'^ See " Officia Propria
Sanctorum
lliber- nix, "at March viii.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v5
" 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. Jo : HyacinthisBaralere. Minor. Conventual. Sac. Theolog. Magistri, p. 178. Roma, fol. 1806.
" This work was intituled, " Miracula S. Cataldi, ex vetustissimis Exemplaribus fide- lissime desumpta, stylo modice immutato. " This work was published, at Rome, A. D.
1614.
'= Among the Colgan MSS. , in the Fran-
ciscan Library, Dublin, 1 iind a transcript, in Colgan's handwriting, in 12 folio pages- only a part of the First Book, written in Latin Hexameter verse.
»3 See "De Probatis Sanctorum Vitis,"
-'5 lie gives a prefatory commentary of '•• In "Catalogus Sanctorum et Gestorum two paragraphs, and next introduces His-
tomus iii.
eorum ex diversis Voluminibus Collectus," lib. iv. , cap. 142.
'5 He was born at Florence, March 2ist, 1595, and he died at Rome, May 19th, 1670. He belonged to the Cistercian Order, and he was called to several high positions in the Church.
'* The first edition of " Italia Sacra," ap- peared at Rome, in fol. , a. d. 1643 to 1662, in nine volumes.
'7 The second edition was enlarged and emended by Nicolas Coleti, and it appeared at Venice, in ten folio volumes, from A. o. 1717 to 1722.
'^ See Tarentina Metropolis, cols. 117 to 1 25. References are here made to the second
toria Inventionis et Translationis, auctore Berlengerio Tarentino, et forsan aliis, ex Codicibus MSS. , in three chapters, and thirty-six paragraphs, with notes. Then follows an Appendix, De Inventione Lin- gua; S. Cataldi et Libri ab co scripti, two adtliiional paragraphs, with notes. After- wards, we find, Inquisitio de aetata et gestis S. Cataldi in V'ita, in eleven paragraphs.
'^ See " Officia Propria Sanctorum lliber- nix, "at March viii. Officium in Fesio S. Cataldi. pp. 1 8 to 27.
'^ At p. 76.
^* See part i. , pp. 285, 2S6.
^ See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and
other princip. il Saints,'" vol. v. , M. iy x.
edition.
'' In " Catalogus Sanctorum Italice. "
^° This account has been published by the
Bollandists, who state, however, that as taken from Manuscripts, differing in the order of narrative, it was not easy to decide, what had been written, by Berlengerius, and what had been inserted, by other writers. These Acts the Bollandists received from Father Nicolas Beatillo, of Naples.
=' See " De Scriptoribus Hibemiae," lib. i. , cap. i. , pp. 6 to 8.
^ See " Britannicamm Ecclesiarum An- tiquitates," cap. xvi. , pp. 392 to 397.
=3 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernice," Martii viii. Vita S. Cataldi, Episcopi et Confessori? , pp. 540 to 562.
-* See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Mali X. , pp. 569 to 578.
May 10. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
187
distes,"3° as also, in the Dictionary of Christian Biography ;3i besides a great number of other writers record various particulars, relative to this holy bishop.
It is almost universally admitted, that Cathaldus was born in Ireland ;
for, not alone are there early authorities to quote, in support of this claim, but his name seems resolvable into Cathal, which was one common among the prelatesandprincesofourIsland. 3^ Wherefore,Colganthinks,thatCathaldus should be the proper Latinized form of his name. Contrary to the most clear and convincing testimony, and with contradictions in his statement, suffi- ciently notorious to destroy nearly all of his assertions,33 Dempster has falsely pretended, that Cataldus was a native of Scotland. After quoting the words of Dempster, who says he was born there, that he had been educated in St, Fillan's Monastery in Knapdalia, and that having his birth among the moun- tains of Scotland, which retained the name of Ireland, gave rise to an opinion, that Cathaldus was a native of our Island, although born in lona, &C. 34 Ussher remarks, not to mention the absurdity of mountains in lona, which have no existence, this Island never obtained the name of Ireland ; and moreover, as St. Philan, or Fillan, lived some ages after our saint's time, this latter could not have been educated by the former, and who, perhaps, never hadamonastery,inthatplace,calledKnapdaiia. 35 Inlikemanner,Colgan
repeats these reasons, urged by Ussher, to disprove Dempster's contradictions. In addition, the Scottish " Saint Stealer " allows, that Cathaldus passed over to Ireland, where he remained for some time; thence, it is asserted, and from the Islands, and from Anglia, he took twelve companions with him, to enter upon his Apostolic career, which continued until at least a. d. 361, supposed to be the year for his departure. In another part of his History, Demp- ster likewise admits, that Fillan flourished in the year 703. 3^ A much greater difference of opinion exists, among writers of our saint's Acts, regard- ing the period at which he flourished. According to some writers, 37 during the reign of Con, in the second century, Ireland sent forth the famous St. Cathaldus, to preach the Gospel of Christ, before he became bishop and
3° See "Vies des Saints," &c,, tome v,, Xe Jour de Mai, p. 425.
