Found 21 resource(s) in 'Holy Days', for March 2020.
High Days & Holy Days (all) for March 2020
Editor: As the church year does not change, much of this material has appeared before. New material is marked with an asterisk. 1 St David’s Day (two options) 2 Chad – Bishop of Lichfield and missionary c 672 4 Casimir 5 Eusebius 7 Perpetua and Felicitas 8 Woodbine Willie *NEW 8 Felix... (5885 words)1 March – St David’s Day: time for daffodils
1st March is St David’s Day, and it’s time for the Welsh to wear daffodils or leeks. Shakespeare called this custom ‘an honourable tradition begun upon an honourable request’ – but nobody knows the reason. Why should anyone have ever ‘requested’ that the Welsh wear leeks or daffodils to honour their patron saint? It’s a... (178 words)1 March – St David (Dewi Sant): guiding the Welsh Church
On 1st March Wales celebrates its patron saint, David – or, in Welsh, Dewi or Dafydd. He is indisputably British, and is revered wherever Welsh people have settled. As with most figures from the so-called ’Dark Ages’ (he lived in the sixth century), reliable details about his life are scarce, but there are enough for... (407 words)2 March – Chad: the recycled bishop
Chad (d 672) should be the patron saint of any modern bishop whose consecration is questioned by another bishop. Chad was consecrated a bishop, then deposed – and then re-consecrated! It all began when Oswiu, king of Northumbria, made him bishop of the Northumbrian see. But due to a scarcity of appropriate bishops, two dubious... (187 words)4 March – Casimir: godly king of Poland
Casimir is a good patron saint for anyone whose father drives them crazy. For he did not let an unhappy background stop him from becoming the person he wanted to be. Yet Casimir’s father, the King of Poland back in 1458, was no picnic as a dad. For if you think your teens were difficult,... (310 words)5 March – Eusebius: friend of St Jerome
Eusebius is the saint for you if you believe in the Bible, and also in providing hospitality. He was born of a good family in Cremona, Italy, in the fourth century, and felt called to become a monk. As Eusebius was ascetic by nature, he sought out St Jerome in Rome, who advocated an austere... (352 words)7 March – Perpetua and Felicitas: joyful martyrs of Africa
This story could come straight out of modern Africa. Perpetua was a young married woman of 22 who had recently become a Christian. But the authorities had forbidden any new conversions, and soon she and some other catechumens were arrested and sentenced to death. This was not under Islamic State, nor Boko Haram, but under... (317 words)8 March – Woodbine Willie: bringing love with cigarettes and the Bible
Here’s a ‘saint’ that the Church of England remembers from the 1st World War – the Revd. Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy MC, or ‘Woodbine Willie’, as everyone knew this popular, much-loved army chaplain on the Western Front. Studdert Kennedy (27th June 1883 – 8th March 1929) had been born in Leeds as the seventh of nine... (509 words)NEW 8 March – Felix of Burgundy: apostle to East Anglia
East Anglia is blessed with a rich Christian heritage. Just two examples: at more than 650, Norfolk has the greatest concentration of ancient churches in the world, and at 500, Suffolk has the second greatest density of medieval churches. And that is not to mention all the churches in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire… And it all... (325 words)9 March – Savio: the youngster who found God
A number of years ago the hit film Slumdog Millionaire touched millions of people with its story of a youngster triumphing against all the odds. Dominic Savio did the same thing. In fact, he is a good patron ‘child saint’ for children today who struggle to get anywhere in life. Savio (1842 – 57) was... (282 words)17 March – St Patrick: beloved apostle to Ireland
St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. If you’ve ever been in New York on St Patrick’s Day, you’d think he was the patron saint of New York as well… the flamboyant parade is full of American/Irish razzmatazz. It’s all a far cry from the hard life of this 5th century humble Christian who... (395 words)19 March – St Joseph the Carpenter: gracious descendant of King David
Many people know that Joseph was the father of the most famous man who ever lived, but beyond that, we know very little about him. The Gospels name him as the ‘father’ of Jesus, while also asserting that the child was born of a virgin. Even if he wasn’t what we call the ‘biological’ father,... (479 words)19 March – St Joseph: patron saint of fathers and holy death
Why should St Joseph’s day be in March? Surely, he belongs to Advent and Christmas, at Mary’s side in millions of nativity scenes around the world. In any case, as foster-father of Christ and husband of Mary, Joseph played a major part in the story of the coming of Jesus Christ. All that we know... (181 words)20 March – Cuthbert: beloved monk and bishop of Lindisfarne
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (c 634-87) has long been northern England’s favourite saint. It is easy to see why: Cuthbert was holy, humble, peaceable, prayerful, faithful in friendship, winsome, and really kind. Cuthbert was born into a fairly well-off Anglo-Saxon family, and became a monk at Melrose in 651. He and another monk, Eata, were sent... (349 words)21 March – Thomas Cranmer: Archbishop of Canterbury & Reformation Martyr
If you have ever been caught up in a great event at work, which has gone on to change your own life, then Thomas Cranmer is the saint for you. He was the first ever Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury, following King Henry VIII’s decision to pull away from Rome, and set up the Church of... (201 words)22 March – Mothering Sunday: 4th Sunday in Lent
There is an old Jewish saying: God could not be everywhere, and therefore He made mothers. Mother Church, Mother Earth, Mother of the Gods – our human mothers – all of them have been part of the celebration of ‘Mothering Sunday’ – as the fourth Sunday in Lent is affectionately known. It has been celebrated... (212 words)22 March – Mothering Sunday and Mother Church
The Fourth Sunday in Lent was called ‘Mid-Lent’ or ‘Refreshment Sunday’, when the rigors of Lent were relaxed more than was normal for a feast day. It is called Mothering Sunday as a reference to the Epistle reading for the Day (Galatians 4:21-31). The Lenten Epistles follow from each other with teaching about our life... (249 words)24 March – Catherine of Sweden: the good-natured carer
Families are divided in two kinds of people: givers and takers. Blessed is the family with at least one ‘giver’, that someone of a cheerful, generous nature who does not panic when you ask them for help. These kindly saints are on hand when you need them, not fleeing with the cry “But I have... (256 words)25 March – Lady Day: the Annunciation
This beautiful event (Luke 1:26-38) took place in Nazareth, when Mary is already betrothed to Joseph. The Archangel Gabriel comes to Mary, greets her as highly favoured, tells her not to be afraid, that she will bear a son Jesus, and that her elderly cousin Elizabeth is already pregnant (with John the Baptist). The church... (187 words)27 March – Rupert the salty
Rupert is the saint for you if you like The Sound of Music – or salt with your food! Rupert (d c 710) was bishop of Worms and Salzburg, and it was he who founded the great monastery of St Peter in Salzburg in the eighth century, thus firmly establishing Christianity in that city. True,... (148 words)30 March – John Climacus and his ladder to Paradise
Is there something down at, say, B&Q, which reminds your friends of you? John Climacus (d 649) had a thing about ladders. He was a monk in Palestine who was only seen out at the weekends (at church, not B&Q); during the week he prayed and wrote in solitude. He wrote The Ladder to Paradise,... (115 words)
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