Saint Columba was born on the 7th of December, 521 in Garten Ireland. He was born to Fedhlimdh, the great grandson of the Irish king Niall of the Nine Hostages, and Eithne (Edmonds. “St. Columba”). Eithne was related to the royalty of of the Scottish Dalriada being a descendant of the King of Leinster. Columba could have attempted to become and Irish king but instead devoted his life to becoming a servant of God (“Who is St. Columba?” stcolumbaretreathouse.com). Once Columba was had learned to read and write he enrolled in the Monastic school of Moville and studied under St. Finnian. Tradition states that Columba was able to convert water into wine, by prayer, for the Holy Sacrifice. After completing his studies in Moville he received further training in Leinster from a bard named Gemman. Soon after leaving his studies with Gemman, Columba became part of the monastery of Clonard; it is here that he met the rest of the twelve apostles of Ireland and attained priesthood (Edmonds. “St. Columba”).
Columba is said to be a man of unending energy, with a tendency to be head strong (“St. Columba or Columcille 521-597.” cin.org). It was his tremendous energy that led him to found several monasteries in the years after receiving priesthood; most notably Derry, Durrow, and Kells. Columba’s pilgrimage or exile from Ireland in 563 is debated among seveal historians. The most simple is the account given by Columba’s biographer Adamnan which states that left Ireland for Scotland simply on, “a desire to carry the Gospel to a pagan nation and to win souls to God” (Edmonds. “St. Columba”). A second account is that he got into an argument with his mentor Abbot Finnian, over a copy of a manuscript that Columba had copied in the Scrip...
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...all the accounts that I’ve read of Columba he knew that his goal was to spread the word of God and he attacked that goal without hesitation and became the saint we know him as today. I admire the feats that Columba met and I hope that I can find my passion and achieve it the same way that he did around fifteen hundred years ago.
Works Cited
Edmonds, Columba. "St. Columba." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 25 Aug. 2011 .
“Who is St. Columba?” stcolumbaretreathouse.com. np. nd. web. 25 August 2011.
“St. Columba or Columcille 521-597.” cin.org. Catholic Information Network. 2010. web. 25 August 2011.
“General History of the Highlands: St. Columba.” electricscotland.com. np. nd. web. 25 August 2011.
(“General History of the Highlands: St. Columba.” electricscotland.com.)
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