You know Ireland, Scotland, and England for their rich history, their stunning landscapes and scenery, and their role in the founding of our own country. But how familiar are you with the saints that hail from the western islands of Europe?
Many are familiar with the more well-known figures: St. Margaret of Scotland, St. Thomas More, St. George, and St. Brigid. Not to mention, St. Patrick, one of the most universally recognized saints. But beyond these larger-than-life Catholic heroes that we know so well, there are hundreds of lesser-known faithful that walked those isles, brought Christ to the masses, and joined the communion of saints after their deaths.
St. Assicus
Ireland is commonly referred to as the “Land of Saints” because of the staggering saint numbers claimed by some traditional accounts. But it’s no wonder so many holy figures rose up in Ireland following the apostolate of St. Patrick. Many of his close friends went on to become saints themselves, like St. Assicus.
Assicus was a skilled metalworker and craftsman before he converted to the Faith through Patrick and they became close friends. In addition to becoming the first bishop of Elphin, Assicus kept up his work as a metalworker and used his artistic talents for the glory of God. He became St. Patrick’s “coppersmith” and “bellfounder”, crafting patens, metal book covers, chalices, altars, and of course bells.
Assicus’ beautiful work for the church birthed a school for the arts and Celtic workmanship in the Diocese of Elphin where his spiritual successors carried on his craft.
St. Alban
Across the Irish Sea, around the same time as St. Patrick and St. Assicus, a man named Alban was born in Verulamium in Roman Britain. In a time when religious freedom was forbidden, Alban made the courageous decision to shelter a priest named Amphibalus, who was fleeing persecution. While harboring the priest, Alban learned all about Christianity from the fugitive priest. When the Romans eventually caught up with Amphibalus, Alban refused to let him be captured. He exchanged clothes with the priest and surrendered to the authorities while the priest escaped.
After the Romans discovered the deception, Alban refused to give up his newfound faith and the magistrate ordered that he be beheaded atop the hill of Verulamium. Alban is considered Britain’s first saint, and the place of his death quickly became a place of pilgrimage, then a church, then an abbey, and now it stands as a cathedral in modern-day Hertfordshire, England.
Bl. John Duns Scotus
Fast-forward a thousand years and journey north to the land of the Scots, where we find John, a Scottish Catholic priest and Franciscan friar born in Duns, Scotland (Duns Scotus). He is not a household name, but his philosophical and theological contributions to the Church have made him one of the most impactful theologians of Western Christendom.
Specifically, two of his most notable propositions were the Immaculate Conception and the Primacy of Christ. According to the Archdiocese of St. Andrews & Edinburgh, Duns Scotus contended “that the incarnation of Jesus Christ was part of God’s original plan for creation” and “that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was given grace to be sinless at the instant of her conception.” The teaching of the primacy of Christ became a much more developed doctrine thanks to Duns Scotus and the Franciscans, and the Immaculate Conception became dogma in 1854.
Blessed John Duns Scotus was beatified by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1993.
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