Brave and Free · Week 1 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: St. Brigid of Kildare
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
St. Brigid of Kildare
Ireland in a time of change
Brigid was born around 451, when Ireland was changing. Missionaries such as St. Patrick had brought the Christian faith during that century. Many people still followed the older blank 1 religion.
blank 2 says Brigid was born at Faughart, near Dundalk. Her father, Dubthach, is described as a chieftain of Leinster, and her mother, Brocca, as an enslaved Christian woman.
If that is right, Brigid grew up between two worlds: a powerful blank 3 and the people who served it. The stories about her youth all point one way. She kept giving her father’s goods to people in need.
Brigid and her memory
Write what happened at each point.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 400s | Write your answer |
| c. 451 | Write your answer |
| c. 480 | Write your answer |
| c. 525 | Write your answer |
| c. 650 | Write your answer |
| 2023 | Write your answer |
Check the facts
Why are historians careful with details of Brigid’s life? Circle one.
- A The Church has asked historians not to study her
- B Her monastery at Kildare left no trace in history
- C The oldest account was written long after she died
- D Her own letters disagree with one another often
Why is that the right answer?
Kildare: a house for everyone
Brigid chose religious life instead of the marriage her family expected. Around 480 she founded a monastery at Kildare, in blank 4.
Kildare became a blank 5, with a community of women and a community of men. Brigid governed it as abbess. Tradition says she invited a holy hermit named Conleth to serve as its bishop.
The monastery grew into one of the great centers of Irish Christianity. It was known for prayer, learning, skilled blank 6 and care for the poor and for travelers.
Brigid did not only give things away herself. She built a community that kept on giving after she was gone.
Cause and effect
What made Kildare’s generosity last beyond Brigid’s lifetime? Circle one.
- A She formed a community that carried the work on
- B She left a large fortune to the kings of Leinster
- C She wrote a famous rule that every abbey copied
- D She asked St. Patrick to send monks from Armagh
Why is that the right answer?
History or tradition?
Sort each statement. Is it something historians accept, or a story handed down by tradition? Check one box for each.
| Item | Historians accept this | Tradition tells this |
|---|---|---|
| Kildare was a major Irish monastery of women and men | ||
| Brigid’s cloak spread to cover a whole field | ||
| Cogitosus wrote a life of Brigid around 650 | ||
| Butter Brigid gave away was miraculously restored | ||
| Brigid’s feast has long been kept on February 1 | ||
| She wove the first rush cross beside a dying chieftain | ||
| She gave her father’s jeweled sword to a poor man |
Virtues Brigid lived
For each virtue, write how the saint lived it.
| Virtue | How the saint lived it |
|---|---|
| Generosity | Write your answer |
| Hospitality | Write your answer |
| Courage | Write your answer |
Apply it
A dramatic story about a classmate is spreading in a group chat. What would Brigid’s kind of community do? Circle one.
- A Forward it quickly so everyone hears the same thing
- B Stay quiet and read along without saying anything
- C Screenshot it to keep as proof in case of trouble
- D Check if it is true and protect the person involved
Why is that the right answer?
Think, pair, share
Kildare was a place where people who had little were treated as guests. Where do students your age get left outside, at school or online? What would it take to turn one of those places into a “Kildare”?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “One place people get left out is ...”“It would cost me ... to welcome someone there.”“A small first step could be ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, you welcomed everyone who came to you.
Make our tables, our teams and our screens places of welcome.
Give us Brigid’s generous heart.
St. Brigid of Kildare, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
Brigid built a community with an open door, and people have told her story for about 1,500 years.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. Brigid of Kildare shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: Before you share any story this week, ask two questions: Is it true? Does it welcome people or shut someone out?