St. Vedast

Feastday: February 6
Birth: 453
Death: 540

Known also as Vaast, Foster, and Gaston, St. Vedast, a native of western France, is best-known as the catechist of Clovis, King of the Franks. Ordained at Toul, Vedast met Clovis when the king required a learned man to accompany him to Rheims after the battle of Tolbiac (496); upon their arrival, Clovis recommended his companion to Archbishop Remigius, who was to baptize the king after his wife, Clotilde had converted him to Christianity. The two clerics evangelized the Franks, and in 499, Vedast was named bishop of Arras and Cambrai, dioceses that had returned to paganism after the raids of Atilla. During his forty-year tenure, Vedast restored the faith of his people and the churches in which they worshipped.

For the abbey, see Abbey of St. Vaast.

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Vedast or Vedastus, also known as Saint Vaast (in Flemish, Norman and Picard) or Saint Waast (also in Picard and Walloon), Saint Gaston in French, and Foster in English (died c. 540) was an early bishop in the Frankish realm.

At the beginning of the sixth century, Saint Remigius, bishop of Reims, profited by the good will of the Frankish monarchy to organize the Catholic hierarchy in the north of Gaul. He entrusted the diocese of Arras and diocese of Cambrai to Vedast, who was the teacher of Clovis after the victory of Tolbiac and helped with the conversion of the Frankish king.

Career

St Vedast and the beast

As a young man, Vedast left his own country (which seems to have been in the west of France) and led a holy life concealed from the world in the diocese of Toul. The bishop, taking notice of him, ordained him to the priesthood. Clovis, King of Franks, while returning from his victory over the Alemanni, hastened to Rheims to receive baptism and stopped at Toul to request some priest to instruct him on the way. Vedast was assigned to accompany the king. Extraordinary healings are also attributed to his intercession.

The traditional account says that while on the road to Reims, they encountered a blind beggar at the bridge over the river Aisne. The man besought Vedast's assistance. The priest was inspired to pray and blessed the beggar, at which point the man immediately recovered his sight. The miracle convinced the king to adopt his wife's religion. Vedast became an advisor to King Clovis.

A Vita of Vedast by Alcuin recounts a story that on one occasion, having spent the day in instructing a nobleman, his host would see him on his way with a glass of wine to sustain him, but found the cask empty. Vedast bid the servant to bring whatever he should find in the vessel. The servant then found the barrel overflowing with excellent wine.

In 499, Remigius named him the first bishop of Arras, France; around 510, he was also given oversight over Cambrai.

Death and veneration

The statue of St Vedast in the church of St Vedast in Wambrechies

He died on February 6, 539 at Arras; that night the locals saw a luminous cloud ascend from his house, apparently carrying away Vedast’s soul. The Abbey of St. Vaast was later founded in his honour in Arras.

Vedast was venerated in Belgium as well as England (from the 10th century) where he was known as Saint Foster. The spread of his cult was aided by the presence of Augustinians from Arras in England in the 12th century. Three ancient churches in England – St Vedast Foster Lane in London, and in Norwich and Tathwell in Lincolnshire – were dedicated to him.

His feast is on 6 February.

Patronage

He is a patron saint invoked against eye trouble.

Notes

1. ^ Butler, Alban. "Saint Vedast, Bishop of Arras", The Lives of the Saints, Vol.II, 1866
2. ^ Alcuin. the Life of St. Vedast, Bishop of Arras, Chapter V
3. ^ Diocèse d'Arras, Histoire du diocèse d'Arras. (in French) Retrieved: 2016-09-02.
4. ^ Saint Vaast of Arras“. Saints.SQPN.com. 29 January 2014. Web 14 July 2014
5. ^ Saint of the Day, February 6: Vedast of Arras SaintPatrickDC.org. Retrieved 2012-03-07.

Bibliography

• Dales, Douglas (2013). Alcuin: Theology and Thought. Cambridge UK: James Clarke & Co. pp. 122–131, 189–190. ISBN 978-0-227-17394-7.
• The Historical Works of Venerable Bede: Biographical writings, letters, and chronology. Volume 2. Translated by Giles, J.A. London: J. Bohn. 1845. pp. 115–134. |volume= has extra text (help) [Alcuin's life]
• Jonas (Abbas Elnonensis) (1905). Krusch, Bruno (ed.). Ionae Vitae Sanctorum Columbani, Vedastis, Iohannis. Monumenta Germaniae Historica (in German and Latin). Hannover: Impensis Bibliopolii Hahniani.
• Kreiner, Jamie (2014). The Social Life of Hagiography in the Merovingian Kingdom. Cambridge University Press. pp. 101–103, 160, 237–263. ISBN 978-1-107-05065-5.
• Shanzer, Danuta (2002). Avitus of Vienne. Liverpool University Press. pp. 362–373. ISBN 978-0-85323-588-0. [letter of Avitus on Clovis' baptism]
• Simpson, William Sparrow; Simpson, Gertrude Sparrow (1896). Carmina Vedastina. London: Elliot Stock.
• van der Essen, Léon (1907). Étude critique et littéraire sur les vitae des saints mérovingiens de l'ancienne Belgique (in French). Louvain: Bureaux du recueil. pp. 211–216. [Jonas]

acknowledgment

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Missing or empty |title= (help)