Tuesday, November 25
St. Katherine Goes AWOL
A reader in Ireland writes:
This Tuesday [that is, today] is the feast of St Catherine of Alexandria, patron of the western part of our parish. Local folklore doesn't agree with the claim of the Orthodox monks of the Transfiguration Abbey on Mount Sinai to have her body. Legend has it that the saint's remains were placed in a barrel after her martyrdom, and were washed ashore at Ventry beach. The first man to come across her remains was unable to lift the barrel, so a whole gang of men was summoned together to bring the relics of the saint to be interred in the local cemetery. To this day, prayers are recited in the cemetery in honour of St Catherine. It is said that in earlier centuries she used to favour her devotees by appearing to them whilst they 'made their rounds'. However, this stopped when the first protestant burial in that graveyard occurred.I suppose if St. Martha could make alive it to Provence, this isn't too much of a stretch. At least the monks at Sinai get to keep the burning bush anyway.
![[SMMMHDH]](http://www.mgilleland.com/music/smmmhdh.png){kind=small}
