(Feast Day: 31st August)

Aidan was born in Ireland in the late sixth century and later became a monk of Iona in Scotland before being sent to Northumbria to evangelise "the intractable English". Being a gentle person, Aidan successfully put into effect the basic principle of starting where people are and leading them a step at a time to the knowledge of Christ. He was a man of prayer and set up his headquarters on the island of Lindisfarne, not far from the convert King Oswald's castle at Bamburgh, who had given him the Episcopal seat at Lindisfarne. At first Aidan scarcely spoke any English and when he preached, the king often acted as interpreter.

Icon of St Aidan

Aidan travelled around Northumbria on foot and whenever people gave him and his companion gifts they would pass them on the poor, the sick and the needy. When invited to a meal by rich people they would eat frugally and move on to evangelise elsewhere.

Bede, the historian, described him as "a man of remarkable gentleness, goodness and moderation, zealous for God but not fully according to knowledge." This latter referred to the fact that Aidan promulgated some Celtic customs, which had not been recognised by Rome.

King Oswin, who had succeeded Oswald, was equally supportive and helpful to Aidan, and when Oswin was brutally murdered, Aidan, in grief, went to live in a tent by the walls of Bamburgh Castle, where he died just twelve days later. His emblem is a stag, the reason being that the stag will throw water into a hole where there is a snake in order to get it out and eat it. It will then drink fresh water in order to throw up any poison. The stag is thus a Christian symbol for Baptism, as well as reminding us of the words of the psalm, "As a deer yearns for running streams, so I yearn for you, my God."

Statue of St Aidan in the grounds of our church

Hence in Christian art St Aidan is sometimes shown together with a tent, reminding us of his death, a stag recalling his endeavours to lead people to Baptism, or a burning torch, telling of his witness to Christ. "Let your light so shine" (Matthew 5:16). He is thus a most appropriate patron for all of us; living as we do today in an increasingly pagan country in need of being evangelised and reminded of the importance of "the things of God". His feast is on 31st August, but because of holidays, we often transfer the celebration of it to later in September.