Brendan was born ca. 484 AD in Ireland in what is now Tralee, County Kerry. He was educated as a young man under Ita, abbess at Kileedy and ordained a priest under Erc, the bishop who had baptized him as a young boy. These were the early days of the conversion of Ireland to the Christian faith begun by Patrick in 432, a time marked by rapid expansion, missionary zeal and apostolic power. Monasteries sprung up and flourished across Ireland into Scotland and Britain and were the early expressions of the galvanizing communal fire of the new Faith.
Brendan, after his ordination, immediately set out to bear the gospel and establish monasteries throughout Ireland. The most notable of these were Ardfert (550 AD) and Clonfert (557 AD). He also journeyed to a remote island off the west coast of Scotland, the great monastery of Iona, founded by Columcille in 563.
Brendan's voyage of renown, earning him the name of Brendan the Voyager, was the fabled seven year sea voyage that he undertook to find the sacred "Land of Promise of the Saints" that was reputed to lie far to the west of Ireland. According to legend Brendan set out in a curragh, a boat made from stretching ox hide over a wooden frame. The party encountered a great storm, and in the storm Brendan received a revelation that he was to trust God completely for the outcome of the voyage. He ordered his monk shipmates to boat their oars, take in the rudder, hoist the sail and trust God for their direction and safe destination. The account of the voyage, first written in Latin in the tenth century, described exotic new lands where he and his crew witnessed before unseen species of animals, great wonders of volcanic islands and icebergs, as well as mythological monsters and demons. Some have speculated that Brendan's actual voyage brought him as far as the continent of North America. If so, he would have arrived long before the Vikings or Christopher Columbus.
The significance of the namesake of St. Brendan to SBCF is manifold. From the beginning Max identified with the voyaging and seafaring history of Brendan through his own background as a Merchant Mariner. Also, the spirit of St. Brendan is one to endeavor to replicate in one's individual journey with Christ and by the corporate church community. St. Brendan typifies those who dare to trust God, to take risks, and to explore new territories for the cause of Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke to Nicodemus, a seeker of God, about God's spiritual wind, the Holy Spirit, "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).
