By Lyn Wilson
Saint Justinian (or Stinan) of Ramsey was a 6th Century Monk from Breton who moved to Ramsey Island in Pembrokeshire in modern day Wales.
Not much is known about him though he was a contemporary and friend of the Patron Saint of Wales, St. David. Verbal history and legend says that he was a Breton nobleman who was called by God to leave the life he was leading and to go to a land which he would be shown eventually coming to live as a hermit on Ramsey Island. There he became the confessor to St. David and is depicted on a stone screen in St. David’s Cathedral in Haverfordwest, Wales.
Saint Justinian, like other Celtic monks of his time, lived a strict life devoted to praying for the world. However, he was not a beloved figure. In fac, legend has it that his fellow monks so disliked his harsh discipline and unemotional leadership that they cut off his head. His body was buried on the chapel grounds; however St. David had his bones removed to the Cathedral that bears his name.
It is said a healing spring formed where St. Justinian’s head landed. The well from this spring was thought to have healed many. His attackers, said to have been afflicted by demons, were struck with leprosy and lived out their lives in caves on Ramsey Island.
While the story of Justinian does not leave one with the feeling that he loved God because he reportedly did not love his fellow man, it does show that God uses who he wills to do the work of the Kingdom. Justinian’s love for God inspired St. David, a Bishop of the Catholic Church. St. David’s last words “Be joyful, keep the faith, do the little things you have seen me do” are often repeated. It is important to remember we build a legacy day by day.
Source: stdavidscathedral.org.uk/discover/history/St-Justinian
LogoSophia Magazine 