9^ See " Histori^e
Catholicce
Ibernire Compendium," tomus i.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v5
iii.
, num.
254, p.
•152.
"^s gee William M. Hennessy's edition, pp. 66, 67.
;
^° Archbishop Ussher places his death at the year 601, and says, that he lived only totheeighly-tifthyear. SeeIndexChrono- logicus. " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum An- tiquitates," p. 535.
^^ See " Monasticon Hibernicam," p. 106.
^^ Venerated, at the 9th of June,
*' His feast occurs, on the 14th of May. 7° He is commemorated, at the 12th of
September,
7' See "The Whole Works of the Most
Rev. James Ussher, D. D. , Lord Arch- bishop of Armagh, and Primate of All Ire- land," by Dr. Elrington, vol. vi. , '' Britanni- carum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 483.
'-These are noted, as " Regularis Vitse Methodus," lib. i. , "Ad Coenobiorum Patres," lib. i. , and "Epistolce Plures," lib. i. See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Sco- toruni," tomus i. , lib. iii. , num. 254, p. 152.
7' See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , x. Mali. Vita S. Comgalli, ex MS. antiquo et editione Sirini, cap. iii. , num. 53, p. 588.
''* See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 309.
"This will be found, in Rev. James
To him,
——
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May io.
praise of St. Comgall. 75 Sometime having elapsed, after St. Comgall's death, the St. Fiachra, already named, came to the monastery of Bangor. The remains of Comgall having been disentombed with much reverence, Fiachra removed an arm of our saint, which he brought with him, proceeding on towards the province of Leinster. While pursuing his journey through this province,hestoppedatthecastleofachief,whowasnamedAedus. ? ^ He requested the saint, to baptize one of his cliildren. Fiachra opened his wallet, to remove a book containing the Baptismal rite. Immediately, the arm of St. Comgall was raised towards Heaven. After Fiachra's fasting and prayer, offered on bended knees, it then descended, and disappeared beneath the earth. For three days, the soil was searched, by digging over this spot; but, the relic could not be discovered. On seeing this, the chieftain Aedus gave in perpetuity a donation of his castle and lands ; and here, St. Fiachra built a large monastery, ui honour of St. Comgall, and of the Most Holy Trinity. 7?
On the plundering of Bangor, by the Danes, in the year of our Lord 822, the oratory there was broken, and the relics of St. Comgall were shaken from the shrine, in which they had been preserved. They were afterwards removed to Antrim. 7^ It was only in 1846, that a lease of the plot of ground, on Kennedies Hill, near Bangor, had been procured ; this was transferred to the Catholic Bishop, and on it the chapel of Bangor, dedicated to St. Comgall, was built. It was opened in a solemn manner, on the 14th of September, 1 85 1, by the Most Rev. Dr. Denvir. 79 A beautiful Catholic Church has been erected, of late years, in the town of Antrim, and it has been specially dedi- cated to St. Comgall. It is not at all improbable, that his blessed relics still sanc- tifythatparish. Aplace,belongingtotheArchiepiscopalSeeofDublin,was formerly called Cell. Comgail,**° after this saint. ^' It was known as Saynkill,^^ nowShankill,inthebaronyofRathdown,andcountyofDublin. ^3 Itisknown, also, as Rathmichael,and there aretheruins of an ancient church, with thestump of a round tower remaining. ^+ Near it is a fine rath, extending over an area of twenty-eight yards, in diameter, the circumference of which was marked by
i82
O'Laverty's "Historical Account of the DioceseofDownandConnor,"vol. ii. , Ap-
pendix, pp. xxii. to xxv.
7* He seems to have been a subordinate
chief of Leinster ; although, about or soon after the time of St. Comgall's death, Aedh, whose son Crimhihann was killed at Ath- Gian, in larthar-Liffe, or the west side of the River Liffcy, appears to have been King of Leinster. See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol, i. , pp. 250, 251, and nn. (y, z).
''See '"Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , x. Maii. Vita S. Comgalli, ex MS. antiquo et editione Sirini, cap. iii. , n. 54, p. 5S8.
'" In Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," there is preserved a quatrain, attributed to the saint himself, in prophetic anticipation of the desecration of his shrine and the removal of his body :
t)nf) ]:i'yv, ^ip. 'DO "beoin <iii\-o)M5 n<i
IM'g
be(\toi\ mo CMAtiiA jAn c^\6n, 6
t)heAtit)6ui]\ bA§A •00 eAnct\obh.
These lines are thus translated into Eng- li-ih :
" It will be true, true, by the will of the supremeKingofKings,
My bones shall be brought, without defect, from the beloved Beanchoir to Eantrobh. "
See vol. i. , pp. 434, 435.
