Canon to Venerable Guthlac, Hermit of Crowland

Saint Guthlac was a 7th / 8th century English ascetic, born in the ancient Kingdom of Mercia. After time as a soldier, he spent his teenage years as a ruthless brigand, terrorising the local area along with his gang. Being convicted of his sins, Guthlac sincerely repented, returned his ill-gotten gains, and entered a monastery in Repton, in modern day Derbyshire. Inspired by the lives of the desert fathers, St Guthlac got a blessing to live an eremitic life and, at age 26, settled on a isolated island in the Lincolnshire fens called Crowland. St Guthlac spent the rest of his life in prayer and repentance, fighting demons - who oftentimes physically attacked him. For these reasons, he is sometimes called "the English St Anthony." Through these struggles he was granted the gifts of healing, clairvoyance and exorcism.

St Guthlac's feast day is on the 24th April (11th of April in the Church calendar). Below is a canon dedicated to the Saint, which can be downloaded and printed or read online. It's suitable to be read when no priest is present and at any time.

Canon to St Guthlac of Crowland.docx.pdf

Download PDF • 288KB

Canon of Saint Guthlac, with 4 troparia, the acrostic whereof is “The grace of Guthlac floodeth our souls”, in Tone VIII

Saint Guthlac of Crowland (icon by George Ioannou)

Ode I

Irmos: Having traversed the water as though it were dry land, and escaped the evil of Egypt, the Israelite cried aloud: Let us chant unto our Deliverer and God!

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

Though my sins are as the sands of the sea, reject not mine intention, O my Deliverer and God, that I may chant the praises of Thy wondrous saint.

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

Having traversed the stormy waters of life unscathed by the billows of demonic temptations, O Guthlac, thou didst reach the calm haven of  God's paradise.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Even in the midst of a watery fen thou didst find dry land whereon to live, O holy one; and thy spirit had Christ as a rock whereon to cling amidst the flood.

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion:  Glory ineffable is thy due, O Virgin Theotokos, for by thy mediation we have escaped slavery to the evil one, O pure Mother of our Deliverer and God.

Ode III

Irmos: Number me among the mighty of Thy people, O Lord, girding me about with power; break Thou the bows of the adversary, and uplift the horn of my poverty.

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

Reckoning the wonders of Thy saint is a task beyond hope, like numbering the stars of the sky, O Lord, for in him Thy graces were multiplied beyond number.

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

Accounted as mighty among the choir of Thy holy ones, girded about with Thy might, O Saviour Christ,  Guthlac valiantly broke the bows of the demonic adversaries.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Choirs of saints and angels welcomed the most blessed Guthlac into heaven when, having vanquished the noetic foe, his soul was borne aloft to the courts of his Lord.

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: Ever pure, all-immaculate, utterly without stain of sin or blemish of iniquity art thou, O Mother of the Most High; wherefore, we uplift our voices to thee in praise.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional hymn, in Tone I: Forsaking all worldly temptations, thou madest thine abode in the wilderness, earnestly following Him Who called thee; and thou didst lay waste to thy body in labours and fasting.Wherefore, Christ made thee a sure guide to His kingdom, O blessed Guthlac

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Theotokion: O pure Virgin Theotokos, Bride of God, only intercessor and protection of the faithful: From misfortunes, tribulations and grievous circumstances deliver all who set their hope on thee, O Maiden, and save our souls by thy divine supplications.

or Stavrotheotokion (on Wednesdays and Fridays): The unblemished Ewe-lamb, seeing her Lamb and Shepherd hanging dead upon the Tree, exclaimed, weeping and crying out maternally: “How can I bear Thine ineffable condescension and voluntary suffering, O my Son, mine all-good God?”

Ode IV

Irmos: Foreseeing Thine all-pure advent, O Christ, the Prophet Habbakuk cried out to Thee with trembling: I heard report of Thee, and I was afraid; I understood Thy works, and was filled with awe, O Lord!

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

O Christ our Lord, we have heard report of Thy holy one, and are filled with trembling, for his mighty feats of asceticism fill even the angels with awe; wherefore, have pity on us through his intercessions.

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

Foreknowing the future greatness of Guthlac, His faithful servant, the Most High extended His almighty hand, shining with radiance, from the heights of heaven, indicating the place where His favored one was born.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Giving up passing honors and military glory, the wondrous Guthlac forsook the world and all its pomp and fleeting fame, and withdrew to a monastery, there to strive for the virtues of chastity and obedience.

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: Unto thee do we ever turn in time of affliction, O Maiden, Bride of God, and when tribulations and vexations befall us it is to thee that we lift up our voices, and, in supplication, beseech thine aid.

Ode V

Irmos: Out of the night of ignorance the day of divine knowledge dawneth in the light of Thy countenance, O Christ.  May Thy praise shine forth in our hearts like the light of the morn.

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

The fens hid thine ascetic struggles from the eyes of the profane, O venerable father, but the angels, beholding them, were filled with awe, for they shone as with the light of morn.

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

Hidden amid the brackish wastes, where heron and eel abound, thou didst battle against demonic hordes, which besieged thee without pity, as they had the venerable Anthony of old.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Let us never cease to bless the blessed Guthlac who, true to his name, hath received a truly heavenly reward for his never-ending warfare against Satan and his vile minions.

