Holy Archangel Michael - “Chief Captain of the Bodiless Powers” and the Celtic Saint Piran are patrons of Cornwall and it was therefore appropriate that Archbishop Gregorios should give his blessing for our Community and church to have this joint dedication. Our feast day of Saint Michael is September 6th – the Miracles of Michael at Colossae (Chonae) where, in response to invoking the name of the Most Holy Trinity and Michael’s prayer and entering a revealed spring of water, the sick were healed. Resenting this, malicious attempts were made by pagans to destroy the church built in the Archangel’s name and the healing spring, by diverting a nearby river to overwhelm them. However, at the prayers of the devout Archippus, Michael turned the course of the damaging waters of the river, saving both church and healing spring.

The Feast Day of Saint Piran is March 5th. Whilst we cannot be certain of Piran’s origins it is generally accepted that he was Irish, that he spent time in Wales and later was expelled from Ireland because of his powerful preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Having been thrown into the sea tied to a mill stone he miraculously arrived on the shores of Cornwall where he built his tiny oratory and continued his work of evangelism, founding communities. There are a number of places in Cornwall bearing his name and at least one holy well. He travelled also to Brittany before returning to Cornwall where he reposed c480 being buried in his little oratory at Perranzabuloe. When that oratory was overwhelmed by sand a larger church was built nearby and it was from this church (also covered by sand but with foundations now visible) that his relics were lost in the Reformation turmoil. The oratory, one of the oldest such Christian buildings in the UK still lies under sand but has in the past been uncovered and there are plans to do so again.