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[[Image:Inp19inp19.jpg|right|frame|St. Kevin of Glendalough]]Our venerable father '''Kevin of Glendalough, Wonder-worker of Ireland''' (also Coemgen, Caoimhghin, Coemgenus, and Kavin) was the [[abbot ]] of Glendalough Monastery. He was born in 498, and fell asleep in the Lord in 618 at the age of 120 years. His feast day is celebrated on [[June 3]].

St. Kevin was born in the year 498 in the Irish province of Leinster to noble parents, perhaps even descendant of the Kings of Leinster. Tradition holds that when he was born, his mother felt no labour pains, and the snow that fell on the day of his birth melted as it fell around the house. An angel is said to have appeared during the child's baptism, telling his parents that the child should be named "Kevin." St. [[Cronan]], the officiating [[priest]], said, "This was surely an angel of the Lord, and as he named the child so shall he be called." So the babe was [[baptism|baptised ]] Kevin, Coemgen in the Irish tongue, which means "He of Blessed Birth." He is the first person in history to be called Kevin. His childhood was marked by a horrible temper and dislike of other people, although he loved animals.

At the age of seven, his parents sent him to the the [[monastery ]] run by St. [[Petroc]] in Cornwall. While there, Kevin was knelling in with kneeling, his arms outstreched outstretched in prayer , on the first day of [[Lent ]] in a small hut in the wilderness, when a blackbird landed in his palm and proceeded to construct a nest. Kevin remained perfectly still, so as not to disturb the bird, for the whole of Lent. Kevin was fed by the blackbird with berries and nutnuts. By the end of Lent, the last blackbird hatchlings had flown from the nest, which now lay empty in his hand, and Kevin returned to the monastery for the Paschal celebration.

After being ordained to the priesthood, Kevin spent seven years as a [[hermit ]] in the mountains surrounding Glendalough, which comes from the Gaelic words ''glen'' (meaning "valley") and ''lough'' (meaning "lake"), meaning "Valley of the Two Lakes." He lived in a small, five by seven by three foot cave, now know as St. Kevin's Bed, which was, legend holds, shown to him by an [[angel]]. His life was spent in prayer and self denial, and he lived off herbs and fish an otter that lived in the lake would bring Kevin whenever Kevin visited the lake, which he did in the winter, when he would stand up to his neck in the ice cold water to pray. During one of these sessions of prayer in the Upper Lake of Glendalough (which he preferred to the Lower Lake, because it it was much more remote and colder), he dropped his [[breviary]] into the lake. An otter appeared from the bottom of the lake with the prayer book, unstained or damaged in any way, in its mouth. Henceforth, the otter would bring fish to Kevin for food. Kevin valued his solitude very much; overmuch, some would say. When, at the beginning of his hermit's life, a woman followed him constantly, trying to get him to marry her, he eventually solved the problem by pushing her off a cliff.

Kevin returned to society when a farmer, named Dima, followed a cow of his who would continually wander off. The cow would come every day, when the erd was sent out to pasture, to St. Kevin's cave and lick his clothes and feet while he was in prayer. When the cow returned at evening, she would produced unbelievable amounts of milk. Dima, wondering greatly about this, one day resolved to follow the cow. When Dima stumbled upon Kevin's cave, and saw what was the cause of this, he fell to his knees in penitence. Kevin raised him up, and, as Dima was a pagan, taught the farmer about Christ and the [[Gospel]]. Dima eventually begged Kevin to come out of his isolation and teach his family about Christ. After a day of prayer, Kevin saw that it was God's will that he return to society to spread the Gospel. He began by teaching Dima's family, but his tutelage soon grew to dozens of families and he began to attract followers. And so, seeing the need of a central place from which to teach, Kevin decided to establish a monastery.

[[Image:Kevin of Glendalough.jpg|left|frame|St. Kevin of Glendalough]]However, Kevin could not establish a monastery, since King O'Tool of Glendalough, a pagan, would not allow it. It happened that the king had a much beloved pet goose, which was now old and grey. As time passed, the goose also became so aged and weak, that it was soon unable to fly. As a result, the king was very upset, for he loved the goose very much. Hearing of Kevin's sanctity and power, the pagan king sent for him, and asked that he make the beloved goose young. Kevin asked for a payment of whatever land the goose would fly over. As the goose could no longer take flight, O'Toole agreed. When Kevin touched the bird, it grew young, and flew over the entire valley of Glendalough, and on that site the monastery was established.