? ' See Rev. James O'Laverty's "Historical
Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern," vol. ii. , pp. 153, 154.
'^'^ See Ussher's "Epistolarum Hibemi- carum Vetenim Sylloge," Epist. xlviii. , p. 113.
'" See Bishop Nicholson's " Irish Histori- cal Library. " chap, iv. , p. 34.
*•' Archbidiop Usshcr writes: "Ab eo Cell-ComgaiU ad Dubliniensem spectans archiepisco])um, nomen olim accepit, quani
— nicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap.
hodie Saynkili appellamus," (S:c.
" Britan-
xvii. , p. 494-
^^ The chapel of Senekil w. as appendant
to the mother church of Rathmichael, a pre- bend of St. Patrick's Cathedral. See Wdliam Monck M-ison's " History and Antiquicies of the Collegiate and Cathedral Churcii of St.
a stone circle, now nearly sodded over ; while, in a wider range below, the ambit of the hill was cut into a deep fosse, much of which is still discernible. A yet wider mound and wall enclosed this portion ; while this fortified post was in a most commanding position. ^5
The ancient office for St. Comgall's feast was one of Nine Lessons, as we find entered, in the Antiphonary of the Culdees,^^ belonging to the Armagh Metropolitan Church, where the calendar list occurs, at the vi. of the May Ides. There is an office,^? with Proper Lessons, and set down as a Duplex Majus, in Bishop De Burgo's " Officia Propria Sanctorum Hiberniee. "^^
Rathmichael Old Church, County of Dublin.
In all our ancient calendars, we find notices of St. Comgall set down for the 10th of May. The Feilire of St. ^ngus,^9 has a eulogy and prayer for St. Comgall's patronage, at this date. The published Martyrology of Tallagh has some specific remarks,y° regarding his age. This text is rendered dififer-
Patrick, near Dublin," &c. , Book i. , chap. X. , sect. XV. , p. 65.
^* The accompanying illustration was drawn on the wood, by William F. Wake- man, from a sketch taken by him on the spot, in August, 1844. It was engraved by Mrs. Millard.
*= See John D'Alton's " History of the County of Dublin," from pp. 918 to 929. This writer appears to have overlooked Ussher's allusion to the place, and in con- nexion with our saint's name.
"* It is classed, B i, i, among the Trinity College MSS. , Dublin.
^7 It is, excepting the three Lessons of the Second Nocturn, taken from the Common to a Confessor, and not a Pontiff.
^^ At the loth of May. See pp. 50 to 54.
^9 In the "Leabhar Breac" copy we read :
llifit)]:l. Aich inAblcAii\
1nibi CAfpm cech cenipuiL Roiipn<MT)eA nifUiAj^Ach CoiiijAbL buAXJAch ben'ochuijN.
Thus translated, by Dr. Whitley Stokes :
" Into the peace-kingdom of the other world, wherein is every temple's noise, may the hostful, victorious Comgall of Bangor convoy us. "
9° Thus, at the vi. Idus, or loth of May, we read: " Comhgall Benchair xci. anno
——
May io. ] LIVES OF 2'HE IRISH SAINTS.
183
184
setatis ejus : principatus anno i mo. anno et mensibus tribus et decern diebus. "—Rev. Dr. Kelly's "Calendar of Iri^h Saints," p. xxiii.
paciencie posteium prebebat exemplum. " Ibid. , pp. 263, 264.
59 It has been suspected, that this place is not different from Dercongal.
9' Thus, C01115. Mll benc1i<iii\ . xci Ann '°° Thus : vi. Idus. " Et apud Hiberniam
AecAcif eni|' iD]\incip. . \cu]' Auceni b. Anno ec nien|"e. 111. Agu^' Dccitno -oie.
9^ See " Histori^e Catholicce Ibernire Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 50.
^^ Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 122, 123.
'°^ In " Menologium Scoticum," he writes, under the lotli of May : '' Combas 9* See " Ecclesiastical Antiquities of monasterio Congelli abbatis, quo Bencho- rensem in Ilibcrnia faniiliani, amplius quam mill" monachisibi collocatis, fundavit, ML. "
9* See pp. 74 to 76. 95 See p. 131.
Dovvn, Connor and Dromore," Appendix LL, p. 378.
—
97 This has been edited, by David Laing, Esq. , K. S. A. . Scotland, and it is yniblished, in " Proceedings of the Society of Antiqua- ries o( Scotland," vol. ii.
