Saints

Irish Abbot and bishop. St Finnian is sometimes called Finbar. This sixth century saint is said to have been an Ulsterman, from the royal race of Dal Fiatach. He was educated at Dromore and then at Whithorn in Galloway. He was probably ordained in Rome, before returning to Ireland, bringing with him a manuscript of a Latin biblical text. Finnian founded a monastery at Dromin in Louth, and anothe... Read More

Missionary and patron saint of the African slaves. The son of a Catalonian farmer, Peter Claver was born at Verdu, in 1581. He obtained his first degrees at the University of Barcelona. At the age of 20 he entered the Jesuit noviciate at Tarragona. While he was studying philosophy at Majorca in 1605, Alphonsus Rodriguez, the door-keeper of the college, advised him to set out to evangelize the Spa... 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