At the age of seven, his parents sent him the to the [[monastery]] run by St. [[Petroc]] in Cornwall. While there, Kevin was kneeling, his arms outstreched in prayer, on the first day of [[Lent]] in a small hut in the wilderness when a blackbird landed in his palm and proceeded to construct a nest. Kevin remained perfectly still, so as not to disturb the bird, for the whole of Lent. Kevin was fed by the blackbird with berries and nuts. By the end of Lent, the last blackbird hatchlings had flown from the nest, which now lay empty in his hand, and Kevin returned to the monastery for the Paschal celebration.