St. Edward the Confessor and Westminster Abbey

St. Edward the Confessor reigned in England from 1042 to 1066. He is most noted for the founding of Westminster Abbey which was originally called the Abbey of St. Peter on Thorney Island. The island got its name from the thorns and brambles which grew there profusely. Saint Edward took great pride in Westminster Abbey and when he died; his body was enshrined in the Abbey. Unfortunately, St. Edward was too ill to attend the consecration of Westminster Abbey but his wife, Queen Edith was in attendance.

The Death of Saint Edward

St. Edward became ill in November of 1065. His illness was described as "a malady of the brain". It is believed that St. Edward suffered a stroke or a brain hemorrhage. St. Edward seemed to be recovering from his illness when he had a seizure on Christmas Eve. St. Edward lapsed into a coma and delirium. He died on January 5.

St. Edward Remembered at the Abbey

Those who worship at Westminster Abbey remember St. Edward, its founder. During Edwardtide, worshipers celebrate his life. They pray during the Octave of St. Edward the Confessor during a week of prayer. The Choir of Westminster Abbey sings the Eucharist and Evensong. The public are invited to participate and often wear a St. Edward medal in his memory.

Many Christians also give the gift of a St. Edward pendant during this week to friends and relatives, commemorating this great king and saint. Millions of Catholics make a pilgrimage to Wesminster Abbey just to attend the Octave of St. Edward in October. They visit the Shrine of St. Edward in the Abbey and have a St. Edward medal blessed during the ceremony.

From the Sermon on the Feast of St. Edward the Confessor

This excerpt is from a sermon given at Westminster Abbey during the Feast of St. Edward the Confessor in 2008.

As we make our pilgrimage to his Shrine, the "holy blissful confessor for to seek", may we be inspired by Edward the Confessor's example and aided by his prayers to "let the same mind be in [us] that was in Christ Jesus." I pray that for each of us our pilgrimage to the Shrine of St Edward might be a type of our earthly pilgrimage: that as we come to this holy place and receive here a foretaste of heaven, so our life's pilgrimage here on earth may end as we believe it ended for Edward the Confessor in all the joy and glory, the bliss, of heaven.