St. Bede the Venerable

St. Bede the Venerable

May 27 the venerable St. Bede was born in northern England in the year 673. At the age of seven he was sent as an oblate to a nearby monastery in 686 the plague struck and only two surviving monks were able to sing the full office one was bead. Then about 13 years old when he was only 19 he was ordained a deacon by the Bishop of his diocese, he then became a priest at the age of 30. Saint bead was a gifted teacher and scholar. He was considered the most learned man of his time. One student of his became the teacher of Alka women the famous teacher in the time of Charlemagne he wrote over 60 books on a large variety of subjects. His most famous work is “the ecclesiastical history of the English people” He also helped to establish the practice of dating from the birth of Christ except for a few visits to other monasteries he spent his life in the observance of monastic discipline in his own monastery. Saint Bede died on Ascension Thursday in the year 735 on the floor of his cell singing the glory. Bede was called venerable because of his reputation for holiness and his cult became widespread in England and on the continent within a century. In 1899 Pope Leo the 13th declared him a doctor of the church he is the only native of England who has been given this title and he is also the only Englishman in Dante's Paradise in the same canto as Saint Isidore of Seville St. Bede Pray for Us.