Sacraments, and exhorting his disciples to charity and peace and constant obedience to the Holy Catholic Church, their mother, he breathed his last, being at least 85 years old. His saintly body was laid to rest where the magnificent under-croft of St. Mungo's Cathedral, {6} Glasgow, was raised to his honour in after ages.

Many old churches in Scotland bear the dedication of St. Mungo; the chief of these is Lanark parish church. There is a parish bearing his name in Dumfries-shire, and many holy wells are called after him; one of these is in Glasgow Cathedral, others are in the precincts of Glasgow, and at Huntly, Peebles, Ayr, Dumfries, Glengairn (Aberdeenshire), also at Currie, Penicuik and Mid-Calder, near Edinburgh. There is also St. Mungo's Isle in Loch Leven. Besides these Scottish dedications, there are seven churches in Cumberland which bear his name. It is noteworthy that all of them bear the more popular title of Mungo. Within about six miles of Carmarthen, in Wales, is the ancient parish church of Llangendeirne—"Church of Kentigern"; this is one instance, at least, of a dedication to the saint under his real name, and maybe the only one. There were formerly two fairs of St. Mungo kept in Alloa each year, where the church was dedicated to this saint. St. Kentigern is said to have made no less than seven pilgrimages to Rome in the course of his life. {7} His feast, which had long been celebrated by the Benedictines of Fort-Augustus and the Passionists of Glasgow, was extended to the whole of Scotland by Leo XIII in 1898. As he died on the Octave of the Epiphany, the feast is kept on the following day, January 14.

19—St. Blaithmaic, Martyr, 8th or 9th century.

This saint was of princely birth, and a native of Ireland. In early youth he renounced all the attractions of wealth and honour and entered a monastery. Here for his many virtues he was chosen abbot, and ruled his flock with wisdom and prudence. But from his youth he had longed for martyrdom, and though he had often begged leave from his superiors to preach the Faith to unbelievers, he could never obtain it. Being at Iona, where he had entered the community as a simple monk on renouncing his charge in Ireland, he announced one day to the brethren in the spirit of prophecy that an irruption of pagan Danes was about to take place. He exhorted those who felt themselves too weak for martyrdom to seek safety in flight. They concealed the shrine of St. Columba's {8} relics, and many of the monks betook themselves to the mainland.

Next morning, while Blaithmaic was at the altar, having just offered the Holy Sacrifice, the pagans rushed upon him and the few companions who remained, and slaughtered all except Blaithmaic. They offered him life and liberty if he would show them the shrine of St. Columba with its treasure of gold and gems. But the intrepid martyr refused to betray his trust and was hewn down at the altar. He was buried at Iona on the return of the monks from their place of safety. There is some doubt about the date of his death, some writers place it as late as A.D. 828.

20—St. Vigean or Fechin, Hermit, A.D. 664.

The parish of St. Vigean's, Forfarshire, derives its name from this saint, who though called Vigean in Scotland, is no other than the Irish abbot Fechin. He ruled three hundred monks at Fore, in Westmeath. It is not easy to determine his precise connection with Scotland, though from the remains which bear his name it would appear that he spent some time in the country. A hermitage at Conan, near Arbroath, {9} is pointed out as his residence, and the foundations of a small chapel may still be traced. Near them is a spring known as St. Vigean's Well. A fair called by his name was held at Arbroath on this day up to the eighteenth century.

Ecclefechan known in Middle Age charters as Ecclesia Sancti
Fechani (Church of St. Fechan) takes its name from the same saint.
It has acquired celebrity in later times as the birthplace of Thomas
Carlyle. St. Fechin was buried in the Monastery of Fore.

25—St. Euchadius, Monk, A.D. 597.

This saint was one of the twelve disciples who accompanied St. Columba from Ireland and settled with him upon the island of Iona. He was one of the saint's helpers in the conversion of the Northern Picts. He is said to have written the Acts of St. Columba. It seems probable that St. Euchadius laboured at one time in Galloway, as he received special veneration in that district. This may have been due, however, to relics of the saint preserved there in Catholic ages. {10}

26—St. Conan, Bishop, A.D. 648.

He was born in Ireland, and is said to have passed over to Iona to join the community there, in which his virtues and talents placed him high in the estimation of the monks. He was characterised by a special devotion to the Mother of God, which won for him a singular purity of soul. He was made tutor to the three sons of Eugenius IV, King of Scotland, and brought them up carefully and wisely. Later on he became a Bishop. St. Conan was greatly honoured in Scotland. His name survives at Kilconan, in Fortingal, Perthshire, and at St. Conan's Well, near Dalmally, Argyleshire. St. Conan's Fair is held at Glenorchy, Perthshire, but this seems to relate to another saint of like name, as its date is the third Wednesday in March and our saint was venerated on January 26th, as the best authorities testify.

28—St. Nathalan or Nauchlan, Bishop, A.D. 678.

This saint was born of a noble Scottish family at Tullich, Aberdeenshire. From his youth he was distinguished for great piety, and spent {11} much of his time in manual labour in the fields as a voluntary mortification and a means of subduing the passions. Many miracles are related of him. It is said that having given away all his corn in time of famine, he caused the fields to be sown with sand for lack of grain, and was rewarded by a plentiful harvest. Having given way to murmuring in a moment of impatience he imposed upon himself the penance of making a pilgrimage to Rome, wearing on his leg a heavy chain; this he fastened by a padlock and threw the key into the Dee at a place now known as "The Pool of the Key." He is said to have bought a fish for food in Rome and to have found the key in its stomach; this he took for a supernatural intimation to discontinue his self-inflicted mortification.

Being made bishop by the Pope, he returned to his native land as an apostle of the Faith. He built in Deeside several churches at his own expense; one of these was at his native place, Tullich, where a huge slab of granite, sculptured with an antique cross, forms the top lintel of one of the doors of the ancient church, and is thought to have been a portion {12} of the saint's tomb. St. Nathalan is said to have visited Ireland, and to have founded the monastery of Dungiven in Ulster. He died at a very advanced age at Tullich, on January 8th, 678. He became the patron saint of Deeside, and traces of his cultus still remain in that district. Long after Protestants had lost sight of the reason for it, an annual holiday was held on his feast day, no work being allowed to be done. A market was formerly held at Old Meldrum on or near this day, called "St. Nathalan's Fair," and another at Cowie, Kincardineshire. The ancient name of Meldrum was Bothelney, a corruption of Bothnethalen, which signifies "habitation of Nathalan." Near the ruins of the old church is still to be seen "Nauchlan's Well." A quaint local rhyme preserves his memory at Cowie:

  "Atween the kirk and the kirk ford
   There lies St. Nauchlan's hoard."

The feast of St. Nathalan was restored by Leo XIII.

29—St. Voloc or Macwoloc, Bishop. 5th or 6th century.

This saint is considered by some to have been of Irish race as