St. Bridget

Donor: Mrs. Ellen Walsh, Rawlins Cross

Builder: Louis Koch, Beauvais, France

In Memory of: The Late John Walsh, Rawlins Cross

Saint Bridget

(b. 453, Fochard, Northern Ireland; d. 523, Kildare, Ireland)

Saint Bridget of Ireland was a determined, faithful Catholic who was responsible for starting convents and monasteries throughout Ireland. Bridget's Celtic name, Brigid, which means "fiery arrow," can be traced back to the goddess of the same name with whom Bridget is often conflated.

Also known as Bride, Bridget of Ireland, Bride of the Isles, and Mary of the Gael, she now reigns as one of the most recognized saints in Ireland; she and Saint Patrick are the only Irish saints to hold a place on the celebrated Catholic Calendar of Saints.

In most artistic representations Bridget is show with a cow lying at her feet. This recalls the story that as abbess of a convent in Ireland, with the assistance of angels, she caused cows to give milk three times the same day to enable visiting bishops to have enough to drink.

Another symbol of her position was the crozier. As the leader of the convent she had the right to carry a crozier. The Crozier was a symbol of the Abyess, Abbot, and Bishop.

(Bridget's day is February 1st.)