Saint Brendan had a boat, Saint Brendan of Clonfert was one of the great early Irish monastic saints. One of the twelve Apostles of Erin, who studied under St. Finian, he was born in County Kerry in 484. He was ordained Priest in 512 and began to construct monastic cells in Ardfert. In 530, it is believed he began his famous seven year voyage to the west, in search of Eden or the Isle of the Blessed.
It has been suggested that his voyage was prompted by an angel, after Brendan had doubted that God was the creator. He set sail with sixty pilgrims in a leather clad boat. During his voyage he encountered many strange and wonderful sights, the most famous being the Jasconius. On Easter Sunday the group spotted and landed on an island to say Mass. After Brendan had lit the Easter fire the island began to shake and it transpired that it was actually an enormous whale. As the pilgrims tried to escape the beast tried to encircle the boat by putting its tail in its mouth but Brendan, invoking the Lord, banished it to the depths.
One of the most interesting elements of the legend is their final destination. The Isle of the Blessed or as it came to be known, St. Brendan’s Island. It has been suggested that this island might have been America. Columbus used the manuscript Navigatio sancti Brendani abbatis when plotting his own voyage, remarking later "I am convinced that the terrestrial paradise is in the Island of Saint Brendan, which none can reach save by the Will of God". Recently this legend prompted the Irish explorer Tim Sherwin, to demonstrate that it was possible to cross the Atlantic in a leather clad boat.
However St. Brendan is not a saint because he had a marvellous journey. On his return to Ireland he attracted much interest and began a programme of building monasteries across the country. In 550, he made a less eventful journey across the Irish Sea, established a house in Wales and visited the holy island of Iona. He returned to Ireland and preached through the province of Leinster. He died in 577.
It is impossible to verify the events of St. Brendan’s life but there is an important message from the legend. Heaven is not, as Belinda Carlisle said, a place on earth, it is not a location we can find on a map or by exploring; and yet the kingdom is here, it is in the Gospel and in the person of Jesus Christ. In the Church we experience the Kingdom and through the Church we are led to the Kingdom.
For many years, I had a book called The Brendan Voyage (Tim Severin)on my bookshelf. I had a strange aversion to reading it, and had no idea what it was about.
ReplyDeleteOne day, I picked it up and realised that it was about a reconstruction of St Brendan's voyage. It was thoroughly enjoyable and led me to find out more about church history and the Celtic saints.