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| Saint Vedast | |
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 The ordination of Saint Vedast |
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| Born | c. 453, France |
| Died | ~540 AD |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | February 6 |
| Attributes | a child at his feet a bear; bishop with a wolf carrying a goose in its mouth |
| Patronage | invoked on behalf of children who walk with difficulty for diseases of the eyes diocese of Arras, Boulogne and Saint-Omer, France France |
Saint Vedast or Vedastus, also known as Saint Vaast or Saint Waast (in Dutch)1, (died c. 540) was an early bishop in the Frankish realm.
At the beginning of the sixth century Saint Remigius, bishop of Reims, profited by the good will of the Frankish monarchy to organize the Catholic hierarchy in the north of Gaul. He entrusted the diocese of Arras and diocese of Cambrai to Vedast, who had helped with the conversion of the Frankish king Clovis in 496 and been the teacher of Clovis after the victory of Tolbiac.
He died and was buried at Arras, where the well-known St. Vaast's Abbey was later founded in his honour. His feast is on 6 February.
Veneration
Vedast was venerated throughout Belgium as well as England (from the 10th century), where he was known as Saint Foster. The spread of his cult was aided by the presence of Augustinians from Arras in England in the 12th century. Three ancient churches in England (in London, Norwich, and Tathwell) were dedicated to him.2
Notes
- ^ Other variants include Foster, Gaston, and Vat.
- ^ Saint Patrick's Church: Saints of February 6
External links
This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.