Rocks were plentiful. The farmers pitched in and built Kevin a monastery in the solitude of Glendalough. The workers agreed to work from when the larks woke till the lambs slept. This grueling work schedule began to affect the quality of construction, and Kevin decided to investigate. It turned out that the larks were apt to rise unfashionably early, and so Kevin told thm them not to. From that day forth, no skylark has ever been heard in Glendalough. The construction continued, and the monastery was complete.

Soon, other monks came to help teach the all who would come to learn, old and young, rich and poor alike. More buildings were added to the little settlement. Among them was the famous tower, which still stands today, along with the large hut used by St. Kevin. Many people from far afield came to Kevin for advice, which he gave freely, and the monastery grew to such fame and renown that it was considered equal to a pilgrimage to Rome for a penitent to travel seven times to Glendalough monastery.

Kevin went once at , upon the founding of the his monastery , to Rome, where he received relics for the monastery. Many years later, his hair and beard white but his eyes sparkling and his step quick and firm, he felt the desire to go once again to Rome. However, he also knew he was bound to the duties of the abbot of the monastery. He went for advice to his old friend, [[Bishop ]] Kiernan of Clonmacnoise. Kiernan understood Kevin's longing but he knew that it is better for one missionary to train many others than to leave the others half-trained in order to go to the missions himself. "Birds do not hatch their eggs while they are flying," Kiernan said.

It is said that a hunting party was chasing a boar with their hounds. The boar came upon Saint Kevin in prayer beneath a tree, and laid down at his feet. The hounds, when they saw the boar at Kevin's feet, also laid lay down near the saint, not daring to approach the boar while it was under Kevin's protection. The men decided to ignore these signs, and to go ahead and slay the boar. However, a flock of birds landed in the tree, and the hunters took this as a sign and left the boar with Kevin.

On a day in autumn, Kevin was working in the kitchen at St. Petroc's monastery. He was busy preparing meals for crop gatherers when a number of pilgrims called and asked for food. Kevin, filled with compassion, gave them the harvesters’ harvesters' dinner. He was rebuked by his superiors for his action. He then told the attendants to fill all the ale jars with water and gather together all the bare meat bones. Then he prayed alone and, it is said, the water turned to ale and the bones were covered with meat again.

===[[Troparion]]===[[Tone ]] Eight

===[[Kontakion]]===

===[[Ikos]]===

:''Composed by Reader Isaac Lambertson.''[http://www.orthodoxengland.org.uk/servkevi.htm] ==St. Kevin's Cross==According to legend, anyone who can wrap their his arms around St. Kevin's Cross at Glendalough will receive their his wish. St. Kevin's Cross is a fine example of a plain cross, and it was carved from a single granite stone. It is over one meter across the arms. Its ring is very unusual, as it is not perforated at the intersection of the shaft and the arms.

* [http://www.lionden.cominfo/st.htm St. Kevin's Day]* [http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/servkevi.htm Services for St. Kevin's Day]* [http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~dvess/ids/medieval/glendalough/glen3.htm St. Kevin's Cross]*[http://logismoitouaaron.blogspot.com/2009/06/beauteous-shining-birthst-kevin-of.html 'Beauteous Shining Birth'—St Kevin of Glendalough]*[http://www.comeandseeicons.com/k/inp19.htm Icon of St. Kevin of Glendalough] by the hand of Nicholas Papas* [http://www.stthomasirondequoit.com/SaintsAlive/id232.htm Saint's Saints Alive: St. Kevin](Catholic)* [http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintk02.htm Patron Saints Index: Kevin](Catholic)* [http://www.hermitage.dublindiocese.ie/ Glendalough Hermitage in Ireland](Catholic)* [http://web.archive.org/web/20070106211611/http://www.saintkevins.org/stkevin.htm ''Archive of'' Life of St. Kevin] St. Kevin's Parish (Catholic): Life of St. Kevin]

[[Category:Celtic and Anglo7th-Saxon Saintscentury saints]]