Happy Family Day!

During this BC holiday dedicated to family, we can remember the Celtic ‘families of saints’.
Celtic saints lived all over Wales, Cornwall, Ireland, Scotland, Brittany and on hundreds of large and tiny coastal islands. These western lands indeed produced thousands of saints, who lived mostly from the fourth to the eighth centuries.

Celtic saints were very closely connected with each other. The monasteries they founded were interconnected as well and this continued on to following generations. Amazingly, Celtic holiness is unique for its “families of saints”, which were sometimes very large and included representatives of several generations who were relatives by blood: holy parents and children and grandchildren, holy brothers and sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces. We can only wonder at the piety and level of Christian life of that age.

One of the families were the holy relatives Sts. Kentigerna, Fillan and Comgan.
The holy woman Kentigerna († 734) is often called “an island anchoress.” Widowed, she left her native Ireland together with her saintly brother, Comgan, and her children, among whom was St. Fillan, and moved to Scotland in order to preach the Gospel of Christ to pagan people and evangelize some parts of the country that were still not Christian. With time she settled on the island of Inchebroida. The name “Inchebroida” means “the isle of the eldress.” Today this island is commonly known as Inchcailloch, situated on Loch Lomond.

St. Fillan moved together with his mother and other relatives to Scotland. There he became a monk and lived the monastic life until the end of his life. It is known that for some time Fillan preached the Good News together with Sts. Kentigerna and Comgan and then retired to live as a hermit. During his life, Fillan by his prayer healed from many diseases the sick who flocked to him, and worked many miracles.
St. Comgan went to Scotland with his sister Kentigerna and her three children, among whom was Fillan. There were seven companions with them. The missionaries landed in the Highlands in the north of Scotland. Soon Comgan settled at Lochalsh opposite the Isle of Skye (the largest island in the Inner Hebrides off the north-western coast of Scotland) where he founded a monastery and became its abbot. The saint, known as a great ascetic, lived here for many years. St. Comgan has been widely venerated in many parts of Scotland for many centuries. A number of settlements of Scotland bear the name of this saint, among them are Kilcongen, Kilchoan (in Highland, where there is a very ancient ruined church of St. Comgan in this westernmost Scottish village) and others. Several churches in this country are dedicated to him, and there are traces of his monastic and missionary activities in such places as Islay, North Uist, Ardnamurchan and Turriff.

Venerable Kentigerna, Fillan and Comgan, pray to God for us, that He might watch over our families and keep them safe from harm, that He will help us to love and support one another, and always remember that we are blessed. Amen.

Read the full article at orthochristian.com. Image is of Inchebroida Island.

British Columbians celebrate Family Day on the third Monday of February. In 2024, Family Day falls on Monday, February 19th. To celebrate, the B.C. government provides funding for free Family Day activities. BC Family Day gives families the opportunity to spend time with their loved ones.