Thursday, August 21
A Further Apology to Chris over at Maine Catholic, Socio-Religious Gender Problems of Fifth-Century Egypt and some remarks on various St. Alans
Chris, I have to apologize for my semi-humorous treatment of your patron saint over here on his last couple of feast days! St. Christopher deserves better than to be confused with Rin Tin Tin, and there are plenty more legends associated with him than just having a dog's head. Though I still think those icons are kinda cool. Incidentally, the Vatican never culled him completely from the calendar. Unlike the hatchet-jobs done on St. Catherine and St. Barbara, he was removed to local calendars, which vary from nation to nation, diocese to diocese or province to province.
By the way, what's so bad about keeping St. Apollinaris Syncletica on the calendar? I happen to be quite fond of the old girl (presuming she existed, of course). The scary thing is I knew about her before you ever mentioned her on your blog. Funny about all those cross-dressing Egyptian hermitesses, that seems to have been a common problem back in the fifth century. Or even the eleventh, if the Cistercian martyrology is to be believed. Anyway, back to reality.
One more thing about Chris's patrons, since he mentioned he knew of no St. Alan for his middle name. There happen to be several canonized or beatified men named Alan or Alanus: I hope this cheers you up! Here they are:
St. Alanus or Almus of Melrose (d. 1270), a Cistercian abbot at Balmarino in Scotland whose feast is celebrated on June 28.
Bl. Alanus de Rupe or Alaine de la Roche (c. 1428-1475), a Dominican confessor with a popular but unconfirmed cultus and who was noted for spreading devotion to the Rosary and whose feast is given as Sept. 8.
St. Alanus of Quimper (5th cent.), a bishop whose feastday (Oct. 26) is shared with that of St. Alorus, another bishop of Quimper, and of little certain is known besides the antiquity of their liturgical cultus.
And lastly, there is St. Alanus of Gascony (7th c.), a Benedictine monk and founder of the monastery at Lavauer in France, whose feast is celebrated on Nov. 25.
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