Clockwise from top left: Saints Samson of Dol; Julian, First Bishop of Le Mans; Germanus of Auxerre; Swithin of Winchester; Sisoes the Great; and Mildred of Thanet.
By Walt Garlington
♱ St. Swithin of Winchester (+862), 2/15 July
St. Swithin (the original form: Swithun, meaning a strong bear-cup) is one of the greatest wonderworkers of England and most beloved and popular saints, who has always been venerated by pious English people on a par with St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. He is one of the meekest saints who ever trod the English soil. He was so humble that before his death he asked to be buried in a simple grave outside the Cathedral, under the feet of the passers-by and the rain from the eaves. Even now the exact location of his relics at Winchester Cathedral is unknown — though his holy body survived the Reformation, since it lies hidden under the floor. Few facts of the life of this holy bishop are known; no one bothered to write down his Life soon after his death, and it was only 100 years later that the whole country rediscovered this saint, when his numerous miracles began to occur. Since then St. Swithin has been known as a great wonderworker and healing saint; and there are many more accounts related to his posthumous miracles than to his life on earth.
The rest of his life is recounted here.
♱ St. Sisoes the Great, 6/19 July
St. Sisoes the Great (+ 429) was a solitary monk, pursuing asceticism in the Egyptian desert in a cave sanctified by the prayerful labors of his predecessor, Saint Anthony the Great (January 17). For his 60 years of labor in the desert, Saint Sisoes attained to sublime spiritual purity and he was granted the gift of wonderworking, so that by his prayers he once restored a dead child back to life.
An account of his blessed life is here.
♱ St. Edgar the Peaceful, 8/21 July
St. Edgar the Peaceful (Edgar Pacificus), a King of England (r. 959–975) whose reign was marked by a strong religious revival. He lent his support to the work of monastic reform, appointing SS. Dunstan (19th May), Æthelwold (1st August), and Oswald (28th February) to their Sees, and it was through his initiative that a synodal council was convened circa 970 at Winchester (Hampshire, England), resulting in the promulgation of a common rule for English monastics, the Regularis Concordia. King St. Edgar’s reign was remembered by Churchmen as a period of great order and prosperity, and hence he became to be known as King St. Edgar the Peaceful.
Source
“Troparion of King St. Edgar the Peaceful — Tone VIII“
Look down from heaven upon us, thy children,
O right-believing Edgar,
thou king who reignest no longer over England,
but dwellest in the mansions of heaven;
and accepting our prayerful entreaties,
establish the Holy Orthodox Faith throughout thy land,
and protect it by thine intercession on high,
that it may triumph at last over the manifold errors of this age.
♱ St. Morwenna of Cornwall, 8/21 July
One of the most illustrious female saints of Cornwall is especially venerated in Morwenstow—the northernmost parish of Cornwall just beyond the Devon-Cornish border near the town of Bude. It stands on the rocky Atlantic coast with its frequent storms, and its name means “holy place of Morwenna.”
An account of her life is here.
♱ St. Drostan of Deer, 11/24 July
According to the “Aberdeen Breviary,” St. Drostan (DROSTÁN mac COSCREIG of DEER) was a disciple of St. Columba (9th June) who left his native Ireland for Scotland. There he founded and served as the first Abbot of Deer in Aberdeenshire. St. Drostan is counted amongst the Apostles of Scotland. He reposed circa 610.
Source
A fuller account of his life and legacy
♱ St. Julian, First Bishop of Le Mans, 13/26 July
He was made bishop by the Apostle Peter and sent to Gaul as a missionary. Some believe that he was Simon the Leper, whom the Lord healed, later named Julian in Baptism. In Gaul, despite great difficulty and privation, he converted many to faith in Christ and worked many miracles — healing the sick, driving out demons, and even raising the dead. In time the local prince, Defenson, was baptised along with many of his subjects. He reposed in peace.
