St Brendan (Approx. 484 – 577) was born in Tralee, Ireland. He received a good education and is thought to have been tutored by St Finnian of Clonard.
St Brendan was ordained a priest in 512 and for the next twenty years, he sailed around Ireland and adjoining lands including Wales, Scotland, Brittany and Northern France, preaching and spreading the word of God, and building numerous monasteries and Churches. The most notable monastery built by St Brendan was Clonfret in County Galway, Ireland.
St Brendan is probably best remembered for his epic seven-year voyage to ‘Paradise’. Having built a boat on the west coast of Ireland, he set sail into the Atlantic Ocean with possibly sixty other pilgrims aboard. There were many stopping-off points but legend suggests that he ‘discovered the land of the Saints’. The landmass that he referred to is still an interesting discussion point today, possibly America!
St Brendan’s Feast Day is the 16th of May. He is Patron Saint of sailors and travellers.
St Brendan:
Pray that our life travels will carry us to the Risen Jesus where we can enjoy eternal happiness with the Angels and Saints.
Glory be to the Father…
