About Today
Friday 24 April 2026
Friday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
Saints Erkenwald and Mellitus, Bishops of London
or Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest, Martyr
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 3. Liturgical Colour: White.
Other saints: St Erkenwald (- 693)
Brentwood, Southwark, Westminster
Saint Erconwald [or Erkenwald] was born at “Stallyngeton in Lindsey” (possibly Stallingborough, near Grimsby) in the early seventh century. His father is variously described as Anna or Offa, king of East Anglia, and a pagan. Erconwald was converted to Christianity at an early age by St Mellitus, the companion of Augustine and first Bishop of London [in the continuous line which ended in 1559: see the note at the bottom]. He then converted his younger sister Ethelburga and baptised her, much to the fury of their father. Ethelburga eventually fled her parents’ home with one servant to escape being forced into marriage with a pagan.
In the year 666 Erconwald founded the monastery of Chertsey, on an island in the Thames, apparently at the junction of several kingdoms. It is described as being founded in the reign of King Egbert, King of Kent; the foundation was confirmed, and richly endowed, by Frithwald, viceroy of Surrey, under Wulfhere King of Mercia. The Viceroy put himself and his son under obedience to Erconwald in return for prayers. Wulfhere confirmed this endowment. There is a further charter of Frithwald and Erconwald, to increase the lands of the monastery: the “Limites Terrarum” describes lands in Chertsey, Thorpe, Egham and adjacent parishes now attached to the monastery.
Shortly after this Erconwald founded a convent at Barking in Essex, intended to be a refuge for his sister Ethelburga. The foundation charter, countersigned by Hodilred, King of Essex, provides us with a specimen of the saint’s handwriting. In the course of building the house at Barking one beam was found to be too short, and was pulled out to the correct length by Erconwald and his sister.
Erconwald remained as Abbot of Chertsey until 675 when he was consecrated third Bishop of London by St Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury. St Erconwald appears to have been the first resident bishop, and probably began the building of St Paul’s, although traditionally this was adapted from a pagan temple of old Londinium. In 677 he visited Rome, and obtained a number of privileges for his diocese and monastery from Pope Agatho I.
During his time as Bishop, Erconwald became noted for miracles and for evangelization. He instructed St Neot, afterwards of Crowland Abbey, and the two Kings of Essex, Sebbi and Sigheri, the former of whom afterwards became a hermit in St Paul’s under Erconwald’s successor Waldhere.
In 690 Erconwald was summoned, together with St Wilfrid, to the deathbed of St Theodore. Both ministered to him, but Theodore was more concerned to speak to Wilfrid, whom he wished to succeed him. In 692 King Ine of Wessex mentions his “father Erconwald” who assisted him in codifying the Laws of Wessex.
Thus Erconwald is associated with the Kings of East Anglia, Mercia, Essex, Wessex and Kent, all of whom seem to have had interests centering in the Chertsey area. The King of Sussex, Æthelwealh, was godson to Wulfhere of Mercia, so six of the Seven Kingdoms are involved in his story.
Towards the end of his life Erconwald was confined to a wheelchair, about which many stories are told. On one occasion a raging river parted to allow the Saint to cross in his chair; on another one wheel fell off but the chair miraculously did not upset. After his death many miracles of healing were worked by the same wheelchair.
In 693 Brithwald, Archbishop of Canterbury, consecrated Waldhere as fourth Bishop of London, so it seems likely that Erconwald died in that year, on 30th April. He died while on retreat at Barking Abbey, and there was the usual unseemly dispute over who should have the burying of him, between Barking, Chertsey and London. The Canons of St Paul’s prevailed, and despite a last-ditch attempt by the nuns of Barking, succeeded in capping their miracle with a greater. (The nuns prayed for rain to swell the river at Ilford to make it impossible for the cortege to cross, and to extinguish the candles, but the men of London persuaded the candles to relight, and the river to part again so that they crossed dry-shod.) Despite all this he was buried in a common earthen grave where he remained until 1087 when a fire destroyed the cathedral and everything in it except the coffin containing his remains. These were then translated to a splendid new shrine behind the high altar, where they remained right up to the Great Fire of 1666, despite the depredations of the Reformation. He was venerated throughout the Middle Ages.