** In this form does the entry occur : " vj
Idus Maji—In Scocia Sancti Conj^alii ab-
balis apud monasteriuni de Drumcongal Scottish Saints," pp. 308 to 310.
cuius mcrita longe lateque diffusa miraculis '"' See A. G. Ricliey's " Lectures on the non desunt clarere impolluta niente calcauit History of Ireland," Lect. ii. . p. 44.
et immciito qui prcst-ntis vite infamiam et
Natale Sancti Abbatis Comgalli. "— " Kalen- darium Drummondiense. " See Bishop For- bes' " Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 13. '°' Thus : vi. Id. " Congalli Abbatis. " Ibid. , p. 71.
'" Thus: iiii. Id. "Comgalli Abbatis. " Ibid. ,\i. 116.
Ibid. , p.
199.
'"' Lkmical with the Rathmelsigi of
Venerable Bede.
'°^ See Goodall's edition of his " Scoli-
chronicon," vol. ii. , lib. vii. , cap. 28.
"" . See Bishop Eorbes" " Kalendars of
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May io.
ently, liowever, in tlie Franciscan copy. 9' Our saint's name and festival are likewise noted, in the anonymous list of saints' commemorations, as published by O'Sullevan Beare,^^ at a passage where the entry Congalus occurs. On this day, we read in the Martyrology of Donegal,93 that a festival was held in honourofComghall,AbbotofBennchororBangor,Uladh. Thefestivalof St. Comgall, Abbot of Bangor, is found in " A Memorial of Ancient British Piety,"94 in the " Circle of the Seasons," nt the loth of May,"5 and in tlie Rev. Dr. Reeves' Calendar. ^fi In Scotland, the Abbot St. Comgall was held in great veneration, on the loth of May, as we find recorded, in the Martyrology of Aberdeen,97 and his merits have been extolled with high eulogy. 98 This was the case, especially at the monastery of Drumcongal,99 which doubtless derived its denomination from him. The churches of Dercongal, or Holy- wood, and of Durris, were dedicated to this saint. His feast is also entered in the Kalendars of Drummond,'°° de Nova Farina,'°' of Aberdeen, ''"^ and of Dempster. '°3 The fair of St. Congal is still held at Durris ; but, some of the Scottish writters are no doubt mistaken, respecting him, as when Camerarius asserts, that he was Abbot of Rathurelfigi,'"^ and where Fordun '°5 states, that his body was preserved at Fulda. '°^
It has been incorrectly assumed, that in the earlier periods of our history, the civilization of Ireland, so far as it arose from monastic institutions, was strictly confined within the limits of our monasteries, and that it did not aftect the general condition of the people. '°7 It would be difficult to imagine the possibility of such a theoretic paradox being true, even if we had not the most abundant historic evidence to disprove its incorrectness. We need only refer to the single case of Bangor monastery, that diffused civilization and blessings among the people, far and near, at home and abroad ; nor were the labours of its religious transitory or intermitting, since for a long'succession of pges, its missionaries were actively employed, in spreadingaknowledge ofGospel truths, and in leading regular lives, which impressed the people with reverence for their pious instructors, whose moral practices gave earnestness to the charac- ter of their teaching. Popular industries, agriculture, and the mechanic arts, received likewise a great stimulus, from our monastic institutes.
Article ii. -—Chapter i. —' Thus, at
the iSth of March, Art. viii. , in vol. iii. of
this work, there are some notices of him, as,
also, in the present vol. , at the 8th of May,
Avt. xii. See the " Anonymous Catalogue of tinorum Fortunal" This worlc was com- Irish Saints," puljlished by O'Sullevan Beare, posed, in Eight Books, and it was published, in " Historite Catholicse Ibernice Compen- at Naples, a. d. 1589. Afterwards, it was
dium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 50.
^ Among these, the Bollandists mention Acts of the Finding of this sainrs relics, under the title, '" Tiagoni Archiepiscopi viio leligioso. " — However, Drogoni should be substituted fur Tragoni. These Manuscripts were kept in a sacristy, at Capua, according
to a monk, named Michael.
3 By his chief biographer, Bartholomew
Moroni.
* For Permission of this Office, Cardinal
Guilielmus Sirletus has subscribed " Nos Guiliemlus, &c. Item Episcop. Arcin Im- primatur si placet R. P. Magistro S. Palatii. B. Episcop. Arim Vicesq. Item Magister S. Palatii Impiimatur F. loan. Maria Magister . S. Palatii. " —Colgan's " Ada Sanctorum 1 Ii-
inserted, in "Italia lUustrata," printed at Fiankfort, A. D. 1600.
' See " Scriptores Ordinis Minorum qui- bus accessit syllabus Illorum qui ex eodem ordine pro Fide Christi fortiter occubuerunt. Priores atramento, Posteriores sanguine Christianam Religionem assernerunt. " Re- sensuit Fr. Lucas Waddingus eju^dem Insti- tuli Theologus, p. 57 Edition, Rome, a. d.
