Saints Dunstan, Ethelwold and Oswald
Fr Brendan Thomas • May 19, 2020
Monastic History in Glass and Stone (5)
Today is the feast of Saints Dunstan, Ethelwold and Oswald. It has been said that no period in English history is more unfairly neglected than the tenth century. It is easy to forget the significance of the people and events of this time in the 'birth of the English nation'.
Three Remarkable Men
The glory days of Anglo-Saxon monasticism were cut short by incessant foreign raids. There was almost nothing left of it after the Danish invasions of the 9th Century. In the 10th century, however, there emerged three remarkable and determined figures who were to bring about a revival: St Dunstan (c.909-988), St Ethelwold (c.910-984) and St Oswald (c.925-992).
Dunstan is probably the most well known. According to legend he had a number of encounters with the devil. He is portrayed in the rose window of St Benedict's Chapel with the blacksmith's pincers with which he is said to have pulled the devil’s nose and made him run down the street shouting! As a folk-tale puts it:
St Dunstan, as the story goes,
St Dunstan, as the story goes,
Once pull'd the devil by the nose
With red-hot tongs, which made him roar,
That he was heard three miles or more.
Charles Dickens refers to the story in A Christmas Carol: "Foggier yet, and colder! Piercing, searching, biting cold. If the good Saint Dunstan had but nipped the Evil Spirit's nose with a touch of such weather as that, instead of using his familiar weapons, then, indeed, he would have roared to lusty purpose."
Another story tells of how Dunstan nailed a horseshoe to the Devil’s hoof when he was asked to re-shoe the Devil’s horse. This caused the Devil great pain, and Dunstan only agreed to remove it after the Devil promised never to enter a place where a horseshoe is over the door. This is claimed as the origin of the lucky horseshoe.
Greatly influenced by continental reforms, the initial monastic zeal of the these three great saints suffered many setbacks. However, when King Edgar came to the throne they found him to be an enthusiastic patron. Dunstan was made bishop of Worcester but was soon transferred: first to London and then Canterbury. Ethelwold was made bishop of Winchester and Oswald was appointed to Worcester.
Cathedral Priories
In 964 Ethelwold made the extraordinary move of expelling the married secular canons from Winchester Cathedral and installing monks from Abingdon to make it a liturgical centre staffed by men living an edifying monastic life. Thus the peculiar English institution of the cathedral priory was brought into existence. Within a few years Winchester would be followed by Worcester and Canterbury and others both before and after the Norman Conquest. In all, seven of the great mediaeval cathedrals were served by Benedictines: Canterbury, Durham, Ely, Norwich, Rochester, Winchester, Worcester. (In addition Bath and Coventry were the monastic parts of double chapters with the Cathedrals of Wells and Lichfield respectively).
The restored abbeys of Glastonbury, Abingdon and Westbury-on-Trym became centres of a reform that succeeded in restoring ruined houses and founding new ones. Some forty monasteries were founded, among them some of the most celebrated of the Middle Ages. The desire for a single uniform observance amongst the houses led to a meeting at Winchester in 970 that produced the remarkable Regularis Concordia (Monastic Agreement), which has been called the ‘Magna Carta of English Monasticism.’ The programme of reform is that of the Synods of Aachen and drew on Dunstan and Ethelwold’s own experience of continental monasticism. The King was now patron and protector of the whole Benedictine enterprise and monasteries became a vital part of the national life of England. We only need to think of the part Westminster Abbey has played in the life of the nation.
The Belmont Connection
The corbels in Belmont’s Sacristy are decorated with the coats of arms of the Cathedral Priories and are a reminder of the unique way Belmont inherited this peculiarly English ecclesiastical arrangement. When Belmont Cathedral Priory was founded in 1859, the institution of the Cathedral Priory was restored in England after a lapse of more than 300 years. Once again, and for forty years to come it would be the only Cathedral in the English-speaking world in which the canons (who were monks) publicly celebrated the Divine Office.
Pope Francis RIP Pope 2013-2025 Born 1936, Died 2025 We are deeply saddened at the passing of Pope Francis. As the successor of St Peter he has been a spiritual father and shepherd to the church in our day, challenging us, and calling as to reach out to those on the peripheries. He was the first Jesuit Pope, but took the name Francis after the Poor Man of Assisi who modelled for him a closeness to the poor, a concern for those on the margins of society and a care for all of creation In his preaching Pope Francis always spoke of the joy of the Gospel and encouraged us to reflect the joy of our faith in our lives. He showed the compassion of Jesus to everyone. He worked tirelessly for the unity of the church and travelled even to non-Christian countries promoting a message of peace. He has left a great legacy. With the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio with the community over Easter we were able to express our closeness to the Holy Father in his final suffering. There will be a special Mass at Belmont this Thursday 24th April at 11am to pray for Pope Francis as he makes his final journey to the house of the Father. On the day of his funeral, the Office of the Dead will be sung, and Mass that day will be a Requiem. May the angels lead him into paradise; may the martyrs receive him at his arrival and lead him to the holy city Jerusalem. May choirs of angels receive him and with Lazarus, the poor man grant him eternal rest." (The In Paradisum, words from the Funeral Liturgy)
We were were honoured and delighted to be joined by the Apostolic Nuncio to celebrate Easter. His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía is the representative of the Holy See in Great Britain, and therefore of the Holy Father. His presence on Easter Sunday morning brought us more consciously in communion with Pope Francis, the successor of St Peter, as we heard the Gospel story of Peter running to the tomb. His patron saint is St Michael, so afterwards, at a festive lunch we were able to present him with some Belmont cufflinks with the monastery coat of arms - very similar to his as Archbishop. We were able to pray for him and his work in this country.
