28 JANUARY

. . . .is the feast of the Irish Saint Cannera who died around the year 530. From D’Arcy’s “The Saints of Ireland”:

“Irish sailors through the centuries have saluted at Cannera’s resting place on Scattery Island (Inis Chathaigh). 16th century poetry invokes Cannera, patron of seamen, in Gaelic verse “Bless my good ship, protecting power of grace. . . .” Until modern times it was believed that pebbles from Scattery Island protected the bearer from shipwreck.

“Cannera was a holy recluse with a cell near Bantry. Shortly before her death, a vision convinced her that Senan’s church on Scattery was the holiest place in Ireland. She abandoned her cell at once and travelled without rest to arrive at Senan’s foundation. He was adamant in his rule that no woman should enter his monastic enclosure. But Cannera won from him the promise he would give her Communion at her death and that he would have her interred on the extreme edge of the holy island. To Senan’s objections that waves would undermine her grave, Cannera replied she would leave that to Divine Providence and would not expect her remains to be disturbed by the sea. She died on that visit and at high tide, the brethren dug a trench for her grave. Today, the traditional spot of her burial, although washed by the tide, is not effaced.”


In many of the old French calendars this is the feast of the emperor, St. Charlemagne. This is from Engelbert’s “Lives”:

“The present French calendars generally carry St. Charlemagne on the date of January 28th. Formerly all the hagiographical collections devoted a long commentary to him. As late as 1867, the Abbe Guerin wrote (Petits bollandistes, vol. ii, p. 117):

“’Although the canonization of Charlemagne may not have been carried out in the ordinary forms of the Roman Church, nevertheless the cult which he is shown in France and Germany, either in consecrating churches in his honour or in giving him an office in the breviaries, which the Holy See has not forbidden, obliges me to give him a place in this collections to please the piety of those people who hold his memory in such veneration.’

“Charlemagne was canonized in 1165 by the anti-Pope Pascal III. ‘This decree has acquired the force of law,’ writes Abbe Godescard (Life of the Fathers, vol. ii, p. 208, Lille, 1834), ‘ and has had no opposition on the part of the legitimate popes. The University of Paris chose him as patron in 1661. His feast takes place at Aix-la-Chapelle with double rites of the first class.’”


In the standard calendar of the traditional Roman rite this is the feast of St.Peter Nolasco, one of the founders of the Mercedarians, the Order of Our Lady of Ransom. In the Pauline rite, St. Thomas Aquinas is now honored on this day. (The next couple of months could be devoted to studying Aquinas using only the material on the web. The Catholic Encyclopaedia is probably as good a place to start as any. Their longish essay which includes some basics of his philosophy and theology is here.)