Announcements

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As of July 1, 2021 our three churches (St. Paul, St. Joseph and St. Mary Star of the Sea) are now one church called St. Brendan the Navigator Catholic Community.  Our office is located at 37 Squire Steet in New London, CT.  Please call the main office phone number at 860-443-5393 with any questions.

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Who is St. Brendan the Navigator and Why He is an appropriate Patron for The St. Brendan the Navigator Catholic Community

St. Brendan was born circa 484-486 in Tralee, now in County Kerry Ireland and died in 578 in Annaghdown, County Galway.  He is one of the early Irish monastic saints and is considered one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.  His Feast Day is May 16 and is celebrated by Catholics, Anglicans, and Orthodox Christians.

St. Brendan was a traveler, and his first voyage was to the Hebrides, Western Scotland, and possibly to Whales and Brittany.  He founded numerous monasteries on his voyages as he spread the Gospel across the coasts of Europe.  According to Wikipedia his most celebrated foundation was Clonfert Cathedral in 563 where he was Prior and Head Master.  On his death he was interred in Clonfert.

St. Brendan is the main protagonist in “The Voyage of Saint Brendan” written in the twelfth century but based on an 8^th Century manuscript that described a journey across the Atlantic by St. Brendan and a number of monks searching for the “Promised Land of the Saints”.  Most scholars consider the account of the voyage as simply a “religious allegory” but there are some who believe that the tale is based on an actual voyage “albeit with some Irish embellishment.”

The text describes “crystal pillars” that could be icebergs, the Faroe Islands are home to large sheep and squawking birds, and foul-smelling fireballs could correlate to the smell spewed by Iceland’s volcanoes.  In any case, the voyage was allegedly made in a typical Irish currach, a round bottom boat shaped like a canoe with square sails and leather skins stitched together over a wooden frame.  In 1978, a Tim Severin built a currach and traveled from Ireland to North America.  His voyage is documented in the film “The Brendan Voyage of 1978.”

Other than this voyage, there is no real documented evidence that St. Brendan reached the shores of North America 400 plus years before the Vikings, but folks are still looking just in case there is some carved stone or hut that could be dated to such a voyage.

St. Brendan is the patron saint of sailors and travelers.   He is celebrated by a Stain Glass Window in the Chapel at the U. S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Based on the above short biography summarizing articles from Wikipedia, Britannica.com, and history.com it is clear why he is an appropriate patron for parishes in New London and Waterford that have a strong history with the Atlantic Ocean and sailors.

Prayer of St. Brendan the Navigator

“Help me to journey beyond the familiar

and into the unknown.

Give me the faith to leave old ways

and break fresh ground with You.

Christ of the mysteries, I trust You

to be stronger than each storm within me.

I will trust in the darkness and know

that my times, even now, are in Your hand.

Tune my spirit to the music of heaven,

and somehow, make my obedience count for You.”

AMEN.

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Please note!