Profile
Aidan was a monk at Iona, Scotland. He studied under Saint Senan at Inish Cathay. He became a Bishop of Clogher, Ireland. He resigned the see to became a monk at Iona c.630. He was an evangelizing bishop in Northumbria, England at the behest of his friend the king, Saint Oswald of Northumbria. Once when pagans attacked Oswald‘s forces at Bambrough, they piled wood around the city walls to burn it; Saint Aidan prayed for help, and a change in wind blew the smoke and flames over the pagan army.
Aidan was known for his knowledge of the Bible, his eloquent preaching, his personal holiness, simple life, scholarship, and charity. He was a miracle worker. He trained Saint Boswell. He founded the Lindesfarne monastery that became not only a religious standard bearer, but a great storehouse of European literature and learning during the dark ages. Saint Bede was lavish in his praise of the episcopal rule of Aidan.
Born
- Irish
Died
- 31 August 651 at Bamburg, England of natural causes
- the young Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, a shepherd in the fields at the time, saw Aidan’s soul rise to heaven as a shaft of light
- buried at Lindesfarne
Canonized
- Pre-Congregation
Patronage
- in England
– Bamburgh
– Durham
– Glastonbury
– Lindisfarne Island
– Whitby
Representation
- calming a storm
- extinguishing a fire
- holding up a lighted torch
- with a stag at his feet
Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-aidan-of-lindesfarne/
