Saint Waltheol de Lis, Abbot
Second Abbot of Melrose Abbey
b. abt 1100 - d. 3 Aug. 1159
Saint Waltheol's mother was my 28th great grandmother, Maud (Matilda) of Northumberland, but not through my grandfather, David I, King of Scotland. Instead, his father was her other husband, Simon de St. Liz, so my relationship with Saint Waltheol is a bit more complex than is typical. I know it seems like I am related to every Saint in the calendar, but I assure you that it is not unusual because once you are descended from certain key figures in one of the noble houses of Europe, you are descended from or cousin to the whole lot of them, due to intermarriage. Many Americans are descended from these folks. In fact, a dear friend on the other side of town is a cousin of mine who is related to and/or descended from many of the same people I talk about in my blog. They are our family.
Why does it give me such joy to know that so many of my ancestors and other relatives are saints? Frankly, it increases my hope of Heaven. It is wonderful to know that I have family members in Heaven who can intercede for me before the throne of God. Yes, I can speak for myself and commune with the Lord in my meditations, but I feel like I can use all the help I can get, and because I am descended from these folks, it gives me a feeling of family that I do not have on earth. My natal family was always extremely small, and most have died. .
Saint David I, King of Scotland
my 38th Great Grandfather
Saint Waltheof's Step-father
As a member of the nobility, Waltheol would have received that sort of education that would prepare him for that version of government that existed at the time, but he ended up as a monastic, which would not have been considered terribly unusual for at least one son to be given to the vowed life, usually in a monastery or at least for some time in a hermitage. Holy orders as a priest would sometimes follow. Sometimes, as in Waltheof's case, their royal connections would result in a quick climb up the administrative ladder of the church.
First, he was an Augustinian Canon at Nostrell Abbey. Shortly thereafter, he became Prior of Kirkham in North Yorkshire. He was nominated to be the successor to Thurstan, Archbishop of York, when Thurston died in 1140, but because Waltheof was the step-son of King David I of Scotland (ALSO made a saint after death and was my 38th Great Grandfather) it was suggested that he may have had an allegiance that might have interfered with other people's plans for whoever became Thurstan's successor, so his nomination to the post failed.
(I suspect that there was one other thing that was actually more to blame for his losing the post to someone else. Waltheof had demonstrated real grit and an independent spirit when he had refused to agree to give the ecclesiastical manor of Sherburn-in-Elmet in the West Riding of Yorkshire to William of Aumale (my 2nd cousin, 26 times removed) who supported his nomination. I would like to think that my saintly relative refused to do this because it was wrong, rather than out of some selfish reason. It represented a very large and prestigious piece of territory, with a substantial church.)
The manor house was called "Athelstan's Palace" but I was unable to find any photos or illustrations of it. Apparently, it is in ruins. I don't know what, if anything, is left of it.
When trying to find a photograph of the manor, I DID find some photographs of the gorgeous church that belongs to it and lays nearby (All Saints.) It exists today and has been in that smallish town for at least 1000 years and has a rich history. The church was meant to be the religious seat of a much larger area than is obvious at this time, which accounts for its sumptuousness. The first king of England, Athelstan (my 31st great granduncle), gave the manors of Sherburn and Cawood to the Archbishop of York in 938, when he defeated the Danes at Brunanburg. This would be a conqueror's thanks to God, in the form of an offering of a portion of the lands involved.
All Saints Church
Sherburn-in-Elmet
(Saint) William Fitz-Herbert ended up with the archbishopric, instead of Waltheof. Saint William Fitz-Herbert of York is my 1st cousin, 25 times removed. In case you are wondering what that means, exactly, it means that he is my first cousin, but 25 generations backwards in time. His father, Herbert of Winchester, is my 28th Great Grandfather. Thank God Ancestry figures this out for me automatically because I could never do it myself!
After Waltheol's nomination for the Archbishopric failed, he gave up on climbing the ecclesiastical ladder and became a Cistercian monk. (Cistercian's are contemplatives.) First, he went to Wardon Abbey, and then to Rievaulx. Melrose Abbey is a daughter house of Rievaulx, and he was elected as its abbot in 1148, a position he kept for the rest of his life. Melrose Abbey, in Scotland, was founded by Saint David I, King of Scotland, (my 28th great grandfather and Waltheof's step-father.)
During his tenure at Melrose, he was offered a bishopric (St. Andrews) but he declined, and I wonder if his time with the contemplatives had adjusted his thinking about the direction and tenor of his life which had, in the beginning, looked like it may have at least partially been driven by the pursuit of position and power.
