The Enduring Traditions of St. Brigid's Day Susan Byron , My favorite story- St. Brigid, Bishop- An Irish Woman Leads and Ministers in Double Monastery of Women and Men in Kildare

@IrishCentral Jan 31, 2020
https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/st-brigids-day-traditions

St. Brigid's feast day on February 1 is also known as Imbolc, a celebration for the ancient Celtic goddess Brigid.

Spring in Ireland traditionally starts on St Brigid's Day, February 1. However, this may not be entirely historically accurate as it is a celebration with roots a long way back in pre-Christian times, some 6,000 years ago, when no written tradition existed.

Read More:  The enduring traditions of St. Brigid's Day

It is said that the Irish never let the truth get in the way of a good story. And so the story goes, that when St. Brigid was trying to wrestle enough land from the high king of Leinster to build her monastery in Kildare, he said that she could have as much land as her cloak would cover. Whereupon Brigid laid down her cloak and it magically spread out to cover several hundred acres.

Beannachtaí na feile Bride - "greetings of the feast day of Brigid on you." In other words, "Happy St. Brigid's Day!"

My favorite story of St. Brigid is her ordination as a bishop!
(Praying with Celtic Holy Women by Bridget Mary Meehan and Regina Madonna Oliver)

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Brigit’s previous authority as a high priestess may explain why Saint Mel, bishop of Ardagh, is said to have ordained her a bishop. The Irish Life of Brigit describes it this way: “When the hour of consecration had arrived, the veil was raised by angels from the hand of Mac Caille, the minister, and was placed on Saint Brigit’s head. As she bent down during the prayers she held the ash beam which supported the altar, which was later changed into acacia, which is neither consumed by fire nor grows old during the passing of the centuries.” Bishop Mel, Saint Patrick’s nephew, who presided at the ceremony said: “Come, O holy Brigit, that a veil may be placed on your head before the other virgins.”

Then, being filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, Bishop Mel read the form of ordaining a bishop over Brigit. While she was being consecrated, a brilliant fiery flame ascended from her head. Mac Caille, Bishop Mel’s assistant, complained that a bishop’s rank was bestowed on a woman. Bishop Mel argued: “But I do not have any power in this matter. That dignity has been given by God to Brigit beyond every other woman. Only this virgin in the whole of Ireland will hold the episcopal ordination.” Bishop Mel seems to say that only the abbesses of Kildare could be ordained bishop. Brigit’s successors would continue to have high-level authority in the Irish Church. Indeed, other Irish bishops customarily sat at the feet of Brigid’s successors until the Synod of Kells ended this custom in 1152. This monastic bishop was peculiar to Irish law, and indicated the powerful positions in the Irish Church of abbots and abbesses of the great monasteries. (This quote is from Oliver Davies (ed), Celtic Spirituality, New York: Paulist Press, 1999.)