Cuthbert
BORN: circa 635
DIED: March 20, 687
SAINT Cuthbert is the patron saint of Northumbria whose annual feast day is March 20.
It is believed he was born near Melrose, Scotland, of poor parents, and tended sheep on the hills above the nearby abbey.
At 16 he received a vision of the soul of St. Aidan being carried to heaven by angels and, after a spell as a soldier, he entered Melrose Abbey. He was later made master when the monastery at Ripon was founded.
These were years of conflict between the traditions of Celtic Christianity and those of Roman Catholicism.
In 664 the Synod of Whitby settled the dispute in favour of Roman Catholicism and Cuthbert adopted Roman rule. He was sent to the Priory of Lindisfarne and spent a great deal of his time persuading the people of the area to Roman Catholicism.
In 676 the abbot granted him leave to retire to take up the simple life of a hermit, eventually moving to Farne Island.
However, he became Bishop of Lindisfarne in 685, but by Christmas 686 he felt his death approach, and Cuthbert resigned his see and returned to Farne Island. He died on March 20, 687. He was buried at Lindisfarne Priory. So many miracles were reported at his grave that Cuthbert was called the “Wonder-worker of England”.
From 875 to 1104, Cuthbert’s remains were carried around the region before finally being moved to the new cathedral of Durham.
- Sunday Sun, 100 North East Heroes