1806, fol.
^ In quarto shape.
5 ,See Uidacus Lequile's " Hierarchia
Franciscana," tomus ii. , p. 278. This relic was then preserved entire, in the sacristy or treasury of the Metropolitan Church, at Tarentum.
. s
May 10. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 185
ARTICLE II. —ST. CATALDUS. OR ST. CATHALDUS, BISHOP OF TARE. \TU. \r. ITALY.
SEVENTH CEXrCRY. CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION—AUTHORITIES—ST. CATALDUS, OR CATHAI. DUS, AN IRISHMAN, BY BIRTH—PKRIOD WHEN HE FLOURISHED—HIS PARENTAGE—PRODIGIES ATTENDING HIS BIRTH—EDUCATION AND ORDINATION OF ST. CATALDUS—MIRACLES.
ALTHOUGH the fame of St. Cataldus or Cathaldus has been extended beyond the hmd of his birth, and even beyond tlie country of his adoi^tion, some grave discrepancies, as to tlie date, when his missionary career commenced, and when that for his death took place, occur among writers. Yet, the main facts of his history preserve a great degree of accuracy and consistency, when we take into account the want of any very ancient domes-
tic biography, and the remote period, at which he hved.
Aheady some alhisions have been made to this holy man, who has been
honoured with different feast-days. ^ As we deem the loth of May—if not the day for his departure—at least that for his chief festival, we have reserved for it, an account of his life, so far as it can be reproduced from the many writers, who have undertaken to record his Acts. From a remote time, various Manuscripts had been preserved at Tarentum, and relating to its chief Patron. ^ Materials for the life of our saint are chiefly derived from his office, 3 published in the year 1607, • and from some old Manuscript records of Tarentum church. Our saint is commemorated by a lawyer, called John Juvenis,^ who wrote a History of his native city, in the sixteenth century. Brother Bonaventure Moroni, a learned Franciscan, was an Italian writer and a poet, greatly esteemed in his order, for genius, piety and eloquence. He died in 162 1. Among other elegant poems, he wrote " Cathaldiados, sive Vita Sancti Cataldi," Libri vi. 7 It was published, at Rome, a. d. 1614. ^ He also wrote, "Mirandum Panegyricum Super Linguam S. Cataldi. "9 This writer was well
bernicc," viii. . Martii, nn. i, 2, p. 559.
s According to the "Vita S. Cataldi,"
Preefacio.
* See "De Anliquitate et Varia Taren-
186
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May io.
versed, in the Latin,. Greek and Hebrew languages. -" His brother Bartholo- mewMoroniwrotethebiographyofSt. Cathaldus,inLatinprose. " This latter Life is published by Colgan, at the 8th of IMarch ; while, the former is omitted, as being perhaps of less importance, in a historical point of view, or perhaps,becausenoperfectcopytoprintfromhadbeenprocured. " Among the writers, who have recorded our saint's Acts, are Laurence Surius,'3 Petrus de Natalibus,"! the Abbot Ferdinando Ugheni,'^ in the first '^ and second '? edi- tions of his great work, known as "Italia Sacra. '"'^ Philip Ferrarius,'? likewise, and Berlengerius of Tarentum, who was a nobleman, and an eloquent lawyer, wrote the History of the Finding and Translation of the Relics of St. Catal- dus. ^° SirJamesWare,"andArchbishopUsshertreatofthissaint,likewise, andatsomelength. " TheLifeandMiraclesofSt. Cataldus,Bishopand Confessor, Patron of Tarentum city, have been issued, by Colgan, at the 8th of March, and drawn from various sources. ^3 To tliat published Life of Bartholomew Moroni, Colgan has prefixed short Acts of our saint, taken from Petrus de Natalibus. He has, likewise, appended the Office of St. Cataldus, printedatRome,a. d. 1607; togetherwithfourchaptersinanAppendix,treating on different festivals instituted to his honour ; on the time in which our saint flourished; on his country; and on his writings. At the loth of May, the Bollandists have published notices of St. Cataldus. '^ These are edited, by Father Godefrid Henschenn. ^5 We have also accounts of this holy bishop, in Bishop De Burgo,^^ in a "AMemorial of Ancient British Piety,"=^7 in
" Britannia Sancta,^^ in Rev. Alban Butler,^? and in " Les Petits BoUan-
'° See "Supplementum et Castigatio ad Scriptores Trium Oidinum S. Francisci a Waddingo, aliisve descriptos ; cum adnota- tionibus ad Syllabum Maityrum eoramdem ordinem. " Opus Post-humum Fr.
