Obscure Saint of the Week

The Anglican Breviary really is a treasurehouse, not only of beautiful English, beautiful translations and lovely enduring liturgy, but of English Catholic history. In the back there is a second Kalendar specializing in saints and blesseds who are associated in some way with Ye Merrie Oldie.

"Supplement of Feasts for Certain Places"

In keeping with the generally backward-looking point of this work, I offer a L'EG file: Obscure English Saint of the Week (worth the trouble for the neat names alone).

April 27th
St. Egbert, C. (stands for 'confessor')

Collect
O God, who didst inspire thy blessed Saint Egbert in such a wise to thirst for salvation, that he sent forth many heralds for the preaching of the Gospel: grant, we pray thee, by the intercession of his merits, so to direct the hearts of thy servants unto thee; that being filled with the fervour of thy Spirit, they may be made stedfast in faith, and effectually given to all good works.
Through...in the unity of the same...

For the Legend
Egbert was an Englishman [in other words, an Anglo Saxon] who became a monk at Lindisfarne, and then crossed the sea to obtain learning and sanctity in Ireland, for in those days Ireland was known as the Island of the Saints.

And a pestilence raged, which carried off many of his companions in the monastery whither he had gone, and he himself fell sick thereof. Whereupon he turned to God with all his heart and besought him for a longer life, that he might correct his lukewarmness, and exercise himself more abundantly in good works. And he vowed that, if his prayer were heard, he would live as a pilgrim in this world, and never again seek his own country.

Whereupon he was cured, and became a priest, and conceived in his heart a desire to proclaim the word of God to the Germanic peoples, who were of the same blood as his own Anglo-Saxon folk. But even though he was able to have a ship equipped with all the necessaries of his missionary enterprise, he was hindered from going, and warned of God that another mission awaited him. Wherefore he sent Saint Wigbert and others of his disciples to Germany in his stead.

And when some of these returned in discouragement, he sent Saint Willibrord [not a typo], with other monks to the apostolic number of twelve, which same were able to do that which God had held him back from doing. Then he was moved to go to the holy Isle of Iona, if so be he might turn the monks therein to unity of observance with the rest of Western Christendom in certain matters of custom and Canon Law, but specially as to the tonsure and the keeping of Easter.

And his patience, learning, and holiness prevailed, and on the day that he went to God, to wit, a the age of ninety, on April 24th, 729, the bretheren of Iona were keeping for the first time the paschal feast on the same day as the rest of Wetern Christendom.