Source
For a fuller account of his life
♱ St. Mildred (Mildrith) of Thanet, 13/26 July
The daughter of St. Ermenburgh (19th November) and sister of SS. Mildburg of Much Wenlock (23rd February) and Mildgyth (17th January), St. Mildrith was sent at an early age to be educated at Chelles Abbey near Paris in France. Returning to England, she received monastic tonsure from St. Theodore of Canterbury (19th September) at her mother’s monastery of Minster-in-Thanet, in Kent. St. Mildrith succeeded her mother as Abbess upon St. Ermenburg’s repose. As Abbess, St. Mildrith earned a reputation for patience, love, and kindness. Following a long illness, St. Mildrith reposed circa 700, and was succeeded by St. Eadburh of Minster (13th December). St. Mildrith was a popular saint in the years following her repose, and her local cultus eclipsed even St. Augustine of Canterbury (27th May). The bulk of St. Mildrith’s relics were translated to Canterbury in 1033, with some minor relics translated to Deventer in Holland where she was also venerated.
Source
More details of her life are here and here.
“Troparion of St. Mildrith of Thanet — Tone IV“
Through constant prayer and frequent fasting, by ceaseless hymnody
and great humility, the glorious Mildrith forsook the allurements of
her royal rank, trampling underfoot all worldly pride and
presumption. Wherefore, let us imitate her virtues, that, free from
all earthly attachments, we may join her at the wedding feast of
Christ our Saviour.
♱ St. Pambo of Egypt, 18/31 July
Abba Pambo was a contemporary of St Anthony the Great and one of the greatest of the Desert Fathers. He would only eat bread which he had earned by his own labors, plaiting baskets and mats out of reeds. In his later years, he became in appearance like and angel of God: his face shone so that the monks could not look on it. Through long ascetic labor, he was enabled to control his tongue so that no unnecessary word ever passed his lips. He never gave an immediate answer to even the simplest question, but always prayed and pondered on the question first. Once, when Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, was visiting the monks, they begged Abba Pambo to give the Patriarch a word. He answered: ‘If my silence is no help to him, neither will my words be.’ He reposed in peace, some say in 374, others in 386.
Source
For a fuller account of his life
♱ St. Samson of Dol, 28 July/10 August
One of the greatest missionaries of the 6th Century in Western Europe, St. Samson of Dol evangelised for Christ in Ireland, Cornwall (England), the Channel Islands, and Brittany (north-western France). A Welsh monk, St. Samson began as a disciple of St. Illtud (6th November) at his great nursery of saints, Llantwit Major, in the south of Glamorgan, Wales, and then went onto Caldey Island, where he served as abbot. Having been instructed in a vision, St. Samson left Caldey, living for a while as a hermit near the River Severn. He then went to Ireland, and then Cornwall where his was consecrated bishop by St. Dubricius of Wales (14th November). St. Samson finally settled in Brittany, where he spent the rest of his life enlightening the Bretons from his base at Dol. The exact date of St. Samson’s repose in unknown, however, records show that he attended the Councils of Paris in 553 and 557, so he reposed sometime after 557. He was almost immediately venerated as a saint. Initially buried at Dol, St. Samson’s relics were later translated to Paris.
Source
A much fuller account of his life
♱ St. Germanus of Auxerre (+448), 31 July/13 August
This wonderful Father of the Church labored tirelessly to establish the Orthodox Faith throughout parts of France, England, and Wales, building churches, schools, and monasteries; bravely facing heathen armies; and putting a stop to heresies. The Lord honored his purity of soul and body by working mighty wonders through him.
Shorter version
Longer version
His relics may still be venerated at the church he founded in Auxerre.
♱ St. Neot the Hermit, 31 July/13 August
St. Neot lived in the ninth century. He was of noble birth. It is believed by many researchers that the saint was related to the royal family of either Wessex or East Anglia. Neot began life as a soldier but after some time he resolved to give up a military career and dedicate his life to the service of God and prayer. Thus he entered the famous monastery in Glastonbury in Somerset in the Kingdom of Wessex and served there as a sacristan. It is not known where and by whom he was ordained a priest. After some time at Glastonbury, where he obtained a good education, Neot felt a calling to live a more ascetic life in solitude. So he retired to Cornwall where he spent the rest of his life as a hermit in a tiny cell.
The rest of St. Neot’s life, which influenced St Alfred’s in his battle with the Danish invaders, is recounted here.
For complete lists of Orthodox saints of our Southern forefathers of Africa and Western Europe for July, visit Dr. John Hutchison-Hall and Fr. Andrew Phillips’ Orthodox England.
Walt Garlington is a chemical engineer turned writer and editor of the website Confiteri: A Southern Perspective. This longtime Southern Baptist, then Anglican, was united to the Orthodox Church in 2012 and makes his home in Louisiana where he attends a GOA parish.
