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:''For the Welsh saint of this name, see Paulinus of Wales''
'Saint Paulinus' (born c. 584; died 10 October 644) was the first Bishop of York and Bishop of Rochester in England.

Contents

Early life

Bishop of York

Bishop of Rochester

Legends

Veneration

Notes

References

External links

See Also

Early life

Paulinus was a monk at St Andrew's Monastery in Rome, when, in 601, Pope Gregory I sent him to join Mellitus and others in the second group of missionaries to England. Writing in 731, Bede described Paulinus as "a tall figure, slightly bent, with black hair, a thin hooked nose, and an emaciated face" (Stenton, 1971, p. 116). He was in Kent until 625, when he was consecrated as bishop by Justus on July 21.Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde ''Handbook of British Chronology'' 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961 p.263 He then accompanied Æthelberg, the sister of King Eadbald of Kent, to Northumbria where she was to marry King Edwin.Walsh, Michael ''A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West'' London: Burns & Oats 2007 ISBN 0-8601-2438-X p. 475

Bishop of York

According to Bede, Paulinus eventually convinced Edwin to convert to Christianity, baptizing him and many of his followers at York in 627.Ashely, Mike ''The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens'' New York: Carroll & Graff 1998 ISBN 0-7967-0692-9 p. 278-280 Gregory desired York to be England's second metropolitan see. So Paulinus built a small wooden church there and, with the support of Edwin, he greatly expanded the church throughout Northumbria. For example, during a stay with Edwin and Æthelberg at their palace in Yeavering, he worked incessantly for thirty-six days baptizing new converts, according to Bede, "wash[ing] them with the water of absolution in the River Glen, which is close by."^[1]

Bishop of Rochester

When Edwin was defeated and killed in battle in 633, Paulinus took the queen and her children to Kent, where he spent the remainder of his life as Bishop of Rochester. He died on 10 October 644 at Rochester.Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde ''Handbook of British Chronology'' 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961 p. 247 Edwin's defeat led immediately to a sharp decline of Christianity in Northumbria. Although Paulinus' deacon, James, remained in the North and struggled to rebuild the Roman mission, it was monks from the rival Celtic tradition who eventually re-established Christianity in the region, York eventually becoming a mere bishopric.

Legends

A legend once told in the town of Caistor concerning St. Paulinus of York states that as the saint was riding an ass along the ancient trackway that runs near the town, he met a man sowing corn. Paulinus asked for some grain to feed his ass; the man replied that he had none. Spotting a sack in the field, Paulinus asked the man what it contained. "That is no sack," the man lied, "but only a stone." "Then stone it shall be," the saint replied. The stone is now known as ''Fonaby Stone'' (also known as the ''Sack Stone'' or ''Stone Sack''), which sits upon ''Fonaby Top'', and any attempt to move, displace, or damage is said to result in dreadful misfortune. This is said to have occurred around 627, during St. Paulinus' visit to Caistor.^[2]

Veneration

The festival of Saint Paulinus is formally observed by English Roman Catholics on 10 October, the anniversary of his death.^[3] The day is a Lesser Festival in the Church of England. Five ancient churches in England were dedicated to Paulinus, and there were cults of him at Canterbury and Rochester.

Notes

1. W.W. Tomlinson, ''Comprehensive guide to the county of Northumberland''. Reprinted 1968. (Trowbridge, UK: Redwood), 504.
2. ''Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain'' (London: The Reader’s Digest Association, 1973), 288.
3. Paulinus of York at Patron Saints Index accessed on 18 August 2007

References

★ Farmer, David Hugh. ''The Oxford Dictionary of Saints'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978), 318-9.

★ Stenton, F. (1971). ''Anglo-Saxon England''. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

External links

★ Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Paulinus, Archbishop of York

★ Early British Kingdoms: St. Paulinus of York

See Also

★ List of Archbishops of York

★ List of bishops of Rochester