ANGILBERT, a friend and confidante of the Emperor Charlemagne (r. 768–814), and student of the eminent Anglo-Saxon scholar/educator Alcuin of York (†804). St. Angilbert’s Latin poetry earned him the nickname “Homer”. He married Charlemagne’s daughter Bertha, but with her blessing he received monastic tonsure, with Bertha following in his footsteps. As a reward for his service, Charlemagne gave St. Angilbert the Abbey of St. Riquier, where he served as abbot, until his repose in 814.

COLMÁN of LINDISFARNE, our father among the saints Colmán of Lindisfarne was a monk of the seventh century Church of Scotland and Ireland. He led the Celtic party at the Synod of Whitby. His defence of the Celtic rite led to his identification as the Last of the Columban Abbots of Lindisfarne.

Icon of St. Colmán of Lindisfarne

Born in Connaught, Ireland little is known of his early life. St. Colmán was tonsured a monk at Iona, was a disciple of St. Columba (9th June) and a contemporary of SS. Finian (16th March) and Aidan (31st August). Following the repose of St. Finian, Colmán was chosen to succeed him as the third Abbot/Bishop of Lindisfarne. Noted for his austere and zealous life, and held in high repute for his sanctity, his episcopate was an exemplar of frugality and simplicity of living, as well as the devotion of his clergy to their responsibilities of preaching and ministering to the faithful. St. Colmán’s defence of Celtic tradition and reluctance to yield to the Roman rite fixing the date of Easter (vide Paschal Controversy) led to the Synod of Whitby. Though he put forth an eloquent defence, King Oswy made a royal decision to follow the Roman practices. This was a decision that was met with general acceptance, but one, which St. Colmán could not accept, resigning from his See. St. Colmán left for Iona with all the Irish and thirty English monks from Lindisfarne. He remained in Scotland for about three years, establishing several churches, and then returned to his native Ireland with about thirty Irish and English monks. They settled on the island of Inishbofin in Co. Galway where St. Colmán established a monastery and school. In time, friction developed between the Irish and English monks; St. Colmán resolved this by taking the English monks to the Irish mainland, where he established a monastery which he called Mayo of the Saxons, which went on to become an important centre of sanctity and learning, and in time an Episcopal See. St. Colmán returned to Inishbofin, where he reposed 675.

ETHELINA (EUDELME), (Date Unknown), St. Ethelina is the patron saint of Little Sodbury in present-day Gloucestershire. No further information, including the dates she flourished, is extant.

HELLADIUS of TOLEDO, though he served as a minister in the court of the Visigothic Kings, St. Helladius true calling was monasticism. He often visited the near-by Abbey of Agali, and in time resigned his position at court, and received monastic tonsure at Agali. In 605 St. Helladius was made Abbot of Agali, and in 615 he was consecrated twenty-sixth Archbishop of Toledo. St. Helladius served the Archdiocese of Toledo until his repose 632.

LUCIUS, SILVANUS, RUTULUS, CLASSICUS, SECUNDINUS, FRUCTULUS, and MAXIMUS, (Date Unknown), a group of martyrs in North Africa of whom nothing besides their names is known.

MAXIMUS, CLAUDIUS, PRAEPEDIGNA, ALEXANDER, and CUTIAS, a group of martyrs in 295 in Rome during the Diocletianic Persecution of whom nothing further than their names is known.

ANSELM, a nobleman and brother-in-law of Aistulf, King of Lombards (r. 749–756). St. Anselm was a career soldier before he left the world and received monastic tonsure. He was the founder of abbeys in Fanano and Nonantola, near Modena in the Po Valley. Both monasteries had hospitals and hostels attached to them. St. Anselm served as Abbot of Nonantola, which grew to around one thousand monks. He reposed in 803.

ARTHELAIS, one of the patron-saints (along with SS. Barbatus 19th February, and Bartholomew the Apostle 11th June) of Benevento in Italy. St. Arthelais was the daughter of an imperial proconsul named Lucius and his wife Aithuesa and is said to have been pursued by Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565). However, she had taken vows of chastity and fled to Benevento to escape the Emperor’s attentions. St. Arthelais reposed of a fever in 560.

CALUPAN, an anchorite who lived in a cave near Méallet in Auvergne. He reposed in 575.

CAMILLA, after being converted to Christianity by St. Germanus of Auxerre (31st July), St. Camilla became one of his disciples, finishing her life as an anchoress, reposing circa 437.

CELE-CHRIST, St. Cele-Christ (Worshipper of Christ) led an hermetic life for many years, before being forced to accept a bishopric in Leinster. According to The Annals of Ulster, he reposed 728. There is no further information on his life extant.

CUNEGUND, the wife of Emperor Henry II (r. 973–1024) and foundress of Kaufungen Abbey, near present-day Kassel Germany. following repose of Henry, St. Cunegund received monastic tonsure at Kaufungen where she spent the remaining fifteen years of her life, reposing in 1039.

EMETERIUS (HEMITERIUS) and CHELEDONIUS, (Fourth Century), two soldiers in the Imperial Roman army who were martyred in Calahorra in Old Castile, present-day Spain.

FELIX, LUCIOLUS, FORTUNATUS, MARCIA, and COMPANIONS, (Date Unknown), members of a group of forty martyrs in North Africa. The names of the rest of the group are no longer known.

FOILA (FAILE, FOILENNA, FALLENA), (Sixth Century), believed to have been the sister of St. Colgan (20th February), together they are the patrons of the parishes of Kil-Faile (Kileely) and Kil-Colgan, in Co. Galway. Kil-faile has been a noted place of pilgrimage. At one point, there was a written record of her life called The Acts of St. Foila, however, it is no longer extant.

LAMALISSE, a Scottish hermit for whom Lamlash on the Isle of Arran is named. No further information on St. Lamalisse is extant.

NON (NONNA, NONNITA), the mother of St. David of Wales (1st March). St. Non spent her later years in a monastery. She came to be renowned for such sanctity that, following her repose, churches were dedicated to her, including a chapel and well near her son’s cathedral at St. David’s in Pembrokeshire, and another in Altarnun, on the north-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor, in Cornwall. Though her relics were kept in Cornwall, some claim that she ended her days in Brittany. However, there is insufficient evidence to support this theory. The exact year of St. Non’s repose is unknown, though it must have been in the first half of the sixth century

SACER (MO-SACRA), (Seventh Century), an Irish Abbot-founder of the monastery of Saggard (Teach Sacra - 'house of Sacra' in Irish Gaelic) near Dublin in Ireland.

TITIAN, a Bishop of Brescia in Lombardy (northern Italy), of Germanic birth. St. Titian reposed circa 536.

WINWALOE, born in Brittany (north-western France) to English exiles, St. Winwaloe was related to SS. Cadfan (1st November), Selyf (25th June), and Cybi (8th November). He became a disciple of St. Budoc (9th December) on the Île Lavret. He went on to found the monastery at Landévennec, which he governed until his repose in the first quarter of the sixth century. There are several churches in Cornwall dedicated to him, indicating a connexion between him and that area. Unfortunately, there is no reliable Life known to us, and it is difficult to attempt to construct one from various traditions, many of which are contradictory. It is even possible that there may have been more than one saint of his name.