diocesan bishop of sout-west Wales corresponding to St. Dubricius at Llandaf in the south-east. Diocesan or monarchical bishops came to the British Church much latter than David’s time and we should picture the ancient Ty Ddewi as the simple cultic center of a very large number of daughter communities, the ‘family’ or ‘parouchia‘ of the saint. David probably represented a ‘puritan’ element of the early British Church which led to his nickname of ‘Waterman’ and his monastic rules were probably more severe than those imposed in other monasteries.

Bowen has plotted the sites of some two score Dewi ‘cills‘ or churches in south-west Wales, a smaller cluster in Gwent and over into Hereford, and several separated foundations in Cornwall, Devon and Brittany, but there is no record of a single ancient foundation honoring David any further north. Only by courtesy, therefore, could he be considered patron of all Wales; and even in the south, saints such as Teilo or Padarn would have equal right to the honor.

In addition to the Scottish link if the saint’s descent from the chieftain, Cunedda Wledig, be accepted, Dr. A.B. Scot suggested that David had been educated at Candida Casa – an attractive possibility but without any obvious historical foundation. In the west of Scotland there are several ancient dedications, introducing forms such as Kildavie (Southend); Weem (Perthshire) has David as patron, and there is a Cladh–cill–Dabhi (rock of David’s chapel), a Davie’s fair, a Kildave and a Dundaveie near Aberfeldy. Kippendavie in near dunblane and there are other similar dedications. It is unlikely, however, that these have a connection with the Welsh saint. It has been suggested (by Frank Knight and others) that they derive from St. Dabius, a follower of St. Patrick. Dewi Sant’s emblem is not a leek or a daffodil but is in fact a dove.

E.G. Bowen, Settlements of Celtic Saints in Wales, 1955
A.W. Wade-Evens, Welsh Christian Origins, 1934

28 February ~ St. Oswald

Posted on by Fr. Peter
King and martyr; b., probably, 605; d. 5 Aug., 642; the second of seven brothers, sons of Ethelfrid, who was grandson of Ida, founder of the Kingdom of Northumbria in 547. Oswald’s mother was Acha, daughter of Ella or Alla, who, after Ida’s death, had seized Deira and thus separated it from the Northern Bernicia. The years of Oswald’s youth were spent at home, as long as his father reigned, but when, in 617, Ethelfrid was slain in battle by Redwald, King of the East Angles, Oswald with his brothers fled for protection from Edwin, their uncle, Acha’s brother, to the land of the Scots and were cared for at Columba’s Monastery at Hii, or Iona. There they remained until Edwin’s death in the battle of Heathfield (633). Eanfrid, his elder brother, then retuurned to accept the Kingdom of Deira, whilst Osric, cousin of Edwin, received Bernicia. The kingdom was thus again divided and both parts relapsed into paganism. In the following year Osric was slain in battle, and Eanfrid treacherously murdered by the British king, Cadwalla. Oswald thereupon came down from the North, and in 635 a small but resolute band gathered round him near the Roman Wall at a spot seven miles north of Hexham, afterwards known as Hevenfelt, or Heaven’s Field. Here, encouraged by a vision and promise of victory from St. Columba, who shrouded with his mantle all his camp, Oswald set up a cross of wood as his standard — the first Christian symbol ever raised in Bernicia — and gave battle to the Britons, who were led, probably, by Cadwalla. The Britons were completely routed, and thenceforth could only act on the defensive.

Oswald’s victory reunited the Northumbrian Kingdom not only because he delivered it from the humiliating yoke of the Mercians and Britons, but also because on his father’s side he was a descendant of Ida of Bernicia and on his mother’s of the royal house of Ella of Deira. Thus united, Northumbria could not fail to become the chief power in a confederation against Penda of Mercia and the Britons of Wales. Oswald was thoroughly grounded in the principles of the Christian religion, and, though but twelve nobles with whom he returned from exile were Christians, far from abandoning his faith, his first care was to spread it among the Bernicians, thus confirming the political union effected by Edwin with a religious union unknown before. Edwin, it is true, had himself received the Faith in 627, through the influence of his wife Ethelburga, sister of the Kentish King, who had brought St. Paulinus to the North, but his example was followed only by the people of Deira. Oswald, brought up in Columba’s monastery at Iona, naturally looked to the North for missionaries. The first preacher who set forth soon returned, having found the Northumbrian people too barbarous and stubborn. Then Aidan was sent, “a man of singular meekness, piety and moderation”, who established his episcopal see at Lindisfarne, in 635. Oswald’s zealous co-operation with the monk-bishop soon filled the land with churches and monasteries, and the church at York, begun by Edwin, was completed. Moreover, his wonderful humility in the midst of success, his charity, and his piety soon had their effect in turning his subjects from Woden to Christ. We are told that the king in his Court acted as the interpreter of the Irish missionaries who knew not the language of his thanes.

