By Walt Garlington, an Orthodox Christian living in Dixieland. His writings have appeared on several web sites, and he maintains a site of his own, Confiteri: A Southern Perspective.
The Solid South unfortunately no longer exists. Like many places in the West and elsewhere around the world, there are divisions amongst the peoples of the Southern States, mainly between those who are contemptuous of the past (revolutionaries of various sorts – from technology worshipping transhumanists to social justice warriors) and those who are dedicated to holding on to the good traditions of the past, who see those traditions as an integral part of a humane future. Stuck in the middle of the various fighting factions are masses of apathetic, demoralized people who have been taught to find their fulfilment in various materialistic trivialities, who have no firm commitments to anything outside of experiencing temporary carnal pleasures.
Can unity, particularly Christian unity (a unity recognized and expressed in the South’s once popular nicknames like the Bible Belt, for instance), really be achieved in Dixie once again from this motley mix of people? Our Lord answers us without hesitation: ‘With God all things are possible’ (St Matthew’s Gospel 19:26).
If we look back into the Age of Faith, before apostasy and skepticism marred so much of the world, we will begin to understand how to go about restoring this lost unity. One of the most powerful influences uniting people together was their patron saints. During their lives, holy men and women, from the familiar St Patrick of Armagh in Ireland to St Hilda of Whitby in England to St John of Rila in Bulgaria, drew people into the Church through their Grace-filled preaching and actions. After their deaths that same Divine Love continued to radiate out from their relics, drawing multitudes to them for healing of various ailments, deliverance from natural disasters, help with the cares of life, and so on. These patron saints became so central to the identity and well-being of their peoples that great affairs were conducted before their relics: Oaths were sworn, treaties signed, sanctuary was sought, and the like. In many places, even non-Christians like gypsies and Muslims would seek out the help of these wonderful saints, sometimes becoming Christians themselves after the miracles they experienced.
Orthodox Saints of Great Britain and Ireland. Recent census estimates show roughly 38 million Americans claim Irish descent, 46 million English, up to 25 million Scottish, and nearly 2 million Welsh. There is substantial overlap among Americans, with many descended from more than one of these ethnicities.
The forefathers and mothers of Dixie’s folk knew and revered holy men and women of this stature. One of them is named St Kessog, dear to the Scottish, their first patron saint, it is said. His early life, like that of many other saints, portended a wonderful, glorious future in the service of God:
‘The holy and glorious Hieromartyr Kessog, also called Mackessog, was born about the year 460 into the royal house of Munster in southern Ireland. From childhood he showed signs of piety and spiritual strength. A tradition recounts that, while yet a boy, he survived a drowning in which two neighbouring princes perished; accused of causing their deaths, he spent the night in prayer and by divine mercy the princes were restored to life, and war was averted.
‘Because of his evident holiness he was sent for education in the monastic life. Saint Patrick entrusted him to the monastery at Nendrum in County Down under Saint Mo Chaoi (Machaloi, Caolan). There he was formed in the ascetical discipline of the Celtic Church, renouncing wealth and comfort for prayer, meditation, and missionary labour. Having been ordained monk and later bishop, he was sent to preach among the Scoti who had settled in Dal Riata in western Scotland.’
His activity later in life reveals him to be highly relevant for a splintered South, a man who was able to settle violent feuds through the gifts the Holy Ghost bestowed upon him:
‘In due course he was directed to the region of Lennox, a territory lying at the meeting point of three peoples: Strathclyde to the south and west, Dal Riata to the west, and the lands of the Picts to the east and north. Thus he laboured on the frontier of kingdoms often at war, working not only to proclaim the Gospel but to foster peace among rival chieftains. For this reason he became known as Apostle of the Lennox.’
