June 17th - Botulph of Ikanhoe

Botulph was a nobleman who left it all to become a monk, joining the Benedictine order in France. After some time he returned to his family home to establish the order in England. For many years it was believed that the area that grew up around the monastery came to be called "Botulph's Town" in his honor. Later it was contracted to "Botulphston", and then contracted to "Boston" in Lincolnshire. Recent research has shown that the original site is another location. It would be a nice story that Boston, the hot-bed of revolution and anti-Catholicism and the future home for so many Irish Catholics was named for an English Catholic saint.
Still, we remember him as a man of prayer, mission work, and community who laid the ground-work for the strong tradition of Benedictines in England which lasted for many centuries after his death.

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The wearied man of God looked about him everywhere, till at last he found, by the mercy of God, such a desert spot which was just the God-forsaken, devil-possessed place he was in search of.

-- unknown ancient writer describing Botulph's selection of sites for his monastery

The evil spirits who people the place were disturbed at his coming. A noxious vapour was exhaled from the ground, and the daemons gave vent to terrifying groans. They had dwelt there, they said, for a long time, and had thought to do so for ever. They had no other place to go to. Why could not Saint Botolph seek some other spot, since the whole world was singing his praises? He was acting unkindly in disturbing them. - unknown ancient writer describing the problems Botulph caused evil spirits that inhabited the site of his Ikanhoe monastery
Saint Botulph sought a desert spot
And found a lonely mound,
He opened there a house of prayer
And made it holy ground.
He lived a humble, quiet life,
From crowded scenes apart;
Yet others often sought him out
To share his joy of heart.

- from a hymn by Jane Dansie, Castle Methodist Church, Colchester, England