It was Oswald’s work to add to the warlike glory of his father Ethelfrid and the wise administration of his uncle Edwin the moral power of Christianity, and to build up a great kingdom. Edwin had gathered the whole English race into one political body and was overlord of every English kingdom save that of Kent. The Venerable Bede (III, 6) says that Oswald had a greater dominion than any of his ancestors, and that “he brought under his sway all the nations and provinces of Britain, which are divided into four languages, namely the Britons, the Picts, the Scots, and the English”. He had great power in the North-West, as far south as Chester and Lancashire, and was probably owned as overlord by the Welsh Kingdom of Strath Clyde, as well as by the Picts and Scots of Dalriada. In the East he was supreme in Lindsey, and the words of Bede seem to imply that he was overlord of Mercia, which was still ruled by Penda; but this could have been scarcely more than nominal. The West Saxons in the South, influenced by the fear of Penda, readily acknowledged Oswald, their allegiance being strengthened, in 635, by the conversion of King Cynegils, of Wessex, at whose baptism Oswald stood sponsor, and whose daughter he married. Both sovereigns then established Bishop Birinus at Dorchester.

This vast supremacy, extending from north to south, and broken only by Penda’s kingdom in Mid-Britain and that of the East Angles, led Adamnan of Hii to call Oswald “The Emperor of the whole of Britain”. Christianity seemed to be forming a network round the pagan Penda of Mercia. The kingdom of the East Angles, which was still Christian, but acknowledged Penda as overlord, was necessary to Oswald to maintain the connection between his dominions in the north and the south. War was therefore inevitable. At the battle of Maserfeld, said to be seven miles from Shrewsbury, “on the border of Wales, near Offa’s dyke”, Oswald was slain on 5 Aug., 642, and thus perished “the most powerful and most Christian King” in the eighth year of his reign and in the flower of his age. His last words were for the spiritual welfare of his soldiers, whence the proverb: “God have mercy on their souls, as said Oswald when he fell.” His body was mutilated by Penda, and his limbs set up on stakes, where they remained a full year, until they were taken away by Oswy and given to the monks at Bardney in Lindsey. In the tenth century some of the bones were carried off by Ethelred and Ethelfleda of Mercia to St. Peter’s, Gloucester. His head was taken from the battlefield to the church of St. Peter in the royal fortress at Bamborough, and was afterwards translated to Lindisfarne, where, for fear of the Danes, it was placed in 875 in the coffin of St. Cuthbert, which found its resting place at Durham in 998. It was in the coffin at the translation of St. Cuthbert in 1104, and was thought to be there when the tomb was opened in 1828. His arm and hand (or hands) were taken to Bamborough and perhaps afterwards removed to Peterborough, and were still incorrupt in the time of Symeon of Durham, early in the twelfth century. Reginald gives an account of his personal appearance: arms of great length and power, eyes bright blue, hair yellow, face long and beard thin, and his small lips wearing a kindly smile.

23 February ~ St. Quivox

Posted on by Fr. Peter

Formerly this saint (also called Kevoca and Mochaemhog) was taken to be a woman and commemorated under the name of St. Kevoca the Virgin. The scholars Colgan and Lanigan treated him as feminine and a fictitious biography was ascribed to him. Reeves and Forbes finally showed the name to be simply a variant of Caemhog prefixed by the honorific ‘mo’.

Of this seventh-century Connaught Christian almost nothing is known except that his father, Beoanus, was famed for craftsmanship and assisted St. Ita in the building of her monastery. His mediaeval ‘vita’ is no more than a collection of pointless miracles. There is a tradition that Quivox worked in south-west Scotland, especially around Ayr, where he is remembered in the parish of St. Quivox. At Eaglesham there is a Kevoch burn. Trained under St. Ita and then at Bangor under Comgall, he is credited with founding the monastery of Liathmor, and is to have died in 669.

