Saint Columban, abbot (also referred to as Columbanus, Columban of Luxeuil, and Columban of Bobbio) was an Irish-born missionary who lived from the year 543 to 615. His birth was amid the time of the fallen Roman Empire and the year of the death of St. Benedict of Nursia. A few facts about him:
- Was a missionary genius
- Had a passion for pilgrimage and preaching
- Served as a monk and teacher of the Bangor monastery in northern Ireland
- Founded monastic centers in what are now modern day France, Switzerland, and Italy
- Attacked the immoral court life, the lax local clergy, Arianism, moral corruption, and public depravity
- Was instrumental in the adoption of private confession for the Sacrament of Reconciliation
His patronage was recommended for the parish church in Yelm, inheriting the congregation of Saint Margaret Mary Church in McKenna.
Read more about him here:
- Entry from Pocket Dictionary of Saints Revised Edition by John J. Delaney
- CatholicSaints.info profile
- Saint Columban vignette from from Legends of Saints and Birds by Agnes Aubrey Hilton
Saint Columban, abbot and missionary, Ora Pro Nobis
Feast day: November 23