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Good morning and greetings on St George’s day. He‘s been England’s patron saint since mediaeval times, when King Edward 3rd founded the Order of the Garter based in St George’s Chapel in Windsor. For many people that relationship is immortalised in the memorable words from Shakespeare’s Henry V on the battlefield at Agincourt, ‘Cry God for Harry, England and St George!’ However, some further investigation suggests that the link with England is not as clear-cut as might first be thought. From the little we know historically (and excluding the largely mythical stories about the dragon) it appears that George was a fourth century Roman soldier, who was born to Greek parents, raised in Palestine and executed for his Christian faith by the Emperor Diocletian in Nicomedia, in what is now Turkey. Nor are we alone in venerating him; his fame spread widely across the Byzantine Empire (including Georgia which celebrates St George’s day twice each year) into Egypt and also, through the influence of the Crusades, widely across Europe as well.
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To my mind, all of this makes George a somewhat interesting character to be claimed as England’s patron saint. And yet, perhaps there is a meaning and purpose behind it all. For in recent years there’s been something of a resurgence of English patriotism reflected in more widespread display of the flag of St George. Perhaps it is precisely George’s cosmopolitan background which makes him such an appropriate saint for an increasingly diverse country; a saint we can claim for ourselves, only as we recognise him as a saint we have to share with citizens of the wider world.
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Heavenly Father, As we give thanks for the life and witness of St George, may we always be reminded of our common heritage and be encouraged to celebrate our traditions in ways that affirm the rights & dignity of all. For Christ’s sake, Amen.