His festival is 24 February

A.P. Forbes, Kalendars of Scottish Saints, 1872

Weekly Round Up

Posted on by Fr. Peter
So it would appear that I am finally getting over this cold that I have had for more than two weeks. I hate being sick for a day let alone two weeks or more is really a downer. My voice is coming back and maybe can get a podcast or two done today I know it has been sometime but with no voice it is kind of hard to record. Well not really hard to record but hard to listen to.

We had a death in the parish this past week. Vangel was 87 years old and one of the senior members of the parish. He died alone sometime between Thursday night and Sunday of last week. His neighbors had not seen him so they called the police who broke in and found him. I feel bad that he died alone. He always told me that he could not wait to see his wife again. So please pray for Vangel and may his memory be eternal. His funeral was supposed to be tomorrow (Saturday) but with all the snow we are supposed to get today things have been postponed until Monday.

Speaking of snow. Because of the snow tonight we have canceled parish movie night. We started this a few months back. Once a month we show a movie in the parish hall. I have a projector that can be hooked up to the laptop and show on the big screen. We usually get some food, pizza, and tonight since it is a fast free week, we were going to get grinders and have a real feast. Oh well, Mother Nature does not always cooperate.

If you saw the previous post about the new addition to the family I can report that his potty training is going very well. No accidents yesterday. He went in his crate at 11pm last night but had to go out about 12:30am. This was good since he let me know he needed to go out. So out we went, very cold, he took care of his business quick and we came back in. Back in his crate and he slept, along with me, until 7:00am. Man I needed that sleep after the night before. I guess he is on a schedule now but I am taking this one day at a time. Right now he is with me in the office and sleeping in front of the heater. He tends to sleep a lot right now. This is the time I can get things done.

So I think that will wrap this up. Keep the people of Kosovo in your prayers, I have a few posts to make on that topic as well.

New Family Member

Posted on by Fr. Peter
So after an exhausting search I have found a new friend in house. He is a Miniature Pinscher. I have not named him yet although I am leaning towards Onchu. A great Gaelic name meaning mighty dog. I also understand it is a Romanian name for John. So I now have much to do. He was born on the 5th of December last so he is still a baby. More posts as time permits. Off to potty train!

Ravenna Was “Breakthrough” in Orthodox-Catholic Ties

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Cardinal Kasper Looks Ahead

ROME, FEB. 18, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The so-called Ravenna Document is a real breakthrough in Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, says the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

In an interview with Gerard O’Connell for Our Sunday Visitor, Cardinal Walter Kasper explained what made the breakthrough possible, and what’s left in the process of achieving full unity.

His comments centered on the concluding document of the Oct. 8-14, 2007, plenary assembly of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, held in Ravenna, Italy.

“We started the dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches as a whole in 1980. The first phase of the dialogue between the 1980s and 90s sought to reaffirm what we have in common: the Eucharist and the other sacraments, episcopacy and priesthood,” Cardinal Kasper explained. “Now, we are discussing the canonical and theological consequences; for the first time, we approach the questions: What is the Church? Where is the Church? What are the structures of the Church?

“We came to the concept that the Church is realized on three levels: the local level, that is, the diocese with the bishop; the regional level, that is, the metropolitan or patriarchate; and the universal level. And on every level we have a tension between authority — bishop, patriarch, and the ‘protos,’ Greek for primate, that is, ‘the first of the bishops’ — and the principle of synodality, synodal structures.”

Cardinal Kasper explained that at each level, there is a tension between authority and synodality, “which is essential to the nature of the Church — “ecclesiologically constitutive” — and that is already an important point on which to have agreement.”

But the real breakthrough, he said, was that “the Orthodox agreed to speak about the universal level — because before there were some who denied that there could even be institutional structures on the universal level. The second point is that we agreed that at the universal level there is a primate. It was clear that there is only one candidate for this post, that is the Bishop of Rome, because according to the old order — ‘taxis’ in Greek — of the Church of the first millennium the see of Rome is the first among them.

“Many problems remain to be resolved, but we have laid a foundation upon which we can build.”

