The Sixth Day of Christmas | St. Egwin, Protector of Orphans & Widows | December 30, 2021

St. Egwin of Evesham, Protector of Orphans & Widows

December 30, 2021

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, we come to one who is little known in our day but had quite a recognizable name in his own. St. Egwin, Bishop of England and devout Benedictine monk had, at one point, dedicated his life to prayer and devotion including self-imposed isolation when possible. Instead, his devotion and status as a prince of the royal family forced him into the episcopate in Worcester, England. Although his first appointment as the Bishop of Worcester started with an enthusiastic reception that quickly dissipated when local priests realized Edgwin insisted on the sanctity of Christian marriage and chastity in the priesthood. So many parishioners complained about his zealotry that he endeavored a pilgrimage to Rome to plead his case to Pope Constantine who sided with Egwin and sent him back to Worcester fully restored to his position. Prior to his venture to Rome, Egwin is said to have ceremoniously shackled his hands and feet before throwing the lock’s key into the River Avon. Upon his arrival in Rome the key was reportedly handed to him by a servant having just been found in the mouth of a fish pulled out of the Tiber.

Upon his return to England St. Egwin encountered a local farmer who claimed to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary who indicated the place on which he should build a monastery. The Abbey of Evesham was built there as a Benedictine cloister that became one of the most famous of the Middle Ages. His participation in the Councils of Clovesho, which helped to advance the church in what was then Mercia, now England.

Image and article created for Rural Retreat Lutheran Parish by gakirk using VistaCreate. Copyright 2021 www.rrlp.org. All rights reserved.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Resources:

Franciscan Media. (2020, December 30). Saint Egwin of Evesham. Franciscan Media. Retrieved December 31, 2021, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-egwin

Macpherson, E. (1909). St. Egwin. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved December 30, 2021 from New dvent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05329a.htm 

Various. (2020, December 17). Councils of Clovesho. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 31, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Councils_of_Clovesho 

Background Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evesham,_St_Lawrence%27s_church_window_(38248535402).jpg