•152.
"^s gee William M. Hennessy's edition, pp. 66, 67.
;
^° Archbishop Ussher places his death at the year 601, and says, that he lived only totheeighly-tifthyear. SeeIndexChrono- logicus. " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum An- tiquitates," p. 535.
^^ See " Monasticon Hibernicam," p. 106.
^^ Venerated, at the 9th of June,
*' His feast occurs, on the 14th of May. 7° He is commemorated, at the 12th of
September,
7' See "The Whole Works of the Most
Rev. James Ussher, D. D. , Lord Arch- bishop of Armagh, and Primate of All Ire- land," by Dr. Elrington, vol. vi. , '' Britanni- carum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 483.
'-These are noted, as " Regularis Vitse Methodus," lib. i. , "Ad Coenobiorum Patres," lib. i. , and "Epistolce Plures," lib. i. See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Sco- toruni," tomus i. , lib. iii. , num. 254, p. 152.
7' See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , x. Mali. Vita S. Comgalli, ex MS. antiquo et editione Sirini, cap. iii. , num. 53, p. 588.
''* See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 309.
"This will be found, in Rev. James
To him,
——
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May io.
praise of St. Comgall. 75 Sometime having elapsed, after St. Comgall's death, the St. Fiachra, already named, came to the monastery of Bangor. The remains of Comgall having been disentombed with much reverence, Fiachra removed an arm of our saint, which he brought with him, proceeding on towards the province of Leinster. While pursuing his journey through this province,hestoppedatthecastleofachief,whowasnamedAedus. ? ^ He requested the saint, to baptize one of his cliildren. Fiachra opened his wallet, to remove a book containing the Baptismal rite. Immediately, the arm of St. Comgall was raised towards Heaven. After Fiachra's fasting and prayer, offered on bended knees, it then descended, and disappeared beneath the earth. For three days, the soil was searched, by digging over this spot; but, the relic could not be discovered. On seeing this, the chieftain Aedus gave in perpetuity a donation of his castle and lands ; and here, St. Fiachra built a large monastery, ui honour of St. Comgall, and of the Most Holy Trinity. 7?
On the plundering of Bangor, by the Danes, in the year of our Lord 822, the oratory there was broken, and the relics of St. Comgall were shaken from the shrine, in which they had been preserved. They were afterwards removed to Antrim. 7^ It was only in 1846, that a lease of the plot of ground, on Kennedies Hill, near Bangor, had been procured ; this was transferred to the Catholic Bishop, and on it the chapel of Bangor, dedicated to St. Comgall, was built. It was opened in a solemn manner, on the 14th of September, 1 85 1, by the Most Rev. Dr. Denvir. 79 A beautiful Catholic Church has been erected, of late years, in the town of Antrim, and it has been specially dedi- cated to St. Comgall. It is not at all improbable, that his blessed relics still sanc- tifythatparish. Aplace,belongingtotheArchiepiscopalSeeofDublin,was formerly called Cell. Comgail,**° after this saint. ^' It was known as Saynkill,^^ nowShankill,inthebaronyofRathdown,andcountyofDublin. ^3 Itisknown, also, as Rathmichael,and there aretheruins of an ancient church, with thestump of a round tower remaining. ^+ Near it is a fine rath, extending over an area of twenty-eight yards, in diameter, the circumference of which was marked by
i82
O'Laverty's "Historical Account of the DioceseofDownandConnor,"vol. ii. , Ap-
pendix, pp. xxii. to xxv.
7* He seems to have been a subordinate
chief of Leinster ; although, about or soon after the time of St. Comgall's death, Aedh, whose son Crimhihann was killed at Ath- Gian, in larthar-Liffe, or the west side of the River Liffcy, appears to have been King of Leinster. See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol, i. , pp. 250, 251, and nn. (y, z).
''See '"Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , x. Maii. Vita S. Comgalli, ex MS. antiquo et editione Sirini, cap. iii. , n. 54, p. 5S8.
'" In Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," there is preserved a quatrain, attributed to the saint himself, in prophetic anticipation of the desecration of his shrine and the removal of his body :
t)nf) ]:i'yv, ^ip. 'DO "beoin <iii\-o)M5 n<i
IM'g
be(\toi\ mo CMAtiiA jAn c^\6n, 6
t)heAtit)6ui]\ bA§A •00 eAnct\obh.
These lines are thus translated into Eng- li-ih :
" It will be true, true, by the will of the supremeKingofKings,
My bones shall be brought, without defect, from the beloved Beanchoir to Eantrobh. "
See vol. i. , pp. 434, 435.
