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.\n\nSt 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.\n\nCanon of Saint Guthlac, with 4 troparia, the acrostic whereof is “The grace of Guthlac floodeth our souls”, in Tone VIII\n\nSaint Guthlac of Crowland (icon by George Ioannou)\n\nOde I\n\nIrmos: 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!\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nT hough 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.\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nH aving 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.\n\nGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.\n\nE ven 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.\n\nBoth now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.\n\nTheotokion: G lory 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.\n\nOde III\n\nIrmos: 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.\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nR eckoning 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.\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nA ccounted 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.\n\nGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.\n\nC hoirs 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.\n\nBoth now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.\n\nTheotokion: E ver 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.\n\nLord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.\n\nSessional 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\n\nGlory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.\n\nTheotokion : 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.\n\nor 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?”\n\nOde IV\n\nIrmos: 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!\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nO 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.\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nF oreknowing 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.\n\nGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.\n\nG iving 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.\n\nBoth now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.\n\nTheotokion: U nto 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.\n\nOde V\n\nIrmos: 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.\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nT he 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.\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nH idden 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.\n\nGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.\n\nL et 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.\n\nBoth now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.\n\nTheotokion: A ll 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.\n\nOde VI\n\nIrmos: 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.\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nC ome, 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.\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nF alling 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!\n\nGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.\n\nL ead 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.\n\nBoth now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.\n\nTheotokion: O n 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.\n\nKontakion (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!\n\nIkos: 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. →\n\nAnd 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!\n\nOde VII\n\nIrmos: 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!\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nO ver 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!\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nD isciples 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!\n\nGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.\n\nE ven 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!\n\nBoth now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.\n\nTheotokion: T hou 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!\n\nOde VIII\n\nIrmos: 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!\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nH igh 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.\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nO dorous 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.\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nU nderstanding 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.\n\nGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.\n\nTriadicon: R everence 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!\n\nBoth now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.\n\nTheotokion: S ave 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!\n\nOde IX\n\nIrmos: 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!\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nO 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.\n\nHoly Father Guthlac, pray to God for us.\n\nU nto 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.\n\nGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.\n\nL ike 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!\n\nBoth now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.\n\nTheotokion: S triving 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!\n\nTroparion (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.