Saint Wenceslaus The name of St Wenceslaus may well have remained hidden within Czech history had it not been for the second line of a well loved Christmas Carol which begins:   Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen... St Stephen, whose Feast Day is the 26th December - was the first disciple of Jesus to receive the Martyr's crown. The Acts of the Apostles tells us that Stephen  was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people . This, naturally, came to the notice of the Jewish authorities but undeterred, Stephen continued to preach the faith but his enemies accused him of trying to destroy the Jewish Temple. He was dragged out of the city and as Stephen was being stoned to death he knelt down and prayed, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them". (Acts 7: 55-60) See the Life of St Stephen St Stephen's Day, 26th December, is mentioned in Good King Wenceslaus as the day on which Good King Wenceslaus saw a poor man in the distance and, moved with compassion, he set off for the man's house taking gifts of food and wine and pine logs for his fire. As they made their way though the deep snow, his less-than-enthusiastic page grew weary. The King alleviated his sufferings by warming the path with the heat from his saintly footprints.

The Good King had a strong Christian baclground. His grandfather, Borivoj, built the first Christian church in Bohemia and there is an unusual story about a tree which commemorates the birth of the Good-King-to-be. A 1000 year-old oak still stands in Stochov, the border castle, which legend says was the birthplace of Wenceslaus in 907. It is said that Wenceslaus's grandmother, St Ludmila, planted the tree to celebrate his birth, and that its near-miraculous longevity is due to his nanny sprinkling his bath water over the sapling. Wenceslaus was just 13 years old when his father Wratislaus died. Wenceslaus then became the Duke of Bohemia under the regency of his mother, Drahormira, until he reached the age of majority. Wenceslaus was nurtured in the Christian faith by his grandmother, Ludmila - later to become St Ludmila - who bought him up to believe that practical works of charity were the way to expressing his faith. In time Ludmila urged him to take control of the throne by force and impose Christianity on the land.

All did not to go according to plan. His mother, Drahormira, joined an anti-Christian alliance called the Magyars who arranged the murder of Judmila and took over the government by force. The country slid back into its old pagan ways. The church was persecuted and many of its priests suffered greatly. Two years later, Wenceslaus overthrew his mother, banished her from Bohemia and returned his country to the Christian way of life. He built the Rotunda of St Vitus, a sophisticated construction for its time, in Prague Castle, and brought in priests to educate his people. He also freed all the child slaves and gave shelter to orphans. According to some sources, Wenceslaus even considered going to Rome and dedicating himself to the religious life. He even had discussions with his brother, Boleslav, about passing the throne over to him. Boleslav was an ambitious man, and perhaps this suggestion, when Wenceslaus decided not to enter the religious life, made him even more ambitious. In time Wenceslaus married and the birth of a son and heir meant that Boleslaus was no longer the successor to the throne. The ambitious Boleslav joined a group of noble Czech dissenters who, sometime between 929 and 935, invited Wenceslaus to a religious festival where they trapped and killed him on the way to Mass.

The Czech people never forgot their Good King and soon the legend grew that in times of great difficulty Wenceslaus would return to come to the aid of his people. The legend says that he would come riding out of Mount Banik on a white horse leading an army of celestial knights to defeat their enemies and bring lasting peace to the land. His picture was used on Bohemian coins, and the Crown of Wenceslaus became the symbol for Czech independence. As Bohemia's most famous martyr, King Wenceslaus was also adopted as the country's Patron Saint and his feast day celebrated on 28th September. Now for the (somewhat contrived) connection with St Michael and All Angels! " It comes through the Comper connection and begins with Father John Mason Neale, the authour of the carol, Good King Wenceslaus.

In 1854, Father John Mason Neale helped found the Sisterhood of St Margaret in East Grinstead, a move which was seen as 'popish' by local Protestants within the Church of England who feared that he might be an undercover agent of the Vatican! His continued support for the nuns saw him attacked at the funeral of one of the sisters, and there were even threats to stone him. On one occasion his Sackville home was even set on fire. He was however a holy and dedicated priest and continued to minister to his impoverished flock. Eventually his simple goodness won over his critics. The Sisterhood of St Margaret in East Grinstead continued flourish and the sisters spread to many parts of the UK working in parishes, caring for the poor and nursing the sick. Fr John Comper - the father of Ninian Comper, the architect of St Michael and All Angels - was Rector of the Church of St Margaret of Scotland, a strong Anglo-Catholic parish in Aberdeen’s Gallowgate. This was a poor area with low standard housing and many social problems. Fr Comper appealed to his good friend Fr John Mason Neale to send some of his Sisterhood to work in the parish ... and soon the Sisterhood of St Margaret of Scotland was established in a row of cottages belonging to a former sea-captain in The Spittal in Aberdeen. Year’s later, Fr John Comper’s son, Ninian Comper, designed a fine chapel for the Convent on the hill!

Fr John Mason Neale was also a fine scholar. He translated the Eastern Liturgies and many Latin and Greek hymns into English. He is however best known as a hymn writer and translator, and has enriched English hymnody with many ancient and mediaeval hymns translated from Latin and Greek. His best-known hymns include: A great and mighty wonder   -   All glory, laud and honor   -   Christ is made the sure foundation Creator of the stars of night   -   Jerusalem the golden   -   Light’s abode, celestial Salem O blest Creator of the light   -   Of the Father’s love begotten   -   and The day of resurrection. More than anyone else, he made English-speaking congregations aware of the centuries-old tradition of Latin, Greek, Russian, and Syrian hymns. In 1853, choosing King Wenceslaus as his subject for this children's song to exemplify generosity, he wrote what has become one of our best-loved carols. He set his words to a tune first published in 1582 in a collection of Swedish songs with the Latin text Tempus adest floridum (Spring has unwrapped her flowers). The combination of his new words and this good traditional tune soon made Good King Wenceslaus a much-loved Christmas favourite ... and now both it and St Wenceslaus are known world-wide.

Verse 1 Good King Wenceslas looked out, On the Feast of Stephen, When the snow lay round about, Deep and crisp and even; Brightly shone the moon that night, Tho’ the frost was cruel, When a poor man came in sight, Gath’ring winter fuel. Verse 2 "Hither, page, and stand by me, If thou know’st it, telling, Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?" "Sire, he lives a good league hence, Underneath the mountain; Right against the forest fence, By Saint Agnes’ fountain." Verse 3 "Bring me flesh, and bring me wine, Bring me pine logs hither: Thou and I will see him dine, When we bear them thither."

Page and monarch, forth they went, Forth they went together; Thro’ the rude wind’s wild lament And the bitter weather. Verse 4 "Sire, the night is darker now, And the wind blows stronger; Fails my heart, I know not how, I can go no longer." "Mark my footsteps, good my page; Tread thou in them boldly: Thou shalt find the winter’s rage Freeze thy blood less coldly." Verse 5 In his master’s steps he trod, Where the snow lay dinted; Heat was in the very sod Which the saint had printed. Therefore, Christian men, be sure, Wealth or rank possessing, Ye who now will bless the poor, Shall yourselves find blessing.