Day Thirty Two- 2/1/11 Celebrating St. Bridget's Feast Day

Day Thirty Two: 2/1/11
New Thing: Celebrating St. Bridget's Feast Day 
Inspiration: Bridget of Kildare, Abbess
Cost: $0
Time: About a 1/2 hour
Bottom Line: Since Bridget is one of my favorite saints, this was a joy!

Notice the fire and the cross.

Reflection: Today is the Feast Day of St. Bridget of Ireland! Here is a little bit of her hagiography from James Kiefer:

Bridget (Brigid, Bride, Bridey) of Kildare was born around 450 into a Druid family, being the daughter of Dubhthach, court poet to King Loeghaire. At an early age, she decided to become a Christian, and she eventually took vows as a nun. Together with a group of other women, she established a nunnery at Kildare. She was later joined by a community of monks led by Conlaed. Kildare had formerly been a pagan shrine where a sacred fire was kept perpetually burning, and Bridget and her nuns, instead of stamping out the fire, kept it going but gave it a Christian interpretation. (This was in keeping with the general process whereby Druidism in Ireland gave way to Christianity with very little opposition, the Druids for the most part saying that their own beliefs were a partial and tentative insight into the nature of God, and that they recognized in Christianity what they had been looking for.) Bridget as an abbess participated in several Irish councils, and her influence on the policies of the Church in Ireland was considerable. (http://elvis.rowan.edu/~kilroy/JEK/)

St. Bridget's Cross

Bridget is indeed laudable for her piety and life, but her legend is also incredibly interesting. When I was a student at Moravian, my favorite class was "Irish Mythology" and Bridget was a major figure that we studied since Saint Bridget is often considered a Christianization of an earlier pagan goddess Brigid. This means that for Ireland, Bridget has stood the test of time as a holy woman and has been one of the bridges to help spread Christianity in that part of the world. I also had the cool experience of visiting one of the sacred wells that is attributed to her in Ireland. Very moving. 

Here are some of my favorite Bridget stories:  

• It is thought that her parents were baptized by St. Patrick himself and that Bridget hear him preach several times.  Some even think that Patrick heard her final vows before entering into the convent. 
•  She established a double monastery in Kildare, an art school and many monasteries all over Ireland. 
• She traveled extensively (which is add for that time period) and is one of the parton saints of traveling.  
• She is know for her love and compassion for the poor, and she once turned water into beer for some thirsty priests. She also could supply an endless supply of milk and ale to her guests and is often depicted with a cow.
• Brigid is known for being the only female bishop of the early church. It is said that upon receiving her vows Saint Mel was inspired by God to make her a bishop. She is often depicted with a bishop's crosier.

So, to celebrate this wonderful woman, I decided to make a traditional St. Bridget's Cross for the first time. "Making a St. Brigid’s cross is one of the traditional rituals in Ireland to celebrate the beginning of early spring, February 1. The crosses are made of rushes that are pulled rather than cut. They are hung by the door and in the rafters to protect the house from fire and evil. St. Brigid and her cross are linked together by the story that she wove this form of cross at the death bed of either her father or a pagan lord, who upon hearing what the cross meant, asked to be baptized." (http://www.crosscrucifix.com/articlehome.htm)

The art in the original form.

There was only one problem. I did not have any rushes. However, I think that the beauty of the legend that surrounds Bridget's Cross is how she used the every day materials at hand to show forth Jesus' story. So, I did the same thing. I found something that was at hand and re-proposed it to make this beautiful symbol: Delia's beautiful watercolor work. She has made several of these large paintings and I chose one to cut into strips to serve as rushes.

After that I followed the direction that I found online and wove the strips together. (http://www.fisheaters.com/stbrigidscross.html)

Each arm of the cross should have seven pieces to represent the seven days of the week. Finally, I used other pieces of the panting and a little clear tape to bind the arms together.

And there you have it! I plan on giving it to Ellyn, Andrew and their crew tomorrow for their house blessing. St. Bridget's crosses are meant to hang over the door of a house for blessing and protection and that is perfect for a house blessing.

Everliving God, we rejoice today in the fellowship of thy blessed servant Brigid, and we give thee thanks for her life of devoted service. Inspire us with life and light, and give us perseverance to serve thee all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end.