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.)
San Miguelito... It has what you like is officially founded April 14, 1597 by a group of tarascan Indians and Mexicans from the village of Tlaxcalilla, commanded by the Mexican Francisco Jocquinque. In the application of Foundation, approved by Luis Valderrama Saavedra, Mayor of San Luis Potosí, settled at the new town, you were granted 2 thousand 500 rods of land in table, measured from the orchard of the convent of San Francisco more or less in the present street of Pascual M. Hernandez. Quickly named a Government for the Administration and good order of the new settlement, initially consisting of a regular Mayor, one more Deputy and one or two topiles. Like other peoples of Indians and Spaniards in the territory of San Luis Potosí, San Miguelito was subject to the greater mayorship of San Luis Potosí, civil and ecclesiastical to the Franciscan order. Over time is avecindaron in the new town families of Otomi, mulattos, mestizos and blacks, which caused some friction. In the early years of the 17TH century settled in the place other two villages: San Francisco - also appointed in diminutive - and the Holy Trinity, and in the last decades of the century is also mentioned as part of its jurisdiction, San Juan de Guadalupe. These villages, until the beginning of the 19th century, were usually identified as part of the territory of the town of San Miguel. It is worth clarifying that since the 17TH century and until the beginning of the 19th the people as a whole was interchangeably known as San Miguel or the Holy Trinity, but from 1821 and until now has been preponderado the name of San Miguel, although expressed in diminutive: San Miguelito.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha, who is also known as “Lily of the Mohawks”, “Genevieve of New France”, and “Pocahontas of the Catholic Church”, was born approximately in the year 1656 near Auriesville, New York, into the Mohawk tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy. Due to her being born such a long time ago, some details about her early life are uncertain. Her father was a mighty and well-respected Mohawk warrior, and some even suspect that he was chief of the tribe. Tekakwitha’s mother’s background is almost completely unknown. Some speculate that she was a Christian Algonquin, who was captured by an Iroquois, but saved by Tekakwitha’s father.
St. Patrick, as he would be called, after revelation from God, escapes from slavery and returns to his home in Britain for a short time. On return to Ireland, St. Patrick dedicates the remainder of his life to spreading Christianity through the land. He transformed original Celtic warrior values into new Christian ones. Not only did St. Patrick love the Irish people, but the Irish people loved St. Patrick. Cahill notes: "as the Roman lands went from peace to chaos, the land of Ireland was rushing even more rapidly from chaos to peace" (124). The Irish, then, in their new fervor for Christianity, began setting up centers of spiritual learning. It is here in these monasteries, we learn, that monks and scribes of Ireland begin their preservation of any and every bit of literature and knowledge that they come into contact with.
... of saint because he had the strongest desire to do good for others. He exemplified great virtue and because of this a community was able to move forward.
Francis of Assisi is one of the most influential personalities in the entire world. In the book ‘Francis of Assisi: Performing the Gospel Life,’ Cunningham recounts the life of this humble monk who lived in the medieval times, and shaped the Christian life, which spread in Western culture throughout the rest of history. I believe Cunningham accurately accounts for the life of Francis of Assisi, and in doing so; he provides a trajectory of the Christian faith from its early and historical proponents through its fusion with western culture, and its subsequent spread throughout the world.
Benedict lived in the 16th century from 480 – 547 in Italy (Nursia) at the time when the great Roman Empire was crumbling. This period was stuffed with wars and paganism. Benedict left his native land to the city of Rome to pursue his education, but paganism in the city disgusted him and he desist from the world to embrace a life of solitude. His life style came to the noticed of many people. Some monks joined him, and he then established twelve monasteries with twelve monks each. He later abandon his monastery due to jealousy and went up the mountain of Cassino where he lived till his death in 547 AD. Benedict thought that establishing rules will act as a guide for the monks to advance in holiness and for the smooth running of the monastery.
Born in the year 330 AD in the northern Asian minor, Basil the Great's childhood consisted of his grandmother lecturing him on the work and teachings of Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea. Soon after, Basil began his rhetoric teaching with his father in Neocaesarea. Basil then moved on to Caesarea, Cappadocia to continue his studies. Later, Basil traveled to Athens to continue his studies in rhetoric. Notably, he studied for five years with his good friend, Gregory of Nazianzus who became a theologian and Cappadocia father. Before Basil returned to Caesarea, he journeyed to countries such as Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Syria, where he studied the rise of ascetics, or the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention. Basil, returning to Caesarea, entered a monastic life. Between 357-365 AD, Basil remained monastic. At the same time, a number of aesthetic communities began growing around him, "seeking his guidance". Basil rose through the ranks, first designated as a reader in 360, then a priest in 362. Basil made a name for himself in 379 when he preached for...
Catherine of Siena was born in Italy in 1347 at a time when political and religious changes were affecting the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Dedicating her life to the Holy Spirit from a very young age, Catherine pursued a life of purity and simplicity that served as a background to her great literary work, The Dialogue of the Divine Providence . Her work focuses on the importance of prayer and its transcendent power in human life.
