Tales of Anglican Saints Trivia Quiz

Answer: Venerable Bede

The Venerable Bede (c. 672-735) was a Benedictine monk who traveled extensively throughout England. He was also a teacher and gifted writer, with over 60 books to his credit. Perhaps his best known book, "Ecclesiastical History of the English People", was written in Latin and told the story of not only the Christian Church in England, but also the history of England in Anglo-Saxon times.

Although Bede died on May 26, the feast day of Augustine of Canterbury, he called for his box of "treasures" on May 25 and had them distributed to other priests at the monastery at Jarrow at that time.

Answer: Aidan

Aidan (c. 590-651) was an Irish monk from Iona who spread Christianity to Northumbria. At the time, Christianity, which had been introduced to Britain by the Romans, was being replaced by Anglo-Saxon pagan beliefs. Oswald, the new king of Northumbria, asked the monastery at Iona to send a monk who could help him re-convert his people. Aidan choose Lindisfarne, the famous Holy Island, as his headquarters because it was close to Oswald's castle in Bamburgh.

He established Lindisfarne Priory and became its first bishop.

He used a nonthreatening approach to converting the people, employing short, frequent walking visits to the villages, and ultimately overseeing the building of churches and schools. There is a legend that after a pagan army attacked Bamburgh and set it on fire, Aidan prayed for the town, causing the fire to redirect itself to the invaders.

Answer: Piran

While there is still a lot of discussion today concerning the historic info of Piran (c. 480), it is generally accepted that he traveled from Ireland to Cornwall and constructed an oratory, or small chapel, near the shore. According to legend, he and other Christians founded the Abbey of Lanpiran, with Piran becoming the abbey's first abbot.

Although smelting tin was common in Cornwall before Roman rule, its secret had been forgotten. Local legend credits Piran with its rediscovery. The tradition of visiting St. Piran's cross at Perranzabuloe is still observed on March 5.

Answer: Kentigern (Mungo)

While Kentigern (518-614) is the saint's name in England and Wales, he is known by the name Mungo in Scotland. It is believed that Kentigern began his work by building a church in present day Glasgow where a medieval cathedral now stands. Facing opposition to his teachings, Kentigern then traveled to Wales, establishing St Asaph on the River Elwy, and made a pilgrimage to Rome.

After being invited to return to Strathclyde, Kentigern first taught in the region of Galloway in southwestern Scotland before returning to Glasgow, which was the regional administrative headquarters the region of Strathclyde.

It is believed that his tomb is still intact in the Glasgow Cathedral.

Answer: Cuthbert

Cuthbert (c. 634-687) was from a noble Christian family in Dunbar, Northumbria (modern day Scotland). He decided to devote his life to God after he had a vision of Aidan going to heaven and found that his vision occurred on the night that Aidan had died.

He joined a monastery at Melrose and eventually became prior there before moving to the monastery at Lindisfarne. Eleven years before his death, Cuthbert left monastic life to become a hermit, building a cell on Inner Farne Island; afterwards he briefly served as Bishop of Lindisfarne.

While living as a hermit, Cuthbert made laws that protected the eider ducks and other sea birds. They still live on Inner Farne Island today.

Answer: Columba

Born, raised, and trained in Ireland, it is believed that Columba (521-597) left on a pilgrimage, or perhaps was exiled, in approximately 560 due to a conflict over the copying of a manuscript. It appears that a relative invited him to visit the island of Iona, where he founded Iona Abbey in the 560s. Iona Abbey became an important Christian center (so important that the Vikings raided it 4 times!), as well as Columba's base as he traveled in the area carrying out his missionary work to convert the tribes of Picts, building other churches and monasteries. Columba composed two poems in Latin - "Adiutor Laborantium" and "Altus Prosator" - that were used as hymns.

Answer: George

It is difficult to find historic information about George (c. 303) other than the fact that he was from a Greek Christian family and served in the Roman army. There are two accounts that agree that he died a martyr during Emperor Diocletian's persecution of the Christians in 303 AD.

In another account, the Roman Catholic Church banned the story of his martyrdom because it was so gruesome. George became patron saint of England in 1350 when Edward III formed the Order of the Garter and used George's banner. During the Hundred Years War at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 it is said that St. George helped Henry V win the battle after being seen in the sky over the battlefield.

It is highly unlikely that George killed a dragon, though. That story surfaced in the 11th century, several hundred years after his death. Scholars believe that the dragon in the story actually represents Satan. Derived from the Greek "Georgos", the name "George" means "tiller of the soil" and April 23, George's feast day, is considered to be a great day for farmers to plant their crops!

Answer: Edmund the Martyr

Very little information exists concerning Edmund (841-869), who was the King of East Anglia. He fought with Alfred of Wessex against the Vikings when the Great Heathen Army, led by Ivar the Boneless and his brothers, invaded England. According to the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle", Edmund died in battle, however, later sources claimed that he was captured by the Vikings and executed after he refused to deny his Christian beliefs. Was Edmund the original patron saint of England? Sources tend to disagree on that subject. St. Edmund's shrine did become a place of national pilgrimage during the Middle Ages, and many kings visited the site at Bury St Edmunds.

He became the patron of pandemics after the city of Toulouse in France was struck with the plague in 1631.

The people prayed to St. Edmund and the plague ended.

Answer: Swithun

Very little historic information about Swithun (c. 800-863) exists today. It is believed that he was a Saxon who was born in Wessex and educated at Winchester. As Bishop of Winchester he was known for building or renovating churches, and his care of the poor; after his death many miracles were said to have occurred in his shrine at Winchester. Swithun's feast day marks the day his remains were transferred to the shrine in Winchester Cathedral rather than his day of death.

He originally had asked for a humble grave in a location where people would walk on it and rain would fall.

It is said that after the transfer of his remains the region experienced terrible rain storms that lasted 40 days and 40 nights. There is an old saying in the UK that if it rains on St. Swithun's day, it will rain for 40 more days.

Answer: Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket (c. 1119-1170) was born in London and attended grammar school, studying the trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) and quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy). When his father ran short of funds, Becket began to work for Theobald of Bec, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

After that he held many important offices, such as the Archdeacon of Canterbury, a church office, and Lord Chancellor, a government office. After Theobald died in 1162, Becket was elected Archbishop of Canterbury; a few weeks later he was ordained a priest.

While King Henry II hoped that he would support the government before the church, Becket did not do that to the king's satisfaction. Did Henry order Becket's death? Or did he say the wrong words to imply that he wanted the "turbulent priest" killed? Becket was killed by the king's knights in Canterbury Cathedral and was viewed as a saint and a martyr soon after. Secular clergy are deacons and priests who are not associated with a particular monastery or religious order, and prefer to live and work in the world.