A Catholic challenge

Cardinal Kasper clarified that the foundation reached is a challenge also for the Catholic Church.
“Whereas the Orthodox must clarify more deeply the question of ‘primacy, ‘protos,’ on the universal level, we Catholics have to reflect more clearly on the problem of synodality and conciliarity, especially on the universal level,” he said.

The prelate continued: “The Ravenna document is only a first step and a basic statement. It quotes the Letter of Ignatius of Antioch to the Romans — around 100 A.D. — stating that the community of Rome presides in love. Other early statements concur. When in the first millennium local churches were in difficulty or in distress, they often appealed to Rome. Rome was an instance of appeal, and had therefore already in the first millennium an important role to play.

“The Ravenna document mentions this, but when we in Ravenna spoke in detail about it, it became obvious that there are often different interpretations of the same facts.

“These differences existed partly already in the first millennium. For instance, the doctrine of primacy was much more developed in the West than in the East. Therefore, it is necessary to study the first millennium in detail, in order to come to a common understanding of the Fathers, both the Western and the Eastern ones. I hope we will find a common view of the first millennium.”

The pontifical council president clarified that a common view does not mean “a totally unified view.”

“There can still be a difference in understanding,” he affirmed. “For we have to distinguish between differences that are complementary and those that are contradictory. Complementarity existed already in the first millennium. So we have to look if we can transform our contradictions into new, fruitful complementary positions.”

Cardinal Kasper said the atmosphere in Ravenna was “so positive” that he is hoping to reach such a point of agreement with the Orthodox.

“We will not arrive at uniformity, that is not the goal, but we can come to a common view, a common basic understanding; and within this common basic understanding there can be different accents and different emphases. This does not necessarily prevent Church unity. But we must overcome the contradictions of the first millennium.”

Moving on

The president of the pontifical council clarified that a consensus on the first millennium is not enough.

“When we have finalized the discussion about the first millennium, then we have to go to the second millennium,” he said.

The cardinal clarified that in the second millennium there was “a decisive development not only in the Latin Church, but also in the Eastern Churches, a development which till today continues to give reason for the existing schism.”

He explained: “In the first millennium we had five Patriarchates, now we have 15 Patriarchates and some autonomous Churches. In the West we had the development that led to the First Vatican Council — 1869-70 — with the definition of the primacy of jurisdiction and the infallibility of the Pope, a development the Orthodox never accepted. Therefore, we have to discuss how to interpret these different developments on the basis of the first millennium. This will not be an easy discussion; on the contrary, it will be very difficult to reach an agreement about the First and the Second Vatican Councils.

“So the next step after the study of the first millennium will be the study of the second millennium, and only when we have finished that discussion will we be able to draw the consequences for the future of our relationship. Only then will the documents be mature enough to be formally submitted to the respective authorities of the Churches.”

Asked how long he thinks this process will take, the cardinal answered: “Nobody can know exactly. But I think at least one decade! But we should leave this to God’s providence and in his hands. We should only keep in mind that this is not just an intellectual and an academic process, but that we have to involve the whole body of our Churches, thus entailing also an emotional process.

“We are aware that much resentment, prejudice, and misunderstanding continue to persist, and that all kinds of oppositions and obstacles need to be overcome. Such a change of deep-rooted mentalities takes time; you cannot do it from one day to another.

“We need a reception process not only on the level of our hierarchies but also on the level of our faithful. Or to put it in a more spiritual way: Ecumenical rapprochement is not possible without the conversion of hearts. Here everybody has to begin with himself or herself.”

A guiding light

In the extensive interview, Cardinal Kasper gave some hints as to how varying concepts of primacy could be reconciled.

“In this context it should be noted that already today we have two forms of exercise of Roman primacy within the Catholic Church,” he explained. “We have two Codes of Canon Law: one for the Latin Church, the other for the Eastern Churches which are in full communion with Rome. According to these Codes of Canon Law, primacy is exercised in a different way in the Latin Church and in the Eastern Churches.

“So we do not want to impose the system which today is in the Latin Church on the Orthodox Churches. In the case of the restoration of full communion, a new form of the exercise of the primacy needs to be found for the Orthodox Churches.

