Brendan: Name Day and Patron Saint

St Brendan was born around 484 near Tralee, in County Kerry in Ireland, and was baptized by St Erc. As a boy he was taught by St Ita at Killeedy, and he finished his studies under St Erc, who ordained him priest in 512. For many years he sailed among the islands around Ireland, founding monasteries, and his journeys took him to the Scottish islands, to Wales and to Brittany, so that in his own lifetime he was known as Brendan the Voyager. His chief foundation was Clonfert in County Galway, begun around 557, and he also founded a monastery and a convent at Annaghdown. Tradition tells that, having heard of a fertile land far to the west, Brendan and a small band of monks fasted for forty days and set out on the ocean to find it and to bring the Gospel there. In the ninth century an Irish monk wrote this story as the Voyage of St Brendan, which was loved throughout the Middle Ages; whether Brendan himself crossed the Atlantic is still disputed. In old age he died around 577 at Annaghdown while visiting his sister Briga. Wishing to rest at Clonfert, he arranged for his body to be carried there quietly, and his grave is still found at Clonfert. The Church keeps his memory on 16 May (29 May on the Old Calendar), and the faithful remember him as a monk who trusted God on the open sea.

What the faithful pray for

• sailors and all who travel by sea
• travelers setting out on a long journey
• monks and all who seek God in prayer and fasting
• courage to go where God calls
• those who carry the Gospel to new lands