Saint Waltheof died at Melrose on August 3, 1159.
Melrose Abbey
After a few years of one abbot attempting to suppress the growing interest in the saintliness of Waltheof by the locals, a subsequent abbot went "all in" and the tomb of my cousin was opened by Enguerrand, the Bishop of Glasgow, in the presence of 4 abbots, twelve years after Walthof's death. Waltheof's body and vestments remained intact - one of the miracles sometimes seen with the dead saints. I have a book at home about "The Incorruptibles." These folks are seen to be so pure that even their bodies won't rot after death.
When thinking about his life, it occurs to me that a person's saintliness only comes into clear focus after they have died and we have nothing left but their earthly remains and a few chicken scratches in whatever publication memorializes their time on earth. Waltheof's life, especially in the beginning of his monastic "career," did not appear to be particularly saintly, yet when the tomb was opened, the secret was exposed in a definitive way. Bodies do not naturally remain fresh and preserved years after death.
There were hints, of course. He could have opted for the power and prestige of life at court, at the outset, since he was born of a noble family and all sorts of positions could have been available to him. His step-father was king of Scotland, after all. But he chose a religious profession and, even though he pursued, for a time, a succession of ecclesiastical promotions, in the end he opted for the secluded life of a monk in a contemplative institution.
Of course, there were some miracles. One of the tales about the miracles of Saint Waltheof concerns a summer day, when Waltheof was visiting Rievaulx after their main meal of the day. All the monks were retired to the dormitory for the afternoon rest period, and Waltheof, who had stayed late in the church to pray, and not wanting to disturb them by arriving to the dormitory after they had already started their rest, tried to sleep in the cloister instead. It wasn't comfortable. He was probably very hot, so he decided to pray instead of nap, and he was visited by a monk who shone with "a glorious light, and his garments were resplendent with Jewels, and on his head there was a brilliant crown," (quoted portion from Thomas Merton's book.)
Following this miraculous being was a sparkling assemblage of followers who shone as brightly and richly as did their leader, who turned out to be the first abbot of Melrose. The rest were that abbot's spiritual children, monks and brothers who had passed on. Each jewel that decorated these holy souls represented someone who these monks and brothers had saved with the words or examples of their holy life.
Personally, I believe that these miracles are only possible for someone living an intensely holy life.
The story proceeds on from there, but this is the place in the narrative that gives us the point I think is most necessary right now. Aside from finding their body incorrupt, the thing that really reveals the holiness of a person is how they inspire others to likewise live holy lives.
The thing about contemplative life is that it is all "an inside job," in that it is a work that is almost invisible. You don't get rewards and money for a job well done in that field, do you? We have these ideas of how a saint may speak and behave, but plenty of scammers have been known to fake these things in order to manipulate others. I have met a few in my life alone!
Saint Waltheof was said to be endlessly kind to the poor, very gentle in his handling of the monks in his care, modest and humble, and supposedly cured one man of blindness, which is the one rare spectacular feat I was able to find in his life. Of course, that one appeals to me, since I am mostly blind in my left eye and I am in the midst of fighting the disease that is threatening to blind me completely by taking my right eye as well! Today, I pray to my Saintly cousin for his help in this regard.
Some people close to Waltheof were convinced of his saintliness, but it seems to me that in order to recognize the holiness of another person, it is often necessary to oneself have a portion of that holiness in one's own soul! "It takes one to know one," is a cliche that is very true in this sphere of life. The suspicion of holiness is sometimes confirmed when the body is found to be incorrupt, while it can typically only be telegraphed and guessed at while the person still lives.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of easily duped people who follow charlatans that are obviously deceitful con artists, yet the gullible devotees will swear up one side and down the other that the object of their devotion is practically the "second coming!" We see this in all arenas, from religious, to government, to families. The thing that gives this away, in my observation, is that the followers of charlatans do not typically adopt a more holy life. Instead, their selfishness and ego increase. Sometimes, they even take joy in the misfortune of others. We just need to pay attention and ask ourselves if our spiritual mentors inspire us to love our neighbor and pray for our enemies, feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit the prisoner, as Jesus asked us to do.
Do your friends inspire you to a holy life? Or do you keep people around because they make you laugh or they make you feel good about yourself? Do you make friends with people who are honest and kind, or is it more important to you that they be in a particular socio-economic class? I really think this topic is worth giving some thought.
As usual, may we all be blessed!
Silver Rose
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