Note: A pedant informs us – and we gratefully acknowledge it – that the above notes are not quite correct. There were Bishops of London long before the first Bishop of London. There may have been up to 16 Bishops of London in Romano-British times; then again, there may not. Bishops from York and from London are documented as having attended the Council of Arles in the year 314. Actually, the record says there were two Bishops of London at the Council, which is impossible. One, Restitutus, was “de civitate Londenensi”, “from the city of London”, which seems reasonable enough. The other, Adelfius, was “de civitate Colonia Londenensium” and this may be a mistake for “de civitate Camulodunensium” – “the city of the people of Camulodunum”, or Colchester. Then again, another scholar has argued that he might have been from Caerleon. The history of our own times may one day be as thin as this!
Other saints: Saint Egbert (639-729)
Argyll & the Isles
Ecgberht was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman, probably from Northumbria. In his youth he travelled to Ireland in 664, to study. One of his acquaintances at this time was Chad. He settled at the monastery of Rathelmigisi (Rathmelsigi). His Northumbrian traveling companions, including Æthelhun, died of the plague, and he contracted it as well. He vowed that if he recovered he would become a peregrinus, on perpetual pilgrimage from his homeland of Britain, and would lead a life of penitential prayer and fasting. He was then 25, and when he recovered he kept his vow until his death at the age of 90.
He began to organize monks in Ireland to proselytize in Frisia, in what is now north-western Germany. Many other high-born notables were associated with his work: Saint Adalbert of Egmond (–710), Saint Swithbert, and Saint Chad.
He had influential contacts with the kings of Northumbria and of the Picts, as well as with Iona, which he persuaded to adopt the Roman dating of Easter. He became bishop of Lindisfarne. He died on the first day that the Easter feast was observed on this date in his monastery, on 24 April 729.
St Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1578 - 1622)
He was born in Sigmaringen in Germany. He joined the Capuchin Friars at the age of 35 and led a harsh life of prayer and vigils. An assiduous preacher, he was ordered by the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith to preach orthodox doctrine in the Grisons (part of Switzerland). He was murdered by a Calvinist mob at Seewis on 24 April 1622. See the articles in the Catholic Encyclopaedia and Wikipedia.
Saints Erkenwald and Mellitus, Bishops of London
Today's gospel reading: Matthew 23:8-12
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.’
Reflection on the 6th Century Manuscript
Today we remember two great contributors of the early Church in London: Mellitus and Erkenwald. These two men, in very different ways, helped plant the Christian faith in a fragile and uncertain land. Mellitus came first, sent as part of the great mission from Rome. Mellitus was directly part of Saint Augustine on Canterbury’s mission. He was one of the second group of missionaries sent from Rome around 601 to support Augustine. Augustine himself appointed Mellitus as the first Bishop of London, entrusting him with establishing the Church in one of the most important cities of the land. When Mellitus arrived in London around the year 604, he did not come into a fully Christian city, but into a place of transition—still shaped by its Roman past and largely pagan in practice. It was under the protection of Æthelberht of Kent, the first Anglo-Saxon king to convert to Christianity, that the mission could take root. Although London itself was ruled by Æthelberht’s nephew, King Sæberht of Essex, it was Æthelberht’s influence that made it possible for Mellitus to establish a Christian presence there. With royal backing, Mellitus founded what would become the first cathedral dedicated to St Paul on the site we now know as St Paul’s Cathedral.
