St. Brigid the Abbess of Kildare in Ireland

Saint Brigid (also called Brigit, Bridget), "the Mary of the Gael," was born around 450 in Faughart (Fochart, Fothairt), about two miles from Dundalk in County Louth in Ulster.

According to tradition, her father was a pagan named Dubthach, and her mother was Brocessa (Broiseach), one of his slaves. Whether she was raised a Christian or converted in 468, as some accounts say, is unknown, but she was inspired by the preaching of Saint Patrick from an early age.

Even as a child, she was known for her compassion for the poor. She would give away food, clothing, and even her father's possessions to the poor. One day he took Brigid to the king's court, leaving her outside to wait for him. He asked the king to buy his daughter from him, since her excessive generosity made her too expensive for him to keep. The king asked to see the girl, so Dubthach led him outside. They were just in time to see her give away her father's sword to a beggar. This sword had been presented to Dubthach by the king, who said, "I cannot buy a girl who holds us so cheap."

St Brigid received monastic tonsure at the hands of St Mael of Ardagh (February 6). Some miles from Dublin she was granted by the King of Leinster possession of a plain called the

Curragh, where she built herself a cell under a large oak tree, thence called Kill-dara, or Cell of the oak. Seven other girls soon placed themselves under her direction establishing the monastery of Kill-dara, which gave its name to the later cathedral city of Kildare. The community grew rapidly thanks to the renown of the holy Abbess, and became a double monastery, with the Abbess ranking above the Abbot, and branched out into several others all over Ireland. This was the beginning of women's cenobitic monasticism in Ireland.

The miracles performed by St Brigid are too numerous to relate here, but perhaps one story will suffice. One evening the holy abbess was sitting with the blind nun Dara. From sunset to sunrise they spoke of the joys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and of the love of Christ, losing all track of time. St Brigid was struck by the beauty of the earth and sky in the morning light. Realizing that Sister Dara was unable to appreciate this beauty, she became very sad. Then she prayed and made the Sign of the Cross over Dara's eyes. All at once, the blind nun's eyes were opened and she saw the sun in the east, and the trees and flowers sparkling with dew. She looked for a while, then turned to St Brigid and said, "Close my eyes again, dear Mother, for when the world is visible to the eyes, then God is seen less clearly by the soul." St Brigid prayed again, and Dara became blind once more.

St. Brigid fell asleep in the Lord in the year 523 on February 1, after receiving Holy Communion from St Ninnidh of Inismacsaint (January 18). She was buried at Kildare, but her relics were transferred to Downpatrick during the Viking invasions. It is believed that she was buried in the same grave with St Patrick (March 17) and St Columba of Iona (June 9).


There is a small area in Killdare dedicated to St. Brigid called the St. Brigid's Well you can visit and pray in peace:

Late in the 13th century, St. Brigid's head was brought to Portugal by three Irish knights on their way to fight in the Holy Land. They left this holy relic in the parish church of Lumiar (Igreja São João Baptista), about three miles from Lisbon. 

Portions of the skull relic were brought back to Ireland in 1929 and placed in the new Church of St. Brigid in Dublin. But the rest of the relics of St. Brigid in Ireland were destroyed in the 16th century by Lord Grey during the reign of Henry VIII.

 The holy relics of St. Brigid in Ireland

A few good books on the life of St. Brigid are:

"The Life of Saint Brigid: Abbess of Kildare" by Jane Meyer

"Christina’s True Heroes" by Maria C. Khoury - read the chapter on St. Brigid

 "Brigid's Cloak" by Bryce Milligan 

 "Saints and Friendly Beasts: Saint Brigid and the Cows" by Eva K. Betz

The tradition of making St Brigid's crosses from rushes and hanging them in the home is still followed in Ireland, where devotion to her is still strong. Here is the story behind her cross:
During one of her travels, St. Brigid went to visit a dying pagan chieftain. As she sat near his bed, she picked up some rushes on the floor and began weaving a Cross. He asked her about what she was doing and, in explaining, she told him about Christ and the meaning of the Cross. He came to faith and was baptized.

One non-craft tradition on St. Brigid's feast day is to make Irish oak cakes. 

Saint Brigid was known to travel the countryside, blessing households as she went ... accompanied by a white cow with red ears. You should make her feel welcome, just in case she passes by - placing bread and fresh butter on the outside windowsill, together with corn for the cow. Also remember to lay out some rushes for her. These are to kneel on while blessing the household.
(many of these crafts are also Catholic in nature since many of the saints on this blog are pre-schism):

 

Have kids that love doing crafts? Try making this St. Brigid Cross with pipe cleaners!

 Or if you have younger children, you can color a picture of St. Brigid:

When coloring a picture of St. Brigid's cross, write down the following prayer under the picture:

"We implore Thee, by the memory of Thy Cross's hallowed and most bitter anguish, make us fear Thee, make us love Thee, O Christ. Amen."
--Prayer of Saint Brigid.