Who is St Hilda?
St Hilda of Whitby was born in the year 614 A.D. into the royal house of Northumbria. At the time of her birth her great-uncle was the King of Northumbria. She died, aged 66 years, in 680. Having spent her early childhood in a pagan environment she was baptised at the age of thirteen when the royal household embraced Christianity. A famous bishop of the church, Aidan, who was based at Lindisfarne, had a great influence on Hilda. When she decided to enter the church as a nun it was not long before Aidan appointed her to be Abbess of the monastery at Hartlepool. These monasteries were complex communities of men and women who had taken a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience.
In the year 657 Hilda moved to what is now named Whitby to found a new monastery in a rugged coastal area. The Venerable Bede comments that Hilda carried out her appointed task with great energy. She established the same regular life as in her former monastery and taught observance of righteousness, mercy, purity and other virtues, but especially in peace and charity.
Bishop Aidan, and other devout men who knew her and admired her innate wisdom and love of God, often visited and advised her. Whitby developed quickly as a centre of learning and training for the priesthood.
Division and argument between the "Roman" Christians, centred on Canterbury, and the Celtic Christians in Northern England, had been brewing for some time . Because she had been baptised and taught by Paulinus from Canterbury, but was also greatly influenced by Bishop Aidan from Iona, Hilda had a foot in both of the rival camps.
A synod with the purpose of forging unity between the two groups was held at Hilda's abbey at Whitby. The burning questions to be resolved involved, firstly, the method of deciding the exact date to celebrate Easter each year and, secondly, the style in which a monk should shave his head. 'Roman' monks shaved the centre of the top of the head so that their hair symbolized the crown of thorns. The Celtic monks shaved the hair from the front of their heads in the manner of the druids.
The Roman church prevailed at the synod Hilda continued to rule her abbey, upholding the ideals of poverty, chastity and simplicity, and continued with her role of training clergy, educating children and adults, sending out preachers and training scribes in the copying of manuscripts. The scribes' diligent work ultimately produced an impressive library at Whitby. When Hilda died in 680 she bequeathed a thriving, complex community which she had administered with authority, energy and flair.
Source: Mundahl-Harris, Sylvia, St Hilda and Her Times, Caedmon of Whitby
Words ascribed to St Hilda of Whitby, our patron saint:
Trade with the gifts God has given you.
Bend your minds to holy learning,
that you may escape the fretting moth of
littleness of mind that would wear out your souls.
Brace your wills to action
that they may not be the spoils of weak desires.
Train your hearts and lips to song
which gives courage to the soul.
Being buffeted by trials, learn to laugh.
Being reproved, give thanks.
Having failed, determine to succeed.
