St.
Dunstan, most famous of the Anglo-Saxon saints, was born near
Glastonbury of a noble family closely connected to the ruling house.
While
expecting him, his saintly mother was in church on Candlemas Day, when
all the lights were extinguished. Suddenly, the candle she held
spontaneously re-ignited, and all present rekindled their tapers from
this miraculous flame. This was taken to foreshadow that the child she
bore was to be a light to the Church in England.
In fact, from
early on, Dunstan gave signs of religious and academic fervor, and
demonstrated a remarkable artistic talent. He studied under the Irish
monks of Glastonbury Abbey and later, under the guidance of his uncle
St. Alphege, the Bishop of Winchester, became a monk himself and
received Holy Orders from his hands. After ordination, he retired to a
cell near an old church where he divided his time between prayer and the
crafting of sacred vessels and illuminating manuscripts. He also played
the harp.
In 943 Dunstan was appointed Abbot of Glastonbury. As
soon as he took office, he set about reconstructing the monastic
buildings, restoring the church and revamping communal life. Under his
stewardship, Glastonbury became a center of learning and the standard
for the revitalization and restoration of other monastic communities.
Dunstan
became chief council to King Edred, and then his successor, King Edgar.
He stood firmly for discipline and reform, especially in morals, among
the laity and particularly among the clergy. He also worked for the
unification of his country becoming the leader of a party. Later,
learning of Benedictine perfection, he applied its maxims to his labors.
Under
Kind Edgar he was first consecrated Bishop of Worcester, then Bishop of
London, and subsequently Archbishop of Canterbury. Upon going to Rome,
he was appointed legate of the Holy See by Pope John XII. Armed with
this authority, the saint set himself to energetically reestablish
ecclesiastical discipline under the powerful protection of the king.
He
was Edgar’s counselor for sixteen years, and continued to direct the
state during the short reign of Edward the Martyr. The political
assassination of the young prince and the dubious accession of his
half-brother Ethelred in 970 ended Archbishop Dunstan’s influence at
court, and he foretold the calamities which were to mark the new king’s
reign.
No longer directly involved in the affairs of state, the
holy archbishop retired to Canterbury. On the feast of the Ascension in
988, although gravely ill, he preached three sermons to his people and
announced his impending death. He died peacefully two days later.
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
St. Dunstan of Canterbury
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