St. Andrew the Scot
Aug 22
Brother of St. Bridget the Younger
When discussing our Saint of the Day on the 22nd of August, it is important that we make the distinction between him, Saint Andrew the Scot, and Saint Andrew the Apostle, Patron Saint of Scotland, whose feast day is November 30. It is the former whose “X”-shaped cross is depicted on the union flag of Great Britain, sometimes referred to as the Union Jack.
Statue of St. Donatus on façade of church in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy.
Today’s Saint Andrew is referred to as “the Scot,” which reference was common in that day when speaking of someone from Ireland. Born probably at the beginning of the ninth century, he died about 877. St. Andrew and his sister St. Bridget the Younger were born in Ireland of noble parents. There they studied under St. Donatus, an Irish scholar.