The religious site that I chose for my course assignment is the Church of Saint Raymond, a historical landmark. One could say that it definitely stands out boldly in the neighborhood that its located in which is the Castle Hill/ Parkchester proper in the Bronx. Growing up I frequently visited the church and was always astounded by its massive size and incredible architecture. Compared to the dimly lit parish of Santa Maria, which always smelled like wet wood (and still does), it always seemed unreal being inside. I was born and baptized a Roman Catholic, and became a parishioner of Santa Maria church located in the Zerega Avenue neighborhood of the northeast Bronx. I attended school, played on the basketball team, and was an altar server there as well. Santa Maria and St. Raymond’s always had a big rivalry when it came to the basketball season. Growing up I was fortunate enough to have attended several summers the “St. Ray’s” annual basketball training camps where I had the pleasure of meeting both college, and professional basketball players. Besides its beautiful and massive church, Saint Raymond’s has two separate elementary schools, one for boys and one girls, and a high school for boys. Its high school basketball team, “The Ravens” has a great reputation known on a national level. Another thing that I should not fail to mention is St. Raymond’s Cemetery, which is one of the busiest cemeteries in New York City. It is located in the north eastern part of the Bronx in a sector that in ranges from the Bruckner Expressway, Cross Bronx Expressway, the Hutchinson River Parkway and ends in Ferry Point Park by the Whitestone. It has an estimate of 4,000 annual burials.
Not every great writer can be correct in what he or she is saying. This is the idea that Gaunilo had in mind when he wrote his criticism to St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument which states that if something greater than anything else that could be thought of is conceived in the understanding then it must exist. Gaunilo says it is foolish to believe in the existence of something just because it is understood. He says there must be some kind of other explanation. In this paper, I will try to explain both Anselm’s theory and Gaunilo’s argument by first breaking each of them down in simpler terms. I will attempt to show what Gaunilo is trying to discredit with his objection.
The image of the Virgin Mary seen by Juan Diego has changed the world. About forty years after Mary’s appearance to Diego, it is believed to be a turning point in western civilization. At this time there were a lot of copies of the painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe being circulated around Europe and one ended up in the hands of Admiral Giovanni Andrea Doria. The King of Spain gave this special copy to him. There were three hundred Turkish ships blocking the Gulf of Lepanto and the admiral was given command of a squadron to sail to the blockade. The Christian fleet consisting of about three hundred ships was to meet the Turkish navy head on. However, the Turkish outmaneuvered the Christian forces. It is said that when this crucial hour was at hand, Doria went into his cabin to kneel and pray before the Image of Guadalupe. By nightfall the direction of the battle started to shift. One Turkish squadron was defeated and captured causing the others to panic which lead to the destruction of the whole fleet. Fifteen thousand Christians that were enslaved in the Turkish galleys were freed. This battle marked the end of the Ottoman Empire’s expansion into the western Mediterranean.1
Francis was famous for his love of all creation. He called for simplicity of life, poverty, and humility before God. He worked to care for the poor. Thousands were drawn to his sincerity, piety, and joy. In all his actions, Francis sought to follow fully and literally the way of life demonstrated by Christ in the Gospels. He died in 1226, at the age of 44.
Saint Francis of Assisi was a uniquely spiritual man who gave up a life of wealth and position to lead a life of poverty in accordance and service to God. Embracing a life according to the Gospels, Francis went on to establish a Monastic Order, known as the Franciscans. In the midst of the political climate within the religious community of Italy, Francis emerged a champion for the poor and sick, with humility and no regard for himself. Francis exhibited his love for God through his love and admiration for all of God's creation including nature. The principles of Saint Francis are as relevant today as they were in thirteenth century Italy; service and love to all of God’s creation.
St Ignatius of Loyola is an inspiring person and has touched the lives of many people even now centuries after his death. Loyola has affected the lives of an uncountable number of people, either directly or indirectly. He started as an extremely brave and tough soldier and turned into the founder of a powerful religious order. He was born in 1491 in Spain and founded the Jesuits in 1540 at the age of 49.The Jesuits today are still a devoted religious order. Everything they do is in God’s name, hence their motto AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM this literally means “for the greater glory of God”. (Linten, Seven Things) Many Jesuits (and even non Jesuits like Pope John Paul II) sign their documents with amdg at the end to show that they do their work for God and not solely for themselves. (Linten, Seven Things) The Jesuits have survived multiple persecutions and yet have still remained a major influence in the church and in universities around the world. If it were not for an unfortunate cannonball shattering a soldier’s leg then none of this may have happened.
Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 into a noble family, where he lived in southern Italy. His family decided that he would be a church leader so at the age of six they sent him to the Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino, and at fourteen he was sent to the University of Naples for further studying. When he joined the scholarly dominican order at the age of 20, he wanted to pursue