Feastday: February 6
He is said to have been the son of Conis and Darerca, the sister of St. Patrick, whom he accompanied to Ireland and helped to evangelize in that country. According to the Life of St. Brigid, he is said to have had no fixed See, which might fit in his being a missionary. St. Patrick himself built the church at Ardagh and to this he appointed his nephew, Mel. Acting upon the apostolic precept, he supported himself by working with his hands, and what he gained beyond bare necessities, he gave to the poor. For sometime, he lived with his aunt Lupait, but slanderous tongues spread serious accusations against them, and St. Patrick himself came to investigate their conduct. Mel was plowing when he arrived, but he cleared himself of the charge by miraculously picking up a live fish from the ground as if from a net. Lupait established her innocence by carrying glowing coals without burning herself or her clothing. St. Patrick was satisfied, but he told his nephew in future, to do his fishing in the water and his plowing on the land, and he moreover, enjoined them to avoid scandal by separating, living and praying far apart. St. Mel's feast day is February 6.
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Mél of Ardagh, also written Mel or Moel, was a 5th-century saint in Ireland who was a nephew of Saint Patrick. He was the son of Conis (or Chonis) and Patrick's sister, Darerca. Saint Darerca was known as the "mother of saints" because most of her children (seventeen sons and two daughters) entered religious life, many were later recognized as saints, and several of her sons became bishops.
Mél and his brothers Melchu, Munis and Rioch accompanied their uncle Patrick to Ireland and helped him with his missionary work there. Mél and his brother Melchu were both reportedly consecrated bishop by Patrick himself. After Patrick built the church at Ardagh, he appointed Mél as Bishop of Ardagh. According to the Life of St. Brigid, Mél is said to have had no fixed see for most of his life in ministry, which fits with other accounts of his being a traveling missionary and evangelist. Acting upon the apostolic precept, Mél supported himself by working with his hands; what he gained beyond bare necessities, he gave to the poor.
Life
Church of St Mél, Ardagh
Mél helped evangelize Ireland while supporting himself through manual labor. Patrick appointed Mél as one of the earliest Irish bishops and head of the Diocese of Ardagh. Mél also built the monastery of Ardagh where he was both bishop and abbot, and is said to have had the gift of prophecy. He accepted Brigid of Kildare's profession as a nun, and served as her mentor while she was in Ardagh.
Mél lived with his aunt, Lupait, on her farm during a portion of his ministry, and rumor spread that their relationship was of a scandalous nature. Patrick went to investigate. Mél and Lupait both produced miracles to testify to their innocence: Mel plowed up a live fish in the middle of his field, and Lupait carried hot coals without being burned.
He died in AD 488.
Veneration
There is a lot of confusing and conflicting evidence about the life of Mél, including the possibility that he and Melchu were the same person. Mel has a strong cultus in County Longford where he was the first abbot-bishop of a richly endowed monastery that flourished for centuries. The cathedral at Longford is dedicated to Mél, as is a college. A crozier, believed to have belonged to Mél, was found in the 19th century at Ardagh near the old church of St Mél. The crozier is now kept in a darkened bronze reliquary that was once decorated with gilt and colored stones which was burned in the 2009 fire that destroyed the cathedral. He is the patron saint of the Roman Catholic diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois.
Mél's feast day, 7 February, has begun to be observed as a holiday for single people. "Saint Mél's Day" is a chance for singles to celebrate the good things about being single. Traditions include sending yourself a Saint Mél's Day card and for people to host parties for their single friends.
