A Minstrel’s Son

St Hervé of Brittany. (521-556)

He is a new saint for me but his story reads like the tale of a wandering minstral and so he was in a way. He inherited his sweet voice from a minstrel father he never knew, as he died when Hervé was just a baby. His mother felt a strong call to be an anchoress after this and entrusted Hervé to the loving and capable care of two uncles and a ‘holy man’ who was their friend.

Hervé was a sweet baby but had been born blind. This seemed no problem for the uncles and they taught him many things - perhaps all the songs his dad used to sing. Hervé was a good storyteller and this gift would serve him well as a preacher later on. For he felt called as a teen to enter a monastery. The monks had no problem with his blindness either! I think of all the red tape he would have been subject to in our time because of his blindness. But no one minded then or questioned his calling. They looked after him quite lovingly and kindly. Even when he asked to be a hermit they figured out a way for him to do so. He ploughed his own field, and befriended a wolf. He had a brother companion who made sure he didn’t wander into danger. This brother loved his songs and his stories, no doubt written about Our Lady or heavenly things. Hervé did not ask to be a priest - he only wanted to have the power of exorcism to keep the devil away from all the people he met. ❤️

So many lovely stories surround him. Cures and miracles abound. But for me the sweetest thing is that people who loved and surrounded him were sensitive to the Holy Spirit and were willing to blow where He willed even if it did not make practical sense sometimes. A baby born blind and not just forgotten in a corner as useless. Two kind uncles and their holy friend who gave Herve good memories of his father by teaching him his songs and telling him stories, monks who were able to think outside the box a bit so Herve could be a hermit. This is a generous and spontaneous charity that looks with the eyes of God! And I find it such a lovely thing. That spontaneous kind of charity from friends and relatives has given us some great saints down through the ages.

It certainly gave us Herve! And I think I might have even named a baby Harvey if he had a patron like him.....although we would have gone with the French spelling and pronunciation. 😊

St. Herve, pray for us!