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Icons of St. Edward the
Passion-Bearer, King of England (martyred 979 or 981)
Feast Days: Feb. 13, Feb. 18,
Mar. 18 (passion), June 20 (translation)
Top of the above four: by the
hand of Mother Justina, commissioned by Edward Vandivort of Austin,
Texas. This icon is noteworthy for showing the actual Anglo-Saxon form
of crown, which was square.
Next icon: by the hand of
Nicholas Papas, of Come And See Icons.
Lowest icon: possibly by the
hand of Fr. Theodore Jurewiecz. This icon of St. Edward is on the
iconostasis of the St. Edward's Brotherhood church in Brookwood near
Woking in England.
Beneath
the icons is shown the reliquary of St. Edward at Brookwood. This holy
reliquary, carved in an appropriate Insular style, contains the holy
relics of the Martyr, which were found in the 1930s. The top view shows
the reliquary in its position enshrined in the monastery church. The
next is a closer view of the box itself.
Beneath the reliquary picture
is a picture of Corfe Castle, in the vicinity of which St. Edward was
martyred. However, the martyrdom did not occur at the site of the
present-day castle ruins and most of this castle was constructed in
later years.
Note the following forms of
Old English liturgical books for the feast day of St. Edward:
Preface for the Liturgy:
Qui sanctos tuos
It is truly meet and just, right and availing to
our salvation, that we should always and in all places give thanks to
Thee, O Holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God, Who unceasingly
dost uphold Thy Saints with Thy mercy, Who mercifully didst go before
Thy chosen one Edward when at the helm of the kingdom he lived in a
pure manner, and didst accompany him with Thy compassion when
innocently he was slain. For when he was deprived by the impious of his
earthly sceptre, Thou, O Merciful One, didst endow him with a heavenly:
and by his intercessory prayer we entreat that Thou wouldst grant us to
despise earthly things and to love things heavenly, through Christ our
Lord. By Whom Angels praise Thy majesty, Dominions worship, the Powers
tremble. The heavens, and the heavenly Virtues, and the blessed
Seraphim, concelebrate in one exultation, with whom command our voices
also to have entrance, we beseech Thee, humbly confessing Thee, and
saying: Holy, Holy, Holy, etc.
Bishop’s Blessing during the Canon: Omnipotentis
Dei
May the freely-bestowed blessing of almighty God
rest upon you, and by the interceding righteous prayers of the
all-blessed Edward, both king and martyr, may salvation and eternal
protection be to you from the Lord our God. all sing: Amen.
May the Lord fulfill your
prayerful longings, accomplish your good desires, blot out your
transgressions, look down upon your afflictions, shepherd your souls,
direct your actions, and by the intercession of the same Saint Edward,
preserve you from every onslaught of the enemy. all sing: Amen.
And may He that took him to
Himself in the radiantly-white robe of martyrdom, that he might enjoy
heavenly honour rather than the honour of a temporal kingdom, make you
to be delivered from all the wickednesses of the enemy, and to be
planted in the unending dwelling-places, that ye may be able with all
the Saints to take possession of indescribable glory, for ever and
ever. all sing: Amen.
Which may He deign to grant,
to Whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit abideth praise and
endlessness, unto ages of ages. Amen.
May the blessing of God...
(from Old Sarum Rite Missal, (c) 1998 St. Hilarion Press, tr. by Fr.
Hieromonk Aidan, due to be re-issued by St. John Cassian Press)
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