St. Cedd

St. Cedd (died 26 October 664) was an Anglo-Saxon, one of four brothers — the most famous being St. Chad — who all became priests, trained at Lindisfarne under the Irish tradition of St. Aidan. Sent first to evangelize the Middle Angles and then the East Saxons of Essex, whose king had asked for the faith, he preached widely, was consecrated bishop of the East Saxons, and founded monasteries, including the famous house at Lastingham in Yorkshire and a church at Bradwell-on-Sea that still stands.

He played a notable part at the Synod of Whitby in 664, the assembly that settled the dispute between the Celtic and Roman customs — chiefly the dating of Easter — in the English Church; fluent in both traditions, Cedd served as an interpreter and mediator, and accepted the synod's decision in favor of Roman usage. He died of plague at Lastingham later that same year. St. Bede records his life with esteem, and he is honored as a saint and apostle of the East Saxons.