Seeker

In Aidan gets my vote I suggested St Aidan was a more appropriate patron saint for England than St George. Thinking about that again on this year's St Aidan's Day (31 August), I think he would make a suitable saint for all Britain - except perhaps Wales. The  photo above is of part of the statue of Aidan on Holy Island in Northumberland. Originally from Ireland, Aidan came from his monastery on the island of Iona in Scotland as a missionary to the Angles and other peoples of Northumbria in northern England. He got sent there after Corman had returned from his unsuccessful mission reporting that the Northumbrians were too uncivilised and stubborn to be converted. It would seem that Aidan was more gifted than Corman at getting alongside people, even when he did not speak their language. Here is what the Venerable Bede wrote about him "He neither sought nor loved anything of this world, but delighted in distributing immediately to the poor whatever was given him ...

I f England must have a patron saint, why can't it be St Aidan rather than St George? Peaceful Aidan gets my vote every time. St George wasn't English and never lived here. George was a Palestinian, a Roman soldier who died in Turkey. The legend about dragon slaying seems to come from something he did in Libya. Yes, I know, St Aidan wasn't English either. St Aidan was born in Ireland and was a monk in Scotland, but at least he lived in what is now part of England  for a substantial time. What contribution did St George make England? None. St Aidan on the the other hand made a significant contribution to the needs of the people of the 7th century kingdom of Northumbria (north-east England) and has left an enduring Christian heritage. Aidan is also a more attractive figure than St George, who is usually depicted as a warrior riding a horse with a sword in his hand. Aidan preferred walking, as he valued being on the same level as other people, ...