? ' See Rev. James O'Laverty's "Historical
Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern," vol. ii. , pp. 153, 154.
'^'^ See Ussher's "Epistolarum Hibemi- carum Vetenim Sylloge," Epist. xlviii. , p. 113.
'" See Bishop Nicholson's " Irish Histori- cal Library. " chap, iv. , p. 34.
*•' Archbidiop Usshcr writes: "Ab eo Cell-ComgaiU ad Dubliniensem spectans archiepisco])um, nomen olim accepit, quani
— nicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap.
hodie Saynkili appellamus," (S:c.
" Britan-
xvii. , p. 494-
^^ The chapel of Senekil w. as appendant
to the mother church of Rathmichael, a pre- bend of St. Patrick's Cathedral. See Wdliam Monck M-ison's " History and Antiquicies of the Collegiate and Cathedral Churcii of St.
a stone circle, now nearly sodded over ; while, in a wider range below, the ambit of the hill was cut into a deep fosse, much of which is still discernible. A yet wider mound and wall enclosed this portion ; while this fortified post was in a most commanding position. ^5
The ancient office for St. Comgall's feast was one of Nine Lessons, as we find entered, in the Antiphonary of the Culdees,^^ belonging to the Armagh Metropolitan Church, where the calendar list occurs, at the vi. of the May Ides. There is an office,^? with Proper Lessons, and set down as a Duplex Majus, in Bishop De Burgo's " Officia Propria Sanctorum Hiberniee. "^^
Rathmichael Old Church, County of Dublin.
In all our ancient calendars, we find notices of St. Comgall set down for the 10th of May. The Feilire of St. ^ngus,^9 has a eulogy and prayer for St. Comgall's patronage, at this date. The published Martyrology of Tallagh has some specific remarks,y° regarding his age. This text is rendered dififer-
Patrick, near Dublin," &c. , Book i. , chap. X. , sect. XV. , p. 65.
^* The accompanying illustration was drawn on the wood, by William F. Wake- man, from a sketch taken by him on the spot, in August, 1844. It was engraved by Mrs. Millard.
*= See John D'Alton's " History of the County of Dublin," from pp. 918 to 929. This writer appears to have overlooked Ussher's allusion to the place, and in con- nexion with our saint's name.
"* It is classed, B i, i, among the Trinity College MSS. , Dublin.
^7 It is, excepting the three Lessons of the Second Nocturn, taken from the Common to a Confessor, and not a Pontiff.
^^ At the loth of May. See pp. 50 to 54.
^9 In the "Leabhar Breac" copy we read :
llifit)]:l. Aich inAblcAii\
1nibi CAfpm cech cenipuiL Roiipn<MT)eA nifUiAj^Ach CoiiijAbL buAXJAch ben'ochuijN.
Thus translated, by Dr. Whitley Stokes :
" Into the peace-kingdom of the other world, wherein is every temple's noise, may the hostful, victorious Comgall of Bangor convoy us. "
9° Thus, at the vi. Idus, or loth of May, we read: " Comhgall Benchair xci. anno
——
May io. ] LIVES OF 2'HE IRISH SAINTS.
183
184
setatis ejus : principatus anno i mo. anno et mensibus tribus et decern diebus. "—Rev. Dr. Kelly's "Calendar of Iri^h Saints," p. xxiii.
paciencie posteium prebebat exemplum. " Ibid. , pp. 263, 264.
59 It has been suspected, that this place is not different from Dercongal.
9' Thus, C01115. Mll benc1i<iii\ . xci Ann '°° Thus : vi. Idus. " Et apud Hiberniam
AecAcif eni|' iD]\incip. . \cu]' Auceni b. Anno ec nien|"e. 111. Agu^' Dccitno -oie.
9^ See " Histori^e Catholicce Ibernire Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 50.
^^ Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 122, 123.
'°^ In " Menologium Scoticum," he writes, under the lotli of May : '' Combas 9* See " Ecclesiastical Antiquities of monasterio Congelli abbatis, quo Bencho- rensem in Ilibcrnia faniiliani, amplius quam mill" monachisibi collocatis, fundavit, ML. "
9* See pp. 74 to 76. 95 See p. 131.
Dovvn, Connor and Dromore," Appendix LL, p. 378.
—
97 This has been edited, by David Laing, Esq. , K. S. A. . Scotland, and it is yniblished, in " Proceedings of the Society of Antiqua- ries o( Scotland," vol. ii.
