Official feasts used to be an important part of the human community. People would gather together to remember something sacred, express their faith and hope for the future, and / or just be together formally, recognizing each other as being part of a shared community. Few things express a desire for shared companionship and social intimacy more than dining together. Sadly, the gathering together for feasting is increasingly a relic of the past – at least here in the West.
It need not be so! Today we will remember the ancient feasts.
THE FEAST DAY OF St. Oswald of Worcester
This feast is a Christian religious celebration of St. Oswald of Worcester, a 10th century Archbishop from York, England. He is sometimes known as the Leap Year Saint.
Who is St. Oswald of Worcester?
Oswald of Worcester (died 29 February 992) was Archbishop of York from 972 to his death in 992. He was of Danish ancestry, but brought up by his uncle, Oda, who sent him to France to the abbey of Fleury to become a monk. After a number of years at Fleury, Oswald returned to England at the request of his uncle, who died before Oswald returned. With his uncle’s death, Oswald needed a patron and turned to another kinsman, Oskytel, who had recently become Archbishop of York. His activity for Oskytel attracted the notice of Archbishop Dunstan who had Oswald consecrated as Bishop of Worcester in 961. In 972, Oswald was promoted to the see of York, although he continued to hold Worcester also.
As bishop and archbishop, Oswald was a supporter and one of the leading promoters (together with Æthelwold) of Dunstan’s reforms of the church, including monastic reforms. Oswald founded a number of monasteries, including Ramsey Abbey, and reformed another seven, including Winchcombe in Gloucestershire and Pershore and Evesham in Worcestershire. Oswald also switched the cathedral chapter of Worcester from secular clergy to monks. While archbishop, he brought the scholar Abbo of Fleury to teach, and he spent two years in England, mostly at Ramsey. Oswald died in 992, while washing the feet of the poor. A hagiographical life was written shortly after his death, and he was quickly hailed as a saint.
In 972 Oswald was made Archbishop of York and journeyed to Rome to receive a pallium from Pope John XIII. It is possible that he also travelled on Edgar’s behalf to the court of the Emperor Otto I, and that these two journeys had been combined. He continued to hold the see of Worcester in addition to York. The holding of Worcester in addition to York became traditional for almost the next fifty years. Although it was uncanonical, it had many advantages for York in that it added a much richer diocese to their holdings, and one which was more peaceful as well. When Edgar died in 975, Ælfhere, Ealdorman of Mercia, broke up many monastic communities, some of which were Oswald’s foundations. Ramsey, however, was not disturbed, probably due to the patronage of Æthelwine, Ealdorman of East Anglia, son of Æthelstan Half-King. Ælfhere was a supporter of Ethelred the Unready, the son of Edgar’s third marriage, while Oswald supported the son of Edgar’s first marriage, Edward the Martyr, in the dispute over who would succeed King Edgar.
In 985, Oswald invited Abbo of Fleury to come to Ramsey to help found the monastic school there. Abbo was at Ramsey from 985 to 987, where he taught computus, or the methods for calculating Easter. It was also often used in trying to calculate the date of the Last Judgment. A surviving manuscript gives a list compiled by Oswald, setting forth estates that had been taken from the diocese of York.
Death and sainthood
Oswald died on 29 February 992 in the act of washing the feet of the poor at Worcester, as was his daily custom during Lent, and was buried in the Church of St Mary at Worcester. He promoted the education of the clergy and persuaded scholars to come from Fleury and teach in England. A Life of Oswald was written after his death, probably by Byrhtferth, a monk of Ramsey Abbey. Two manuscripts, a psalter (Harley MS 2904 in the British Library) and a pontifical (MS 100, part 2 from Sidney Sussex College of Cambridge University), probably belonged to Oswald and would have been used in his daily devotions.
Almost immediately after his death miracles were reported at his funeral and at his tomb. His remains were translated to a different burial spot in Worcester Cathedral ten years after his death. His feast day is celebrated on 28 February or on 19 May in the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter.
What Do you eat for St. Oswald’s Feast Day?
As St. Oswald of Worcester was the Archbishop of York, it only makes sense to celebrate him with food associated with where he lived: Yorkshire Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk, room temperature
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup beef drippings
Directions
- Mix together flour and salt in a large bowl; form a well in the center. Add milk and whisk until combined. Beat in eggs until incorporated. Add water; beat until mixture is light and frothy. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour (or, if it’s the day before, store covered in the refrigerator for 8 hours to overnight).
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
- Pour beef drippings into a 9×12-inch baking dish and place in the preheated oven until drippings sizzle. Pour batter over drippings and bake until the sides have risen and turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cut into 8 portions and serve immediately.
What is an example prayer you might say during the Feast Day of St. Oswald?
As this saint’s Feast Day often occurs during Lent, many of the prayers associated with St. Oswald are included in Lenten prayer novenas. St. Oswald prayers are commonly associated with the theme of “reform” due to his work of leading reforms within the Church and within monastic orders.
You can click the link above to see what such a novena might look like. Another example of a prayer to say on St. Owsald’s Day is the following:
St Oswald:
Pray for us that we will be forever humble of heart in our daily actions.
When is the Feast Day of St. Oswald of Worcester celebrated?
This Feast Day is celebrated on 29 February, leading some to call him a Leap Year Saint. However, on non-Leap Years, his feast day is 28 February. Some choose to celebrate only on the Leap Day years, though, making it an interval Feast Day.
