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ST ALFRED THE GREAT - 26 OCTOBER

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN OCTOBER

Saints celebrated on the 26th of October

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SAINT ALFRED THE GREAT

Saint Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons, was born around 849 - the fifth son of the king. 

Having become king himself on April 23, 871, Danish invaders posed a severe threat, but he managed to establish Saxon supremacy. Alfred improved the quality of life of his subjects: he issued laws, restored and founded monasteries, including Shaftesbury Abbey. His work as a patron of the arts, literature, and especially the Church made him a popular king. 

His wife, Edelwida, whom he married in 868, bore him five children, St Ethelgiva of Shaftesbury was one of them. He translated Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy into Anglo-Saxon, as well as Bede’s Ecclesiastical History and the Pastoral Rule and Dialogues of Pope St Gregory the Great. St Alfred also bore the cross of poor health - he suffered from Crohn's Disease. He died on October 26, 899.

PRAYER:

O God, who gladden us each year by the feast of the blessed Alfred, graciously grant that, as we rejoice in his merits, we may be inspired by his example. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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