** In this form does the entry occur : " vj
Idus Maji—In Scocia Sancti Conj^alii ab-
balis apud monasteriuni de Drumcongal Scottish Saints," pp. 308 to 310.
cuius mcrita longe lateque diffusa miraculis '"' See A. G. Ricliey's " Lectures on the non desunt clarere impolluta niente calcauit History of Ireland," Lect. ii. . p. 44.
et immciito qui prcst-ntis vite infamiam et
Natale Sancti Abbatis Comgalli. "— " Kalen- darium Drummondiense. " See Bishop For- bes' " Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 13. '°' Thus : vi. Id. " Congalli Abbatis. " Ibid. , p. 71.
'" Thus: iiii. Id. "Comgalli Abbatis. " Ibid. ,\i. 116.
Ibid. , p.
199.
'"' Lkmical with the Rathmelsigi of
Venerable Bede.
'°^ See Goodall's edition of his " Scoli-
chronicon," vol. ii. , lib. vii. , cap. 28.
"" . See Bishop Eorbes" " Kalendars of
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May io.
ently, liowever, in tlie Franciscan copy. 9' Our saint's name and festival are likewise noted, in the anonymous list of saints' commemorations, as published by O'Sullevan Beare,^^ at a passage where the entry Congalus occurs. On this day, we read in the Martyrology of Donegal,93 that a festival was held in honourofComghall,AbbotofBennchororBangor,Uladh. Thefestivalof St. Comgall, Abbot of Bangor, is found in " A Memorial of Ancient British Piety,"94 in the " Circle of the Seasons," nt the loth of May,"5 and in tlie Rev. Dr. Reeves' Calendar. ^fi In Scotland, the Abbot St. Comgall was held in great veneration, on the loth of May, as we find recorded, in the Martyrology of Aberdeen,97 and his merits have been extolled with high eulogy. 98 This was the case, especially at the monastery of Drumcongal,99 which doubtless derived its denomination from him. The churches of Dercongal, or Holy- wood, and of Durris, were dedicated to this saint. His feast is also entered in the Kalendars of Drummond,'°° de Nova Farina,'°' of Aberdeen, ''"^ and of Dempster. '°3 The fair of St. Congal is still held at Durris ; but, some of the Scottish writters are no doubt mistaken, respecting him, as when Camerarius asserts, that he was Abbot of Rathurelfigi,'"^ and where Fordun '°5 states, that his body was preserved at Fulda. '°^
It has been incorrectly assumed, that in the earlier periods of our history, the civilization of Ireland, so far as it arose from monastic institutions, was strictly confined within the limits of our monasteries, and that it did not aftect the general condition of the people. '°7 It would be difficult to imagine the possibility of such a theoretic paradox being true, even if we had not the most abundant historic evidence to disprove its incorrectness. We need only refer to the single case of Bangor monastery, that diffused civilization and blessings among the people, far and near, at home and abroad ; nor were the labours of its religious transitory or intermitting, since for a long'succession of pges, its missionaries were actively employed, in spreadingaknowledge ofGospel truths, and in leading regular lives, which impressed the people with reverence for their pious instructors, whose moral practices gave earnestness to the charac- ter of their teaching. Popular industries, agriculture, and the mechanic arts, received likewise a great stimulus, from our monastic institutes.
Article ii. -—Chapter i. —' Thus, at
the iSth of March, Art. viii. , in vol. iii. of
this work, there are some notices of him, as,
also, in the present vol. , at the 8th of May,
Avt. xii. See the " Anonymous Catalogue of tinorum Fortunal" This worlc was com- Irish Saints," puljlished by O'Sullevan Beare, posed, in Eight Books, and it was published, in " Historite Catholicse Ibernice Compen- at Naples, a. d. 1589. Afterwards, it was
dium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 50.
^ Among these, the Bollandists mention Acts of the Finding of this sainrs relics, under the title, '" Tiagoni Archiepiscopi viio leligioso. " — However, Drogoni should be substituted fur Tragoni. These Manuscripts were kept in a sacristy, at Capua, according
to a monk, named Michael.
3 By his chief biographer, Bartholomew
Moroni.
* For Permission of this Office, Cardinal
Guilielmus Sirletus has subscribed " Nos Guiliemlus, &c. Item Episcop. Arcin Im- primatur si placet R. P. Magistro S. Palatii. B. Episcop. Arim Vicesq. Item Magister S. Palatii Impiimatur F. loan. Maria Magister . S. Palatii. " —Colgan's " Ada Sanctorum 1 Ii-
inserted, in "Italia lUustrata," printed at Fiankfort, A. D. 1600.
' See " Scriptores Ordinis Minorum qui- bus accessit syllabus Illorum qui ex eodem ordine pro Fide Christi fortiter occubuerunt. Priores atramento, Posteriores sanguine Christianam Religionem assernerunt. " Re- sensuit Fr. Lucas Waddingus eju^dem Insti- tuli Theologus, p. 57 Edition, Rome, a. d.
