St. Paulinus of York, Bishop
10 October
Born c. 584; died at Rochester, England, 644. In 601, Saint Paulinus
was sent as a missionary from Rome to England by
Pope Saint Gregory I
(f.d. September 3)
with Saints Mellitus (f.d. April 24) and Justus (f.d.
November 10). There they assisted Saint Augustine (f.d. May 27) by
evangelising in Kent for 24 years.
He was consecrated bishop of York in 625 by Justus, then accompanied
Saint Ethelburga (f.d. April 5), daughter of King
Ethelbert of Kent, to Northumbria as her chaplain when she married Edwin
of Northumbria. Saint Bede tells us that two years later (627) Paulinus
baptized King Saint Edwin (f.d. October 12) on Easter Eve in York,
bringing Christianity to Northumbria. (A much less reliable source, the
Welsh Nennius, ascribes Edwin's baptism to a Welsh priest.) Paulinus and
his assistants baptized thousands, who followed their king into
Christianity.
Saint Paulinus, described as a tall, dark man, "of venerable and
awe-inspiring appearance," followed up Edwin's baptism with a series of
missionary journeys over a wide area. He reached as far north as
Lincoln. During the last year's of Edwin's reign, there was such peace
and order in his dominions that a proverb arose: A woman could carry
her new-born baby across the island from sea to sea and suffer no harm
(Bede). But the peace did not last for long.
Pope Saint Honorius I (f.d. September 30) recognised Paulinus as
archbishop of York, but before the letter arrived the first
missionary efforts in Northumbria had ended. When Edwin was slain by
the pagan Mercian Cadwallon at the Battle of Hatfield Chase in 633,
Northumbria reverted to paganism. Paulinus returned to Kent by sea with
Ethelburga, her two children, and Edwin's grandson Osfrid. He left his
deacon James to conduct the missionary efforts to the best of his
ability in difficult circumstances. Paulinus was named administrator of
the vacant see of Rochester, administered it for 10 years
(Attwater,
Benedictines,
Delaney,
Encyclopaedia).
Service to our Holy Father Paulinus, Bishop of York
http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/servpaul.htm
Generally, Paulinus is depicted as an archbishop baptizing King Saint
Edwin
(Roeder).
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Page last updated: 10 October 2008
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