Years later, the story continues with Erkenwald, living a generation after Mellitus, in the later7th century (he died around 693). He was born into Anglo-Saxon nobility. His royal and aristocratic connections helped him enormously in his mission to spread the Christian faith in London. Before becoming bishop, he founded two important monasteries: one at Chertsey for monks, and one at Barking for nuns, where his own sister, Saint Ethelburga, became abbess. These foundations became centres of prayer, learning, and stability in a still-fragile Christian landscape in and around London. He was made bishop in 675. So whilst Mellitus had founded the first Christian presence in London, Erkenwald helped to expand it and root it deeply into the daily life of Londoners.
Our illustration is taken from a 6th manuscript which is considered "more or less the oldest substantially complete copy" of Jerome's translation of the Gospels. Only two full-page miniatures remain, yet they are of immense importance, precisely because so few works from this period have survived. They are like fragile windows into the very beginnings o fWestern Christian art. Jerome had died only a short time before this copy was written in 420AD. Our page depicts scenes from the Passion of Christ. It is believed that this manuscript may once have been the personal Gospel book of Mellitus.
Gospels of Saint Augustine,Tradition states that this book was the personalproperty of St Mellitus,6th century Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Ms. 286, fol.
And perhaps that is why they are remembered together. One began the work; the other built upon those foundations it. Their lives remind us that the Church is never built in a single moment. It grows, falters, is rebuilt, and grows again. They also show us that holiness is not always dramatic our spectacular. Holiness is often patient, faithful, hidden and about laying foundations and quietly building, stone by stone.
Our illustration is taken from a 6th manuscript which is considered "more or less the oldestsubstantially complete copy" of Jerome's translation of the Gospels. Only two full-pageminiatures remain, yet they are of immense importance, precisely because so few worksfrom this period have survived. They are like fragile windows into the very beginnings ofWestern Christian art. Jerome had died only a short time before this copy was written in 420AD. Our page depicts scenes from the Passion of Christ. It is believed that this manuscript may once have been the personal Gospel book of Mellitus.
Gospels of Saint Augustine,Tradition states that this book was the personalproperty of St Mellitus,6th centuryCambridge, Corpus Christi College, Ms. 286, fol.
Friday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
Saints Erkenwald and Mellitus, Bishops of London
or Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest, Martyr
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 3. Liturgical Colour: White.
Other saints: St Erkenwald (- 693)
Brentwood, Southwark, Westminster
Saint Erconwald [or Erkenwald] was born at “Stallyngeton in Lindsey” (possibly Stallingborough, near Grimsby) in the early seventh century. His father is variously described as Anna or Offa, king of East Anglia, and a pagan. Erconwald was converted to Christianity at an early age by St Mellitus, the companion of Augustine and first Bishop of London [in the continuous line which ended in 1559: see the note at the bottom]. He then converted his younger sister Ethelburga and baptised her, much to the fury of their father. Ethelburga eventually fled her parents’ home with one servant to escape being forced into marriage with a pagan.
In the year 666 Erconwald founded the monastery of Chertsey, on an island in the Thames, apparently at the junction of several kingdoms. It is described as being founded in the reign of King Egbert, King of Kent; the foundation was confirmed, and richly endowed, by Frithwald, viceroy of Surrey, under Wulfhere King of Mercia. The Viceroy put himself and his son under obedience to Erconwald in return for prayers. Wulfhere confirmed this endowment. There is a further charter of Frithwald and Erconwald, to increase the lands of the monastery: the “Limites Terrarum” describes lands in Chertsey, Thorpe, Egham and adjacent parishes now attached to the monastery.
Shortly after this Erconwald founded a convent at Barking in Essex, intended to be a refuge for his sister Ethelburga. The foundation charter, countersigned by Hodilred, King of Essex, provides us with a specimen of the saint’s handwriting. In the course of building the house at Barking one beam was found to be too short, and was pulled out to the correct length by Erconwald and his sister.
Erconwald remained as Abbot of Chertsey until 675 when he was consecrated third Bishop of London by St Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury. St Erconwald appears to have been the first resident bishop, and probably began the building of St Paul’s, although traditionally this was adapted from a pagan temple of old Londinium. In 677 he visited Rome, and obtained a number of privileges for his diocese and monastery from Pope Agatho I.