1806, fol.
^ In quarto shape.
5 ,See Uidacus Lequile's " Hierarchia
Franciscana," tomus ii. , p. 278. This relic was then preserved entire, in the sacristy or treasury of the Metropolitan Church, at Tarentum.
. s
May 10. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 185
ARTICLE II. —ST. CATALDUS. OR ST. CATHALDUS, BISHOP OF TARE. \TU. \r. ITALY.
SEVENTH CEXrCRY. CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION—AUTHORITIES—ST. CATALDUS, OR CATHAI. DUS, AN IRISHMAN, BY BIRTH—PKRIOD WHEN HE FLOURISHED—HIS PARENTAGE—PRODIGIES ATTENDING HIS BIRTH—EDUCATION AND ORDINATION OF ST. CATALDUS—MIRACLES.
ALTHOUGH the fame of St. Cataldus or Cathaldus has been extended beyond the hmd of his birth, and even beyond tlie country of his adoi^tion, some grave discrepancies, as to tlie date, when his missionary career commenced, and when that for his death took place, occur among writers. Yet, the main facts of his history preserve a great degree of accuracy and consistency, when we take into account the want of any very ancient domes-
tic biography, and the remote period, at which he hved.
Aheady some alhisions have been made to this holy man, who has been
honoured with different feast-days. ^ As we deem the loth of May—if not the day for his departure—at least that for his chief festival, we have reserved for it, an account of his life, so far as it can be reproduced from the many writers, who have undertaken to record his Acts. From a remote time, various Manuscripts had been preserved at Tarentum, and relating to its chief Patron. ^ Materials for the life of our saint are chiefly derived from his office, 3 published in the year 1607, • and from some old Manuscript records of Tarentum church. Our saint is commemorated by a lawyer, called John Juvenis,^ who wrote a History of his native city, in the sixteenth century. Brother Bonaventure Moroni, a learned Franciscan, was an Italian writer and a poet, greatly esteemed in his order, for genius, piety and eloquence. He died in 162 1. Among other elegant poems, he wrote " Cathaldiados, sive Vita Sancti Cataldi," Libri vi. 7 It was published, at Rome, a. d. 1614. ^ He also wrote, "Mirandum Panegyricum Super Linguam S. Cataldi. "9 This writer was well
bernicc," viii. . Martii, nn. i, 2, p. 559.
s According to the "Vita S. Cataldi,"
Preefacio.
* See "De Anliquitate et Varia Taren-
186
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May io.
versed, in the Latin,. Greek and Hebrew languages. -" His brother Bartholo- mewMoroniwrotethebiographyofSt. Cathaldus,inLatinprose. " This latter Life is published by Colgan, at the 8th of IMarch ; while, the former is omitted, as being perhaps of less importance, in a historical point of view, or perhaps,becausenoperfectcopytoprintfromhadbeenprocured. " Among the writers, who have recorded our saint's Acts, are Laurence Surius,'3 Petrus de Natalibus,"! the Abbot Ferdinando Ugheni,'^ in the first '^ and second '? edi- tions of his great work, known as "Italia Sacra. '"'^ Philip Ferrarius,'? likewise, and Berlengerius of Tarentum, who was a nobleman, and an eloquent lawyer, wrote the History of the Finding and Translation of the Relics of St. Catal- dus. ^° SirJamesWare,"andArchbishopUsshertreatofthissaint,likewise, andatsomelength. " TheLifeandMiraclesofSt. Cataldus,Bishopand Confessor, Patron of Tarentum city, have been issued, by Colgan, at the 8th of March, and drawn from various sources. ^3 To tliat published Life of Bartholomew Moroni, Colgan has prefixed short Acts of our saint, taken from Petrus de Natalibus. He has, likewise, appended the Office of St. Cataldus, printedatRome,a. d. 1607; togetherwithfourchaptersinanAppendix,treating on different festivals instituted to his honour ; on the time in which our saint flourished; on his country; and on his writings. At the loth of May, the Bollandists have published notices of St. Cataldus. '^ These are edited, by Father Godefrid Henschenn. ^5 We have also accounts of this holy bishop, in Bishop De Burgo,^^ in a "AMemorial of Ancient British Piety,"=^7 in
" Britannia Sancta,^^ in Rev. Alban Butler,^? and in " Les Petits BoUan-
'° See "Supplementum et Castigatio ad Scriptores Trium Oidinum S. Francisci a Waddingo, aliisve descriptos ; cum adnota- tionibus ad Syllabum Maityrum eoramdem ordinem. " Opus Post-humum Fr.
