[MR] Wikipedia: Life and Death of St. Dunstan

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

May 19 marks the death date and the feast day of St. Dunstan (909-988), the
most popular Christian saint in England until the martyrdom of Thomas
Becket: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunstan .

During his long life St. Dunstan was Abbot of Glastonbury, Bishop of
several sees, and Archbishop of Canterbury. He also served as advisor and
envoy to a number of English kings, and had to flee from a few others. St.
Dunstan is credited with revitalizing monastic life in England.

He is also said to have twisted the Devil's schnoz with a pair of tongs, an
incident mentioned in Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL in relation to the
cold biting people's noses.

Upon his death at Canterbury, St. Dunstan's remains were treated as a saint
and a tomb was built in the Cathedral. He was formally canonized in 1029.
The monks of Glastonbury Abbey, always eager for a saint or two of their
own, claimed that Dunstan's relics had been moved there in to save him from
Viking raids in 1012. In 1508 his tomb at Canterbury was opened and found
to still be occupied. The shrine, tomb and relics, along with those of
Becket and other saints collected in Canterbury, were trashed on the orders
of Henry VIII.

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