A brief summary of these two important Celtic saints…
Aidan, a man of great gentleness , holiness and love, was the monk who came to Lindisfarne (Holy Island, England) from Iona in 635, after the first mission of the Celtic Church to the english had failed. He has been called ‘the Apostle of the English’….Like all monks of the Celtic tradition, Aidan valued solitude and being close to the natural world. His concern for the poor and enthusiasm for preaching, won him popular support.
Hilda, Aidan’s great friend, was a Saxon who founded a monastery for men and women at Whitby, according to Aidan’s principles, from which a stream of leaders evangelised much of England. Hilda was widely reverred as a ‘Mother’, and was described by the ancient historian Bede as a jewel that ’emitted such a brilliant light that all Britain was lit by its splendour….
Sources:
Simpson, Ray. Exploring Celtic Spirituality (1995).
The Benedictine Handbook, Liturgical Press (2003).