Saints

Layman. Guy was a farm labourer, born in Brabant around 950, who was made sacristan of the church at Laeken near Brussels. According to legend, he invested his small savings in a business which failed. After losing his home and his job he went on a seven-year long pilgrimage, wandering from shrine to shrine as far as Jerusalem. In 1020 he returned home exhausted and sick and died shortly afterwa... Read More

St Deiniol Bishop and monk. This sixth century saint is said to have come from the family of Coel Godebog, a Celtic chieftain from Strathclyde. He was called 'of the Bangors' because he founded the monasteries of Bangor Fawr, on the Menai straights and Bangor Iscoed, (Clwyd) on the River Dee. Bede said this was the most famous monastery of British Christianity. It had more than 2,000 monks. Many ... Read More

Archbishop. Born in 347, the son of an army officer at Antioch, St John was brought up by his widowed mother. In 373 he went to live as a monk in a mountain community and became quite ill because of the austere regime there. In 381 he returned to Antioch and became a deacon serving the local church, until he was ordained priest in 407. He was soon made the bishop's assistant and was responsible... Read More