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St. Bede the Venerable

Saturday May 25, 2024

Even during his own lifetime people respected St. Bede for his faith and wisdom. He was called "venerable" by those around him.

St. Bede was born in 673. He was a Benedictine monk in England. He became a deacon at age 19 and was ordained a priest at age 30. He believed that knowledge, especially the knowledge of scripture, should be available to all and he copied many books to facilitate this. This was before the typewriter was invented!

He also wrote 45 original books. These included classroom texts, lives of the saints, history books, works on scripture, and more. He is perhaps best known for writing Ecclesiastical History of the English People. This gives an account of the history and culture of England. While he did not invent the AD (Anno Domini) system of dating, he popularized it by using it in his writings.

St. Bede the Venerable died in 735. When he died, he was reciting his favorite prayer, the Glory Be.

His feast day is May 25.

Patron Saint of ...

St. Bede the Venerable is the patron saint of historians.

Daily Mass Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor of the Church

  • First Reading - 1 Corinthians 2:10b-16: "And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms."
  • Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 119: "Lord, teach me your statutes."
  • Gospel - Matthew 7:21-29: "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock."

Video

The story of Bede, the monk who became the first historian of England and chronicler of the Northern Saints.

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