Today the Catholic Church in England observes the memoria of St Bede the Venerable. Recently the bishops of England and Wales upgraded the memorias of certain English saints to the status of feasts, and it is perhaps a little strange that Bede wasn't among their number. He is, after all, the only Englishman mentioned by Dante as being in Paradise, and the only Englishman who is officially a Doctor of the Church (St Anselm being originally an Italian).
Over recent months I've gathered together on my other blog some short extracts from Bede's voluminous writings. (Although he is now known mostly for his History of the English Church and People, in previous ages he was celebrated primarily as one of the great commentators on Scripture.)
The are some lovely liturgical prayers appropriate to the the feast (specifically, for Orthodox Vespers, Mattins, and Divine Liturgy) over at Orthodox England. These could easily be used, in whole or in part, as the basis for a novena or just for private devotion.
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