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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rev Virginia Luckett

Saint Wite and the Battle of Chardown Hill

Good morning and welcome.

One of the many surprises I found in moving to West Dorset is that embedded in the wall of one of our churches, Saint Candida and the Holy Cross in Whitchurch Canonicorum is the shrine of Dorset's patron saint, St Wite, spelt WITE which has been a site of pilgrimage and healing for over a thousand years.

As one of the team vicars here, part of my ministry now is welcoming everyone who wants to walk our pilgrimage route, St Wite鈥檚 Way that maps her life and martyrdom because hers is a story of courage and love that still inspires today.

Oral tradition, passed down through the centuries tells us that St Wite was a local Saxon leader, who was known as a saint in her lifetime because of her faith and gifts of healing.
As part of her ministry she offered protection by watching for invading Viking ships from the top of Golden Cap, the highest headland on the south coast and lighting beacon fires to warn the local villages when the Vikings were coming.

It is thought that in one such invasion at the Battle of Chardown Hill in 831, she was martyred for her faith and the love of her community as she fought alongside them.

It was King Alfred the Great, just fifty years after her death, who honoured her and immortalised her memory by enshrining her bones and dedicating a church to her in the heart of the Marshwood Vale where she ministered.

Her lively presence rooted in her faith in Jesus can still be felt today as many people, including myself, find comfort, help and healing as they visit the sacred space of the shrine.

So today, inspired by St Wite I pray for all us who need courage and healing, may we be blessed with both.

Amen

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