St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne: The Patron Saint of Ducks. By Dr. Chapman Chen

Today, 20 March, we celebrate the feast day of St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, a seventh-century saint from Northumbria remembered not only as one of the most beloved figures of the early English Church, but also as a man of deep compassion for animals and the natural world. Like many Celtic saints, Cuthbert lived in close harmony with creation, recognising the sacredness of all life. He is especially known for his kindness toward animals: the common eider duck, still affectionately called the “Cuddy duck” in his honour, was protected by a rule he made forbidding their disturbance or consumption. These gentle birds gathered around his coastal hermitage, where they were safe under his care. One cherished story tells how, as he stood for hours praying in the cold sea, otters came to warm and dry his feet—an image of trust and love between the saint and God’s creatures.

Cuthbert was in all likelihood vegan. Bede (1940) writes that Cuthbert "refused to live by anything other than that which grew from the ground," and that he subsisted on barley bread, roots, herbs, and water, sometimes even growing barley in barren soil.”

Cuthbert was born around 634 AD, likely near Dunbar, in what is now southern Scotland. He became a monk at Melrose Abbey after receiving a vision of St. Aidan’s soul ascending to heaven, and later served as Bishop of Lindisfarne. Yet his heart remained drawn to solitude, and he eventually retired to Inner Farne Island, where he lived in seclusion until his peaceful death on this day in 687 AD. His body was later found incorrupt, and he was widely venerated as a saint throughout medieval England. St. Cuthbert's life remains a powerful Christian witness to the love of all creation and the call to protect and cherish even the smallest of God’s creatures. #VeganChrist  #VeganGod #VeganTheology #VeganChurch

Full Text: https://www.vegantheology.net/post/st-cuthbert-of-lindisfarne-the-patron-saint-of-ducks-by-dr-chapman-chen

Reference

Bede (1940). The Life of Cuthbert. Translated by Bertram Colgrave. In Two Lives of Saint Cuthbert: A Life by an Anonymous Monk of Lindisfarne and Bede’s Prose Life, edited and translated by Bertram Colgrave, pp. 139–307. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.