Icon of St. Kessog from Uncut Mountain Press
He spared no effort for the salvation of the people entrusted to his care, traveling widely throughout the land in search of the lost sheep:
‘He established his principal centre at Luss on the western shore of Loch Lomond and founded a monastery upon the island of Inchtavannach, whose name signifies the “island of the monk’s house.” From this base he evangelised widely through the lands surrounding the Loch, into Perthshire as far as the River Teith, and northward even toward Inverness and the Black Isle, where traditions speak of his encounter with a Pictish king. Hills and wells throughout the region bear his name, testifying to the breadth of his missionary labours.’
Lo, he did not even spare his own life for the Scottish, laying it down as a martyr. And the people of Scotland, recognizing him as a true shepherd in the likeness of Christ Whom he preached, remained loyal to him for centuries afterwards:
‘His success in converting the people angered pagan leaders, and near Bandry Bay south of Luss he suffered martyrdom about the year 520 or 530. A cairn long marked the site of his repose. Luss became a place of pilgrimage, and for many centuries he was honoured as Patron of Lennox and widely regarded as the first Patron Saint of Scotland. His crozier and relics were venerated and were even borne into battle in later generations, and King Robert the Bruce granted sanctuary to the church of Luss in reverence for the blessed Kessog.’
Even after so many years have passed, St Kessog’s life continues to ring with a sound that Southerners will find very familiar:
‘Though his relics have since been lost, and his memory in later centuries was overshadowed by other saints, his name remains deeply rooted in the land and in the ancient Gaelic place-names of Scotland. Thus the holy Hieromartyr Kessog stands among the earliest missionaries and martyrs of Scotland, labouring in humility, frontier courage, and apostolic zeal.’
A persistent memory rooted in the land; a zealous Christian missionary; a man laboring courageously on the dangerous frontier – this we will recognize in various aspects of Southern life and history.
As a saint known and honored by the South’s Scottish forefathers, St Kessog ought to have an honored place amongst us Southrons, too, many of whom have ties to Scotland in some form or another. As a holy man who converted and united a number of divided and warring tribes, Southerners ought to turn to him for help in calming the unrest that exists amongst us and uniting Dixie in the Christian Faith once more. As an honored martyr who stands before the Throne of the Holy Trinity with boldness, we ought to turn to him in times of difficulty, believing as did our forebears in Scotland that he will present our pleas and requests before the Lord, interceding lovingly on our behalf.
There are not many trustworthy leaders in the world today: BLM grifts on George Floyd’s death; Trump lies about not starting wars; Abp Elpidophoros undermines the Orthodox Faith. But the saints will never fail us nor betray us. St Kessog of Lennox is one of those in that blessèd choir. The South herself is starved of leadership. There are a few reliable men still in her midst – Clyde Wilson, Brion McClanahan, Clark Carlton, and some others – but the situation is pretty woeful overall. It is all the more necessary in such times to turn to the spiritual leaders in the Kingdom of God to make up for the shortcomings of our present earthly leaders. That will sound ludicrous to some, particularly the Evangelical Protestants, but those in the Orthodox Church know it to be a sound method, well-attested over the years. The battle of the Neva River fought by St Alexander Nevsky is one such example:
But there was a miraculous omen: at dawn on July 15 the warrior Pelgui, in Baptism Philip, saw a boat, and on it were the Holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb, in royal purple attire. Boris said: “Brother Gleb, let us help our kinsman Alexander.” When Pelgui reported the vision to the prince, Saint Alexander commanded that no one should speak about the miracle. Emboldened by this, he urged the army to fight valiantly against the Swedes.
“There was a great slaughter of the Latins, and a countless multitude was killed, and their leader was left with a mark upon his face from a sharp spear.”
This is kind of powerful, effective help that Southerners can expect from St Kessog and the other saints of Africa and Europe who figure into their lineage and history. They will help us, God willing, to build up the Orthodox Faith amongst the Southern people, aiding us in the tiring labors of establishing parishes, overcoming opposition, protecting the faithful, and the like, and helping in more mundane matters as well.
The world is a dark place today; it often has been. But there is light in the Orthodox Church – more particularly, the Uncreated Light of God that shines forth from His beloved Saints who live in intimate union with Him. May all good Southerners go to meet them, that together we may build a better future for Dixie.
