ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS AUGUST 02 , St. Alfreda, 795 A.D. Virgin and hermit, St. Thomas of Dover, 1295 A.D. Benedictine monk and martyr, St. Plegmund, 914 A.D. Benedictine Archbishop of Canterbury and the tutor of King Alfred the Great

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS AUGUST 02 St. Alfreda, 795 A.D. Virgin and hermit, also known as Afreda, Alfritha, Aelfnryth, and Etheldreda. She was the daughter of King Offa of Mercia, in England, and was either betrothed to or loved by St. Ethelbert, the king of the East Angles. Ethelbert went to Offa's court to ask for Alfreda but was murdered by Offa's queen, Cynethritha. Horrified by the deed, Alfreda departed the court and retired to the marshes of Crowland. There she lived as a hermitess until her death. Her sister, Aelfreda, also lost a husband to the political intrigue of Offa and his queen. St. Thomas of Dover, 1295 A.D. Benedictine monk and martyr. Also called Thomas Hales, he served as a Benedictine monk at St. Martin's Priory in Dover, England. In 1295, the priory was overrun by a French raiding party which was assailing Dover, and Thomas, being old and infirm, could not escape with the rest of the community. The French raiders demanded that he tell them the whereabouts of the church treasures. When he refused, they murdered him. Miracles were soon reported at his tomb, and an altar was dedicated to him in the priory church in 1500. King Richard II of England (r. 1379-1399) requested that his cause be opened in 1382. St. Plegmund, 914 A.D. Benedictine Archbishop of Canterbury and the tutor of King Alfred the Great. Plegmund was born in Mercia, England, and was a hermit near Chester. He was appointed archbishop by Pope Stephen V at the request of Alfred, proving a capable prelate, scholar, and dedicated reformer. He went to Rome in 908 to see Pope Sergius III and later died at Canterbury.