Today October 12

Today is the feast of Ethelburga (died c. 678), of Barking. I wonder if she ever got any "dog" jokes. Just kidding. She was born in Stallington (a little south of Manchester), but her brother Erconwald with whom she was "bound together by a common love, one in heart and one in soul" -Butler's Lives, was bishop of London. He founded two monasteries, one for himself and one for his sister. They both kept monastic discipline, although neither had a written rule. Hers was in Barking in the kingdom of the East Saxons.

Miracles attended the bittersweet life of the female monastery. One involved the decision of where to bury the anticipated plague victims from among them. No one knew or wanted to say, so one day right after matins (morning prayer) they were struck by a brilliant light. This light, brighter than noonday, moved as if in a sheet over to the west of the oratory and remained there for some time. It became their new cemetery.

And another "sign or miracle" was when the little three-year-old ward of the convent was struck with the plague and died calling out for one of the nuns: "Edith! Edith! Edith!" Sister Edith, in another place, died that very day and joined him in eternity.

And finally (at least before her death), a nun was dying and she repeatedly requested the candle be put out. No one obeyed her. She finally explained, in exasperation, that the (supernatural) light in her room was so bright, the candle actually appeared as darkness! She died at dawn, as she had predicted.

At Ethelburga's death -- well, a couple days before -- a nun saw a vision of a human body wrapped in white, being lifted to heaven on golden cords. She interpreted it, correctly, as a sign that one of their number was to die. It turned out to be Ethelburga.

She later appeared to that same nun on her deathbed, spoke to her, and apparently accompanied the grateful soul to the other world. St. Ethelburga, pray for us.