During his time as Bishop, Erconwald became noted for miracles and for evangelization. He instructed St Neot, afterwards of Crowland Abbey, and the two Kings of Essex, Sebbi and Sigheri, the former of whom afterwards became a hermit in St Paul’s under Erconwald’s successor Waldhere.
In 690 Erconwald was summoned, together with St Wilfrid, to the deathbed of St Theodore. Both ministered to him, but Theodore was more concerned to speak to Wilfrid, whom he wished to succeed him. In 692 King Ine of Wessex mentions his “father Erconwald” who assisted him in codifying the Laws of Wessex.
Thus Erconwald is associated with the Kings of East Anglia, Mercia, Essex, Wessex and Kent, all of whom seem to have had interests centering in the Chertsey area. The King of Sussex, Æthelwealh, was godson to Wulfhere of Mercia, so six of the Seven Kingdoms are involved in his story.
Towards the end of his life Erconwald was confined to a wheelchair, about which many stories are told. On one occasion a raging river parted to allow the Saint to cross in his chair; on another one wheel fell off but the chair miraculously did not upset. After his death many miracles of healing were worked by the same wheelchair.
In 693 Brithwald, Archbishop of Canterbury, consecrated Waldhere as fourth Bishop of London, so it seems likely that Erconwald died in that year, on 30th April. He died while on retreat at Barking Abbey, and there was the usual unseemly dispute over who should have the burying of him, between Barking, Chertsey and London. The Canons of St Paul’s prevailed, and despite a last-ditch attempt by the nuns of Barking, succeeded in capping their miracle with a greater. (The nuns prayed for rain to swell the river at Ilford to make it impossible for the cortege to cross, and to extinguish the candles, but the men of London persuaded the candles to relight, and the river to part again so that they crossed dry-shod.) Despite all this he was buried in a common earthen grave where he remained until 1087 when a fire destroyed the cathedral and everything in it except the coffin containing his remains. These were then translated to a splendid new shrine behind the high altar, where they remained right up to the Great Fire of 1666, despite the depredations of the Reformation. He was venerated throughout the Middle Ages.
Note: A pedant informs us – and we gratefully acknowledge it – that the above notes are not quite correct. There were Bishops of London long before the first Bishop of London. There may have been up to 16 Bishops of London in Romano-British times; then again, there may not. Bishops from York and from London are documented as having attended the Council of Arles in the year 314. Actually, the record says there were two Bishops of London at the Council, which is impossible. One, Restitutus, was “de civitate Londenensi”, “from the city of London”, which seems reasonable enough. The other, Adelfius, was “de civitate Colonia Londenensium” and this may be a mistake for “de civitate Camulodunensium” – “the city of the people of Camulodunum”, or Colchester. Then again, another scholar has argued that he might have been from Caerleon. The history of our own times may one day be as thin as this!
Other saints: Saint Egbert (639-729)
Argyll & the Isles
Ecgberht was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman, probably from Northumbria. In his youth he travelled to Ireland in 664, to study. One of his acquaintances at this time was Chad. He settled at the monastery of Rathelmigisi (Rathmelsigi). His Northumbrian traveling companions, including Æthelhun, died of the plague, and he contracted it as well. He vowed that if he recovered he would become a peregrinus, on perpetual pilgrimage from his homeland of Britain, and would lead a life of penitential prayer and fasting. He was then 25, and when he recovered he kept his vow until his death at the age of 90.
He began to organize monks in Ireland to proselytize in Frisia, in what is now north-western Germany. Many other high-born notables were associated with his work: Saint Adalbert of Egmond (–710), Saint Swithbert, and Saint Chad.
He had influential contacts with the kings of Northumbria and of the Picts, as well as with Iona, which he persuaded to adopt the Roman dating of Easter. He became bishop of Lindisfarne. He died on the first day that the Easter feast was observed on this date in his monastery, on 24 April 729.
St Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1578 - 1622)
He was born in Sigmaringen in Germany. He joined the Capuchin Friars at the age of 35 and led a harsh life of prayer and vigils. An assiduous preacher, he was ordered by the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith to preach orthodox doctrine in the Grisons (part of Switzerland). He was murdered by a Calvinist mob at Seewis on 24 April 1622. See the articles in the Catholic Encyclopaedia and Wikipedia.
Saints Erkenwald and Mellitus, Bishops of London
Today's gospel reading: Matthew 23:8-12
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.’
Reflection on the 6th Century Manuscript
Today we remember two great contributors of the early Church in London: Mellitus and Erkenwald. These two men, in very different ways, helped plant the Christian faith in a fragile and uncertain land. Mellitus came first, sent as part of the great mission from Rome. Mellitus was directly part of Saint Augustine on Canterbury’s mission. He was one of the second group of missionaries sent from Rome around 601 to support Augustine. Augustine himself appointed Mellitus as the first Bishop of London, entrusting him with establishing the Church in one of the most important cities of the land. When Mellitus arrived in London around the year 604, he did not come into a fully Christian city, but into a place of transition—still shaped by its Roman past and largely pagan in practice. It was under the protection of Æthelberht of Kent, the first Anglo-Saxon king to convert to Christianity, that the mission could take root. Although London itself was ruled by Æthelberht’s nephew, King Sæberht of Essex, it was Æthelberht’s influence that made it possible for Mellitus to establish a Christian presence there. With royal backing, Mellitus founded what would become the first cathedral dedicated to St Paul on the site we now know as St Paul’s Cathedral.
Years later, the story continues with Erkenwald, living a generation after Mellitus, in the later7th century (he died around 693). He was born into Anglo-Saxon nobility. His royal and aristocratic connections helped him enormously in his mission to spread the Christian faith in London. Before becoming bishop, he founded two important monasteries: one at Chertsey for monks, and one at Barking for nuns, where his own sister, Saint Ethelburga, became abbess. These foundations became centres of prayer, learning, and stability in a still-fragile Christian landscape in and around London. He was made bishop in 675. So whilst Mellitus had founded the first Christian presence in London, Erkenwald helped to expand it and root it deeply into the daily life of Londoners.
Our illustration is taken from a 6th manuscript which is considered "more or less the oldest substantially complete copy" of Jerome's translation of the Gospels. Only two full-page miniatures remain, yet they are of immense importance, precisely because so few works from this period have survived. They are like fragile windows into the very beginnings o fWestern Christian art. Jerome had died only a short time before this copy was written in 420AD. Our page depicts scenes from the Passion of Christ. It is believed that this manuscript may once have been the personal Gospel book of Mellitus.
Gospels of Saint Augustine,Tradition states that this book was the personalproperty of St Mellitus,6th century Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Ms. 286, fol.
And perhaps that is why they are remembered together. One began the work; the other built upon those foundations it. Their lives remind us that the Church is never built in a single moment. It grows, falters, is rebuilt, and grows again. They also show us that holiness is not always dramatic our spectacular. Holiness is often patient, faithful, hidden and about laying foundations and quietly building, stone by stone.
Our illustration is taken from a 6th manuscript which is considered "more or less the oldestsubstantially complete copy" of Jerome's translation of the Gospels. Only two full-pageminiatures remain, yet they are of immense importance, precisely because so few worksfrom this period have survived. They are like fragile windows into the very beginnings ofWestern Christian art. Jerome had died only a short time before this copy was written in 420AD. Our page depicts scenes from the Passion of Christ. It is believed that this manuscript may once have been the personal Gospel book of Mellitus.
Gospels of Saint Augustine,Tradition states that this book was the personalproperty of St Mellitus,6th centuryCambridge, Corpus Christi College, Ms. 286, fol.