13th January - St Kentigern or Mungo, Bishop, AD 603 or 612

The ancient kingdom of Cumbria or Strathclyde extended from the Clyde to the Derwent in Cumberland. It had been evangelised by St Ninian, but, in the course of two centuries, through constant warfare and strife, the Faith had almost disappeared when, in the middle of the sixth century, St Kentigern was raised up to be its new apostle.

The saint came of a royal race, and was born about AD 518. He was brought up from childhood by a holy hermit of Culross called Serf, who out of the love he bore the boy changed his name of Kentigern (signifying "lord and master") to that of Mungo (the well beloved). It is under the latter name that he is best known in Scotland. It should be noted, however, that the benefactor of the young Kentigern, though possibly bearing the same name, cannot be identified with the well-known St Serf of Culross, who, according to modern historians, must have flourished in a later century.

At the completion of his education Kentigern fixed his abode at Cathures, now known as Glasgow, and was joined by many disciples, who lived under his rule in a kind of monastic discipline. His holy life caused him to be raised - much against his will - to the episcopal state. He fixed upon Glasgow for his see, and ruled his flock with all the ardour and holiness of an apostle. Simple and mortified in life, he abstained entirely from wine and flesh, and often passed two days without food. He wore haircloth next his skin, slept on a stone, and often rose in the night to praise God. Throughout his life he preserved the purity of his baptismal innocence. His pastoral staff was of simple wood. He always wore his priestly stole, to be ready to perform the functions of his sacred office.

Driven from Glasgow by the enmity of a wicked king, the saint took refuge with St David in South Wales. He subsequently founded the monastery known afterwards, from the disciple who succeeded him in its government, as St Asaph's, and here more than nine hundred monks are said to have lived under his rule. Later on he was recalled to Glasgow, and after a life of apostolic zeal he received through an angel, on the Octave of the Epiphany, his summons to eternal life. Fortifying himself by the Sacraments, and exhorting his disciples to charity and peace and constant obedience to the Holy Catholic Church, their mother, he breathed his last, being at least 85 years old. His saintly body was laid to rest where the magnificent under-croft of St Mungo's Cathedral, Glasgow, was raised to his honour in after ages.

Many old churches in Scotland bear the dedication of St Mungo; the chief of these is Lanark parish church. There is a parish bearing his name in Dumfries-shire, and many holy wells are called after him; one of these is in Glasgow Cathedral, others are in the precincts of Glasgow, and at Huntly, Peebles, Ayr, Dumfries, Glengairn (Aberdeenshire), also at Currie, Penicuik and Mid-Calder, near Edinburgh.

There is also St Mungo's Isle in Loch Leven. Besides these Scottish dedications, there are seven churches in Cumberland which bear his name. It is noteworthy that all of them bear the more popular title of Mungo. Within about six miles of Carmarthen, in Wales, is the ancient parish church of Llangendeirne - Church of Kentigern; this is one instance, at least, of a dedication to the saint under his real name, and maybe the only one.

There were formerly two Fairs of St Mungo kept in Alloa each year, where the church was dedicated to this saint. St Kentigern is said to have made no less than seven pilgrimages to Rome in the course of his life.

His feast, which had long been celebrated by the Benedictines of Fort-Augustus and the Passionists of Glasgow, was extended to the whole of Scotland by Leo XIII in 1898. As he died on the Octave of the Epiphany, the feast is kept on the following day, January 14. Today his Feast Day is observed on January 13.

St Kentigern and the City of Glasgow Glasgow owes its existence to the River Clyde which flows through it and to the salmon fishing hamlet which took its name from the Celtic glas and cu meaning dear green place given by St Mungo (St Kentigern is better known in Glasgow by his nickname, St Mungo - the dear one) established his monastery on the banks of the Molendinar Burn, a tributary of the Clyde, in the 6th century. Glasgow had no single official armorial bearings until the 19th century. By then there were at least three official seals in use and a patent was granted by the Lord Lyon in 1866. The new Seal used emblems which could be traced back to 1270 of the Seals of the Bishop of Glasgow.

St Mungo is said to have preached the sermon containing the words Lord, let Glasgow Flourish by the preaching of the word. The growing Victorian city truncated its motto into the more secular Let Glasgow Flourish which is still in use today. St Mungo has been regarded as the city's Patron Saint since its foundation. Many people, including Glaswegians themselves, are only vaguely aware of the stories and legends associated with the Coat of Arms. There is a thyme known to many Glasgwegians which tells of the symbols in the Coat of Arms: Here is the bird that never flew Here is the tree that never grew Here is the bell that never rang Here is the fish that never swam The Bird The bird commemorates the wild robin which St Serf, St Mungo's old master, tamed. It was accidentally killed by some of his disciples who blamed St Mungo. He took the dead bird in his hands and prayed over it, whereupon it was restored to life and flew chirping to its master. The Tree The tree is now an oak but it started in the legend as a hazel branch. As a boy in the monastery, Mungo was left in charge of the holy fire in the refectory. He fell asleep and some of the other boys, being envious of him, put out the fire. When he woke and found what had happened, Mungo broke off some frozen branches from a hazel tree and caused them to burst into flames by praying over them, thus restoring the holy fire. The Bell The bell may have been given to St Mungo by the Pope but there is no definite information as to how he obtained it. At any rate, in the 15th Century St Mungo's Bell had become a notable institution in Glasgow. In 1450, John Stewart the first Provost of Glasgow left, as did many others, an endowment to have the bell tolled throughout the city to call the inhabitants to pray for his soul. The City Treasurers' accounts for 1578 show an entry of two shillings for one tong to Sanct Mungowis Bell, but the ultimate fate of the bell in unknown. A replacement was purchased by the magistrates in 1641 and this bell still exists in Glasgow's People's Palace. The Fish The fish with a ring in its mouth is a salmon and the ring was a present from Hydderch Hael, King of Cadzow, to his Queen Languoreth. The Queen gave the ring to a knight and the King, suspecting an intrigue, took it from him while he slept during a hunting party and threw it into the River Clyde. On returning home, the King demanded the ring and threatened Languoreth with death if she could not produce it. The Queen appealed to the Knight who, of course, could not help and then confessed to St Mungo who sent one of his monks to fish in the river, instructing him to bring back the first fish caught. This was done and St Mungo extracted the ring from its mouth. The scene was first represented on the Seal of Bishop Wyschard of Glasgow, dating from around 1271.