by D. Garell-Teti, OAPCE Chair and Director, Halton
While visiting the wonderful Italian city of Milan this past summer, I was delighted to learn that St. Ambrose was not only the patron saint of the city and one of the most important theological figures of the Church but that he was the patron saint of beekeepers. I have been a beekeeper since 2017, so I was fascinated by this fact. It is believed that when St. Ambrose was a baby, a swarm of bees landed on his face and left behind a drop of honey. To his father, this was a sign that Ambrose would have a “honeyed tongue” and become someone of importance with a wonderful sense for speaking.
Ambrose was educated in Rome, studying law, literature, and rhetoric. He was made Governor of Liguria and Emilia and lived in Milan, the then second capital of Italy. Ambrose went on to become Bishop of Milan, and he donated all his lands and gave his money to the poor, which he believed was just a repayment of God’s resources that were intended for everyone equally. For that, he is also considered the patron saint of beggars. St. Ambrose was a man who didn’t fear facing the authorities when it came to upholding his Catholic morals. He refused entrance to Emperor Theodosius I to a church due to the emperor’s order of a massacre of thousands of citizens at Thessalonica and convinced the emperor to do public penance for his actions. Most importantly, St. Ambrose was the author of many of the Church’s writings and hymns, one of the four original doctors of the Church, and played an influencing role in the life of St. Augustine, baptizing him.
Winter for beekeepers is a time to check on the hives to ensure that the snow is cleared from the openings and that there is enough food to sustain the colony throughout the next few months. Mostly though, I will send a brief prayer to St. Ambrose for a warm and early spring, complete with dandelion and other wildflower blooms, and the familiar sounds of buzzing bees, happy to be out forging and bringing back God’s perfect nectar to make honey.
