Abbot (ca. 468-564)
His life
+ Petroc was born in Wales and the earliest account of his life says he was the son of a local chieftain.
+ After studying in Ireland, he made a pilgrimage to Rome. As he was returning to Cornwall, the wind and tides took him to Trebetherick.
+ Petroc would go on to establish a monastery and school near the mouth of the river Camel on the North Cornish Coast. This site came to be known as Petrocs-Stow (near Padstow).
+ The various accounts of Petroc’s life relate that he would later go on to minster throughout Cornwall, parts of Devon, Somerset and Dorset, as well as in Brittany.
+ Saint Petroc died around the year 564 in Padstow, Cornwall. He is honored as the patron saint of Devon and Cornwall.
For prayer and reflection
“No one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ.”—1 Corinthians 3:11
Prayer
Look, O Lord, upon your family, which blessed Petroc engendered by the Word of truth and fed with the Sacrament of life, that your grace, which has made them faithful through his ministry, may through his prayers make them fervent in charity. 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.
(from The Roman Missal: Common of Pastors—For the Founders of Churches)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
And today we celebrate...