Daily Mass - feast day of the monk Saint Bede, called the Venerable

Mass was offered today for the repose of the soul of the Reverend J. M. P. McCarthy. 

I have very little to say about Saint Bede. I have a vague idea that he lived in the eighth century and was a monk at Wearmouth and Jarrow, was a prolific philosopher, theologian and natural scientist, never travelled too far from his beloved monastery. I know he wrote an ecclesiastical history of the English people. Some months ago, having two weeks off, I went on an excursion around the country. One of my stops was my first ever to the north country and I rode into Newcastle on the trains. Pulling into Newcastle, I was surprised to see a gigantic church building appear to the right of the tracks. I was passing Durham and I determined to stop there: it was my first visit to the great cathedral, which holds the remains of both Saint Cuthbert and Saint Bede, the latter's tomb being outside the great west door of the church and to one side. I didn't know when I would be able to visit again, so I ran up the tower to the top for a view of the country around, then came down and said my rosary walking around the cloister, as (no doubt) monks had done in the long distant past. 

Coming away from Durham, I stopped at the local Waterstones and got a copy of Bede's ecclesiastical history. It's sitting on the table beside me and I'm still feeling my way through it. Because of it, some people call Bede the father of English history. It should be an interesting read. May the good monk pray for us.

photo credit: Matt Knott Durham. via photopin (license)