Saint Aldhelm, Feast day May 25th

Saint Aldhelm (c.639-7090 was Abbot of Malmesbury Abbey, Bishop of Sherborne, a writer and scholar of Latin Poetry.

He is said to have been the son of Kenten, who was of the royal house of Wessex.

Aldhelm was educated by an Irish hermit called Maildulf (also known as Maemaidub, Maidubh and Meldun), who had a small school near what is now Maimesbury (which was named after him). He remained with him for many years.

In 668 Pope Vitalian sent Theodore of Tarsus to be Archbishop of Canterbury. At the same time Hadrian, the North African scholar, became abbot of St. Augustine’s at Canterbury. Aldhelm, now aged about 30, went to Canterbury. There his studies included Roman law, astronomy, astrology, the art of reckoning and the difficulties of the calendar. He learned Latin and Greek, plus possibly Hebrew. He used Latinized Greek words in his works on poetry and prose.

Due to ill health he left Canterbury and returned to Malmesbury Abbey where he was a monk under Maildulf for 14 years, dating probably from 661. It was a small community that had grown from Maildulf 's pupils

On the death of Maildulf he was appointed as the first abbot of Malmesbury.He introduced Benedictine rule and secured the right of the election of the abbot to the monks he founded 2 other monasteries - Frome in Somerset and Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire. He also built a new church at Malmesbury and obtained grants of land for the monastery. He was the abbot there for 35 years

He was a learned man and also a poet, It is said if his hearers would not listen to his sermons he would sing his own songs to them. There is a story that his sermon at Bishopstrow in Wiltshire was so long that his staff, which he stuck into the ground when he began, had ash buds on it at the end!

His fame as a scholar spread to other countries. Artwil, the son of an Irish king, submitted his writings for Aldhelm’s approval As far as we know he was the first Anglo Saxon to write in Latin verse. ( For more detail go to Wikipedia entry)

HIs fame reached Rome. He was successfully involved in solving the controversy of the dating of Easter.

He reluctantly became the first bishop of Sherborne when the huge diocese of West Sussex was divided into Winchester and Sherborne. The monks at the abbey did not want to lose him so he was both abbot and bishop. His territory stretched right to Land’s End,

Aldhelm was now in his mid 60s but he was very active as a bishop. He built the cathedral church at Sherborne. He was known to sing hymns and passages from the Gospels, interspersed with entertaining tales, in public places, so he might draw attention from the crowds and then preach to them. He is known as the Apostle of Wessex.

He died on 25 May, 709 five years after he had become bishop. He was buried in the church of St. Michael at Malmesbury Abbey. HIs friend, St. Egwin, Bishop of Worcester, set up crosses at Aldhelm’s various stopping places.

His feast, on May 25th, is in the Sarum Missal.