“Already the apostolic constitution enforcing the Eastern Code of Canon Law stated that its regulations were valid only in the intermediate term, that is, until full reconciliation with the Eastern Churches not in full communion. Thus, the model of the exercise of primacy we have in the Eastern Catholic Churches is not necessarily the model for the future reconciliation with the Orthodox Churches.

“At this stage, however, it would be premature to speculate on what form the final outcome will take.”

Roadblocks

Asked what is the biggest obstacle in moving forward to unity, Cardinal Kasper affirmed that a “‘spirit of possessiveness’ is a main obstacle, which can also be seen as lack of willingness to ‘metanoia,’ that is, to conversion. It is also a lack of love, an unwillingness to open oneself to a partner, to learn from and be enriched by the other, and to share with the other.

“This implies purification of memories, to ask for forgiveness and to correct wrong and non-evangelical attitudes of the past. Pope John Paul II often affirmed that there cannot be ecumenism without the conversion of hearts. The same Pope defined the ecumenical dialogue as the sharing of gifts. All this is a spiritual problem and a spiritual task, which can be done only in the power of the Holy Spirit.”

It’s because of this that spiritual ecumenism is so important, the cardinal said.

“According to the Second Vatican Council spiritual ecumenism is the heart of ecumenism,” Cardinal Kasper affirmed. “This means: personal conversion of the heart, sanctification of life, of shared Bible study and above all of prayer. We as weak human beings cannot ‘make’ or organize the unity of the Church; unity is a gift of the Spirit. We have to pray for the Spirit to make ours the prayer of Jesus on the eve of his suffering and death ‘that all may be one.’

“Spiritual ecumenism is also an ecumenism that is not reduced to academic circles and academic dialogue or to a kind of Church diplomacy. All this is important, but it is too far away from the basis of the Church. In spiritual ecumenism everybody can participate. This is important for the reception of the ecumenical documents, because without reception in the body of the Church they remain just pieces of paper.”

Serbian Orthodox bishops denounce Kosovo independence declaration

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Belgrade (ENI). The synod of bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church has condemned Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia saying it is an act of violence that will have repercussions for the Balkans and the rest of Europe. In different Serbian towns and cities on 18 February protesters expressed their anger on the streets, while the Russian government called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations’ Security Council to oppose the move.

More here and here and here

OCF Reacts to Shooting Tragedy at Northern Illinois University

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Thursday at Northern Illinois University (NIU), a black clad gunman emerged from the stage of an auditorium classroom opening fire, killing six students and injuring 13 before turning the gun on himself, taking his own life. Four students remain in critical condition. This is the fourth school shooting this week.

One of the students injured, a Greek Orthodox Christian and OCF NIU chapter student, is in stable condition and was released from the hospital Thursday evening. OCF is deploying its Executive Director, Fr. Kevin Scherer and a team of IOCC Frontline clergy responders to this crisis. Most of the members of this critical response team responded less than a year ago when tragedy struck Virginia Tech, where 33 students were left dead.

“This is a horrible tragedy, we must assume that this can happen on any campus at anytime; therefore, it is imperative that our ministry be prepared” said Fr. Kevin Scherer who heads the Campus Ministry organization of the Orthodox Christian Churches in North America (under SCOBA). He continued to point out that gunshot wounds are not the extent of the trauma in situations like these; that in fact, the mental and spiritual effects can be just as substantial and in need of acute therapeutic attention.

Our deepest condolences go out to the families and friends of the victims. OCF is asking its thousands of students to reach out to their brothers and sisters at NIU and keep them in their hearts and prayers.

Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is the official campus ministry program of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). OCF works to keep students connected to the life-giving teaching and experience of the Orthodox Church. It supports over 260 local chapters throughout North America and involves thousands of college students through its programming, including the College Conference and Real Break. Additional information on all the OCF programs can be found on the OCF website, www.ocf.net, or by calling toll-free, 800-919-1623.

Northern Illinois University

Posted on by Fr. Peter

There has been another shooting at a US University. This time at the Northern Illinois University near Chicago. I am sure you have heard this news by now.

The Orthodox Church is mobilizing a response and looks like we will be on campus Monday through Wednesday to meet with students and faculty.

Please pray for the ones hurt and killed and their families, and as hard as it will be please pray for the one that did this and his family.

More information as it comes available.

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