St Kentigern, Patron Saint of Glasgow & Enlightener of Scotland

The other chief apostles of Scotland - Sts Columba of Iona and Ninian of Whithorn - having been mentioned here in the past, it seems fitting to write also of St Kentigern (or Mungo). 

A short work on St Kentigern’s life begins this way:

Saint Kentigern has been venerated for many centuries as one of the apostles of Scotland and patron-saint of Glasgow. He is best known in Scotland as Mungo, which means "darling", or "beloved one".  . . .

The future saint was born in about 518 or 528 in Culross in Scotland. His mother was the holy princess Theneva, who is also venerated as patron-saint of Glasgow, and a Russian Orthodox parish in Edinburgh is dedicated to her. From his childhood St. Kentigern became a disciple of St. Serf, a great missionary among the Picts, who gave him the second name "Mungo". Young Kentigern began to live a very austere ascetic life and decided to become a missionary as well. He first began to preach the Gospel in the Cathures region on the River Clyde, where the city of Glasgow now stands. The ascetic, following the Irish monastic tradition, fervently prayed day and night, kept a very strict fast and lived in extreme poverty in a tiny cell, where he slept on a rock. He often retreated to the River Clyde to pray there for several hours. With time, he was consecrated the first bishop of the Britons who lived in the small kingdom of Strathclyde (now the Strathclyde region on the River Clyde). The bishop worked very energetically, developing his large diocese, building many churches and monasteries. Specifically, he founded a church in Glasgow, which was later to become very famous. St. Kentigern served in Strathclyde for 13 years, converting local people to Christ by his preaching as well as by example of his holy life.

 . . .

Source:  Dmitry Lapa, ‘Holy Hierarch Kentigern (Mungo) of Strathclyde, Bishop of Glasgow, Wonderworker’, http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/67850.htm, posted 25 January 2014, accessed 6 August 2014

(Icon is from the web site just above.)

And since yesterday, 5 August, was the feast day of the holy English king-martyr St Oswald of Northumbria, it is meet to mention him as well.  His life may be read about here:

http://www.oodegr.com/english/biographies/arxaioi/Oswald_Martyr_king.htm

May we here in the South, the children of Scotland and England, learn from the examples of our right-believing forefathers.

Holy Saints Mungo and Oswald, pray for us sinners at the South!