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion:  All created beings—the bodiless denizens of heaven and the creatures of earth—exult in thee, O all-immaculate Theotokos; for in thee hath creation been restored to its pristine purity.

Ode VI

Irmos: As Thou didst deliver the prophet from the uttermost abyss, O Christ God, in that Thou lovest mankind deliver me from my sins, and direct my life, I beseech Thee.

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

Come, let us now praise our God, for at His divine direction waters burst forth in the wilderness, to conceal the great feats of His holy one from the eyes of the sinful.

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

Falling ever into the abyss of despondency, we cry out in despair, O Thou Who lovest mankind: Through the prayers of the holy Guthlac, deliver us from our many sins!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Lead up our life from corruption, O venerable one, and, extending unto us thy mighty helping hand, raise us up from the uttermost abyss of our manifold iniquities.

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: On thee alone, after God, do we set out hope O Virgin Maiden; in thee alone do we place our trust, for by thy birthgiving thou deliverest us from the curse of our forebears.

Kontakion (Tone VIII): Thou didst shine forth over the fens like a star of great radiance, O blessed one, having made thine abode amid impassable wastes; for, taking thy yoke upon thy shoulders, by ascetic feats and spiritual toil thou didst put down the uprisings of the flesh, and having reached perfection of soul didst therein attain true love for God and neighbour. Wherefore, we cry out to thee: By thine entreaties turn thy people to their ancient piety, O wise one, that all the faithful may cry to thee: Rejoice, O venerable father Guthlac!

Ikos: What words suffice to praise thy struggles and warfare against the demons, O venerable one? What tongue of men or angels can describe the wonders wrought by the Almighty through thee, His servant?  For having acquired heavenly knowledge through humility of mind, by grace thou didst ascend in mind and soul from glory to glory. →

And though thou wast a man by nature, yet wast thou shown to be a citizen of the Jerusalem on high; for thou didst live in the flesh on earth, yet thy sojourn was angelic; and though frail of body thou wast a tower, unshaken by the passions.  Wherefore, all of us, the faithful, praise and magnify thee with faith, crying out: Rejoice, O venerable father Guthlac!

Ode VII

Irmos: O Lord, make us imitators of Thy three children, opposing sin and trampling the fire of the passions underfoot, and chanting: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

Over all the passions of mind and flesh didst thou gain the mastery by ascetic toil, O venerable Guthlac, crying out to thy Master: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

Disciples sought thee out, even in thy watery refuge, O saint of God, and besought thee to teach them to chant as is meet: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Even though thou didst hide thyself in trackless wastes, thy light could not be hid as thou didst chant unceasingly to thy Lord: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion:  Thou art the hope of the hopeless, O Lady, who hast trampled the head of the lying serpent underfoot, crying out to thy Son: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!

Ode VIII

Irmos: The Lord Who was glorified on the holy mountain, and by the fire in the bush revealed to Moses the mystery of the Ever-virgin, hymn ye and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

High praise becometh Repton, for there did Guthlac submit to monastic discipline, and thence was he inspired to seek solitude, therein to struggle against the tempting of the demons.

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

Odorous marshes surrounded the Isle of Crowland, but by enduring their stench the venerable Guthlac verily attained unto the sweet fragrance of the divine garden of paradise.

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

Understanding that his life was at an end, Guthlac sent for his sister, the holy Pega, that she might bury him, and, receiving the Holy Mysteries, gave up his pure soul to his Redeemer.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Triadicon: Reverence and worship do we offer unto the All-holy Trinity, the indivisible Godhead, Who reigneth over all, of Whom we chant: Hymn ye and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: Save me by thy mediation, O Mistress, who art glorified by all on earth and in the heavenly spheres, who exult in thy Son, chanting: Hymn ye and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Ode IX

Irmos: With gladness we all cry out to the Virgin: Rejoice, O Mary, Bride of God who art full of grace!  With oneness of mind we, the faithful, magnify thee as the Mother of God!

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

O the many miracles wrought by the child of grace in the Isle of Crowland!  Him do we, the faithful, unceasingly magnify with joy as the favored one of the Most High.

Holy Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.

Unto thee was sent a radiant angel, O blessed one, who imparted to thee the great gift of prophecy, so that thou knewest events of the future as though there were present.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Like Adam, the first-created man, thou didst receive from God dominion over wild beasts and the fowl of the air, and even inanimate things obeyed thy will, O holy Guthlac!

Both now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: Striving by our own poor efforts to shake off the bitter toils of sin, we fail utterly; but when we cry out for aid to the Virgin Mary we are delivered from bondage!

Troparion (Tone V): Dwelling from thy youth amid trackless and watery wastes, O divinely wise father, with holy zeal thou didst strive to follow the commandments of Christ. Wherefore, the ranks of angels were amazed, beholding thee, a man of flesh and blood, contending valiantly against the passions, O all-wise one, and prevailing over all the hordes of the demons. On earth thou wast a peer of the angels, and in heaven thou art ever an intercessor for mankind.  O venerable Guthlac, entreat Christ God, that He save our souls.