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St. Bridget died 1st February A. D. 523
Feast day February 1
To understand St. Bridget, one needs as a foundation a bit of history of the Celtic Christian Church. According to tradition, the Celtic Church began in A. D. 36 when Joseph of Arimathea brought Christianity to the Celts in Britain. Joseph built a little chapel of twisted wattles and daub on the hills of Glastonbury in southern England. The tiny church stood on the same spot until Cromwell had it dismantled in 1665.
The Celtic Church in Wales was tribal, in keeping with the resident social structure. "Mother churches," which were monastic abbeys, served specific tribes. There were no parishes or dioceses as exist today. Celtic monks were not required to be celibate; the abbot could even be a layman. Celtic monks lived as an "ecclesiastical tribe" with their entire families in individual "cells" within the abbey enclosure. The commune life ascribed to monks today was unknown to them. Some abbeys had as many as 3000 monks in residence. The massive Norman-style abbeys and churches that remain are a sharp contrast to the simple structures of wattle and daub used by early Celtic Christians.
The Celtic Church developed different styles of spirituality, history, and tradition from its continental counterparts. The Celtic Church flourished, despite early Roman Catholic attempts to suppress it. Celtic monks and missionaries continued to spread the faith throughout the Dark Ages. Celts were converted to Christianity fairly peacefully, with the gospel's being brought to them by their own people. The conversion of the Celtic people was done (mostly) without conquest, albeit sometimes grudgingly. The gospel was carried to the Celts by their own people. The old religion was strong, though; much of pagan religious tradition was incorporated into the "new" belief system.
The Norman invasion, with its accompanying forced conversion to Roman Catholicism, nearly destroyed the Celtic Church. Church lands were seized and given to friends of Norman Barons, who ruled the Welsh Church. The ancient mother churches lost their privileges and their right of sanctuary. Following Henry VIII's enactment of the Penal Laws, Celtic Christians were forced "underground."
Brigit (Brigid, Bridget, Bride), along with Patrick and Columba, is one of the most-revered Celtic saints. The ancient Celtic religion did not place boundaries on space and time. Holy people could exist in various "realities" simultaneously. Celtic Christians associate Brigit with Mary, with some prayers and poems referring to Brigit as the midwife present at the birth of Jesus. She is a complex character, whose present persona merges three distinctive threads: the woman and nun, the popular Christian saint, and the Celtic pagan goddess. The symbol most-closely associated with St. Brigit is a cross woven from reeds. Legend holds that she wove such a cross from rushes covering the floor while she presented the gospel to a dying pagan.
St. Brigit is known as "Mary of the Gaels" because of the reverence given to her. This style can be traced to her lifetime, when the legend originated that a Druid prophesied Brigit would be to the Celtic Christians "another Mary, mother of the great Lord." Early Christians in Britain would not name their daughters Brigit, with the same reasoning that precluded the name Jesus' being given to sons. In the recent past, Brigit was shortened to "Biddie" -- a factor that probably resulted in its diminished popularity for a time. Now, however, there is a Bridget in nearly every Irish family. The name is often shortened to Bridie.
Brigit was a goddess in Celtic mythology, whose name meant "Fiery Arrow." An ancient Gaelic text indicated that Brigit was daughter of Dagda (the Celtic Zeus), and was associated with poets. Some historians believe that the Christian saint Brigit was simply a transmogrification of the pagan goddess. They maintain that the lack of information about the life of St. Brigit supports their interpretation.
The woman who became the Christian saint Brigit was the daughter of Dubtach, a pagan Irish chieftain (of Leinster), and a Pictish Christian slave. Shortly after Brigit's birth (date uncertain), her mother was sold to a druid. Brigit remained with her mother until she was old enough to be a servant to her father, at which time she returned to his house. While living with her mother, Brigit heard St. Patrick speak, an event that changed her life.
In her youth, Brigit was noted for unwavering charity; she could not bear to see anyone hungry or cold. She once gave her father's jeweled sword to a beggar. When the Christian King of Leinster forbade Dubtach to strike Brigit, he noted "Her merit before God is greater than ours." Dubtach gave the girl her freedom. Brigit returned to her mother, who was in charge of her master's dairy. Brigit took charge and, always charitable, gave away a portion of the products. The dairy prospered such that the Druid freed Brigit's mother. At this time, Brigit returned to her father, who arranged for her marriage. Brigit refused, went to Bishop Mel (a pupil of St. Patrick), and took her vows.
Brigit is the patron saint of milkmaids. She is associated with St. Patrick, but she was probably just a child at the time of his death. Brigit went to Glastonbury in 488 A. D., then returned to Ireland, where she founded a monastic community of men and women at Kildare (probably a sacred pagan site). Brigit is remembered as exceedingly holy and wise and as a great traveller. She founded numerous convents, monasteries, and churches across the British Isles. The Normans introduced the dedication of Welsh churches to St. Bridget in the 13th Century. Glamorgan contains three: St. Bride's Major, St. Bride's Minor, and St. Bride's-super-Ely.
Suggested on-line sites for further study:
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St Brides-super-Ely 
