Hierarch · 635
Aidan of Lindisfarne
Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne
New Calendar August 31 Old Calendar September 13
Why they are a saint
Around AD 635, Saint Oswald (5 August), King of Northumbria, appealed to the monks of the Monastery of Iona to send missionaries to his mostly-pagan kingdom. The Orthodox Church commemorates Aidan of Lindisfarne on August 31.
Life
Saint Aidan was born in Ireland and became a monk of Saint Columba's monastery on Iona, known for his strict asceticism. When King Oswald of Northumbria asked the monks of Iona for a mission, the first bishop sent alienated people by his harshness; Aidan said the people should first have been fed with milk rather than solid food, and he was consecrated bishop and sent in his place.
King Oswald gave him the island of Lindisfarne for his see, and there he founded the famous monastery in 635. Saint Bede praises his humility and piety as a model for bishops and priests. After his death he was buried at Lindisfarne; when the Synod of Whitby (664) imposed Roman customs, Bishop Colman took his bones to Iona.
Sources: OCA Lives of the Saints. Retold in our own words.
Traditional patronage
The cited source names no specific patronage.
Patronage / why chosen as patron
Orthodox Christians usually take Aidan of Lindisfarne as a patron when they bear the name Aidan at baptism, or were born or baptized near the feast on August 31. As a bishop, he is also remembered by clergy and those who serve the Church.
Prayer
O holy Aidan of Lindisfarne, pray to God for us.
A short general prayer to a saint, not a liturgical text. No public-domain troparion for this saint is included.