ST. CAEDMON OF WHITBY (FEB. 11TH)
St. Caedmon in a Celtic Initial Illumination, Watching His Sheep, Holding the Scroll of Christ’s Revelation By Bp. Joseph ( Ancient Church of the West ) In the days when England was still young in the faith, during the reign of the holy King Oswy of Northumbria, there lived a humble shepherd and herdsman named Caedmon. He was a servant at the great double monastery of Whitby, ruled by the wise and saintly Celtic Abbess Hilda. Though he labored among the animals, tending the beasts and watching over the monastery’s lands, he knew himself to be without skill in song. When his fellow laborers passed the harp around at feasts, singing of the great deeds of kings and warriors, he would quietly withdraw, ashamed of his lack of learning. One night, as he slept in the stables, a man of shining light appeared to him in a dream and called him by name: "Caedmon, sing to me a song." Caedmon replied, "I cannot sing, and that is why I have left the hall." But the heavenly visi...
