Great Saints of the British Isles

Saint Mungo of Scotland: Apostle of Glasgow

Now we move to the land known to us as the United Kingdom. We will explore great saints whose lives provide a model for sacrifice, faith, and hope in the Triune God.  Our first Saint is Saint Mungo of Scotland (518-614). The four major miracles caused by his intercession are featured on the Coat of Arms of Glasgow, Scotland, which is said to be founded by this extraordinary man. Raised in a monastery, he grew to love repetition of the Psalms. There can be no doubt that these sacred songs comforted him in hope and in strife, particularly in his short exile due the rise in power of a non-Christian king. Saint Mungo (his formal name being Kentigern; in Wales he is known as Cyndeyrn), intercede with God on our behalf. 

Saint Teilo of Wales: Bishop, Abbot, and Missionary

Our next Saint is Saint Telio ( c 500-c 560), from South Wales. A cousin and disciple of Saint David (for info on Saint David, please see https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04640b.htm), Saint Teilo went on to become a bishop, abbot, and missionary.  He erected a monastery at the coastal town Penally, his place of birth, in Southeastern Wales.  He migrated to the region on the continent proper known as Brittany, perhaps due to a horrible outbreak of The Plague in 547. This episode has various names: "Justinian's Plague, and the "Yellow Plaque", translated from the Welsh phrase "y vad velan".  A fine blog post focusing on the migration of Welsh and Britons to The Continent can be found  here: http://quimper-vannes.blogspot.com/2015/12/what-was-vad-velen-yellow-pestilence.html . Further info can be found here: https://orthochristian.com/90880.html We will discuss in detail issues surrounding The Plaques when we look at Christianity in the East.  One final note on Saint Teilo: gardens of fruit trees that were said to be planted by him while in Brittany still bear his name, along with the fruit. 

Saint Adomnán of Iona: Scholar, Hagiographer, and Lawgiver

Saint Adomnan wrote legal treatises, and geographic summaries. Born around 624 near modern-day Derry, he more than likely began his monastic life at Darrow Abbey. He joined Iona Monastery either in the 650s or 660s and was elected abbot in 679.  Adomnan was a relative both of Saint Columba, the founder of both Darrow and Iona, and a descendant of Niall of Noigiallach, the great Irish king of the Fourth Century.  He was a proponent of the Roman dating of Easter, as opposed to the Irish system. This caused great rifts at Iona, and he left for Ireland after these arguments. Adomnan also had connections in Northumbria, as he was friendly with King Aldfreth (d 704).  Adomnan's most noted work focuses on the life of Columba, but a secondary work of his focuses on far off places such as Constantinople and Egypt. He is a noted scholar on the Picts as well as a noted poet. He is also known in Ireland as Eunan. This is the Hellenized (Greek) version of his name then translated to Latin script. Adomnan's Latinized name shows his reputation among the people, as the prefix "eu" means "good." 

Saint Adomnan is honored often in Donegal, particularly with a cathedral named after him. Here is  a link to that church's website, where you can read about the building's history: St. Eunan's Cathedral, Letterkenny Co. Donegal  

I wish very much to highlight the wonderful work acomplished in our own days at Mull and Iona Monasteries: