Saint Cuthbert

St. Cuthbert was born in the mid-630s and was raised by a foster mother named Kenswith. He was a shepherd and a native of Northumbria in England. As a young man, he helped defend his country against the attacks of King Penda of Mercia. After peace was restored following the Battle of Winwidfield in 651, he fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a monk by joining the Benedictines at Melrose Abbey. There, he quickly became known for his learning and holiness, which God confirmed through numerous miracles.

Cuthbert served as guest master at Ripon monastery but returned to Melrose when the Ripon Monastery abandoned the Celtic tradition for the Roman calculation of Easter. Despite his earlier affinities, he complied with the Roman customs adopted by the Synod of Whitby in 664. He was then appointed Prior at Lindisfarne, where, through his exceptional tact and patience, along with the evident holiness of his life, he won over the community that had remained loyal to the ancient Celtic customs.

After nine years of contemplation on a nearby island, Cuthbert was consecrated Abbot-Bishop of Lindisfarne in 685 by St. Theodore of Canterbury. He worked to sanctify the faithful but resigned after one year due to his impending death, passing away on March 20, 687.

His shrine in Durham Cathedral became a major pilgrimage center in pre-Reformation England. Four hundred years after his death, his body was found incorrupt, and his relics are among the few to have survived the destruction under Henry VIII. However, their exact location is known only to four English Benedictine monks who pass down this secret from one generation to another. St. Cuthbert is the patron saint of sailors.

St. Cuthbert, pray for us to approach conflicts with dialogue and reason, and to strive for reconciliation.

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Most High Servant,
Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love 
(Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)