3' Edited by Dr. William Smith and Henry Wace, M. A. , vol. i. , pp. 421, 422.
3^ See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," viii. Martii, n. i. , p. 544. Colgan cites many instances, from the Annals of the Four Masters, for proof of his assertion.
33 See Dempster's " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomusi. , lib. iii. , num. 278. s* For these assertions, Dempster cites the authority of a MS. in the Ambrosian Lib-
are sufficient to discredit his account, with- out any additional remarks from Colgan. These scarcely increase the weight of his other reasons. For, in labouring to prove, that neither in Ireland nor in Scotland, before A. D. 361, could twelve Bishops be found, he omits the possibility of England in addition being able to furnish this number, and the fact, after all, that Dempster does not make Bishopsofoursaint'scompanions. Ofafar different cliaracter is the positive testimony, adduced by Colgan, to prove our saint an Irishman, if such proof were at all required. It will be unnecessary, in this place, to do more than merely refer the reader to Colgan's dissertation, on the country of Cathaldus, to
rary, depending on the statement of Father
George Lesley, a Capuchin. Besides this
account, Alexander >Iill, in a Preface to the
succession to the church of Dunkeld, states,
that Cathaldus discharged the duties of be found in the Third chapter of his Appcn- Bishop for a long time, in the country around dix. There, it is shown, that not only the Dunkeld and Dumblaine, according to authors of this saint's Lives, as published by Dempster ; and this statement is said to be him, but a great number of other writers, proved, from local Manuscript Acts, and concur in the statement, that Cathaldus was from the testimony of Veremund, a Priest.
See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scoto- rum," tomus i. , lib. iii. , num. 278, pp. 163, 164.
35 See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum An- tiquitates," cap. xvi. , p. 393.
3* These contradictious and mistatements
a native of Hibernia. See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibernia," viii. Martii, Appen- dix ad Acta S. Cataldi, cap. iii. , pp. 561, 562.
3? The Vita S. Cataldi, and Bruodin, p. 879, are quoted.
38 g^g Ferrar's " History of Limerick,"
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 10,
patron of Turentum in Italy. 3^ Some writers will have it, that St. Cathaldus arrived from Ireland, in Tarentum, ad. i6o,39 or i66;4o Ughelli ' has the latter date ; others have a. D. 170—such as Bartholomew '^ and Bonaventure*3 Moroni. But, as author? ;, who place Cathaldus in the second century, remark of him, in their accounts, that he visited the sepulchre of Christ, at Jerusalem, before he came to Tarentum ; and, as we do not find, that the Holy Land had been much frequented by pilgrims, before the Empress Helena discovered Christ's tomb, a. d. 326 ; our saint's arrival at Tarentum must have been subsequent to that period. -*^ Whilst advancing this position, Caraccioli^s hazards also an opinion, that Cathaldus lived subsequent to the arrival of the Goths, in Italy, viz. , after a. d. 500. This is also an opinion of Alexander ab Alexandro. ^^ If we are to credit the accounts, in the Life of St. Cathaldus, that before leaving Ireland, when departing for Italy, the- year 500 or 520 might have elapsed ; about these periods, Ireland must have had, at least, one hundredcontemporaneousbishops. -*? Atorabouta. d. 630,4^afterhisexpul- sion Irom Rathen, St. Mocluida,'*^ or Carthage, founded Lismore, according to the Annals of Tigernach,5° of Clonmacnoise,5' of Ulster,S2 and of the Four Masters. 53 As it is stated, in the same Life, that our saint studied at Lis- more,54 and taught in its schools,55 he must have lived even later. Coigan thinks, that our saint could not have been a teacher of English, Scotch, Gauls, and Germans,56 before a. d. 636, at which time, it is probable, St. Carthage died ; and before which period, English and German converts were not found in sufficient numbers, to have left their own country for Ireland, to receive education at her schools. ^? The period of Cataldus has been referred even to die eighth century,s^ Again, the Meliridis, mentioned in the Life . md
pari iii. , chap, iii. , p. 184.
^9 In the Preface to his History of Taren-
tum, Juhn Juvenis states, that Cataldus
from Ireland effected the conversion ot
Pagans in Tarentum, about 160 years after
our Lord's Ascension, Anicetus being mx," viii. Martii. Appendix ad Acta . S.
Sovereign Pontiff, at the time.
*° In another part of this work, the author
tells us, that during the same pontificate, in the year of our Lord 166, Catlialdus entered Tarentum. See Joannes Juvenis "' De Anti- quitate et Varia Tarentinorum Fortuna," lib. viii.
' See "Italia Sacra," lomusix. Tarentina Metropolis, col. 124.
•• Larlholumew Moroni says, that Cathal- dus entered Tarentum, about the year of the Incarnation 170, when Pope . \nicetus ruled the Church, and Antoninus the Philosopher governed tlie I'. mpire. See Bartholomew Moroni's Vila . S. Calaldi, ca]). xiv. . in Col- gan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibernia;," viii. Martii, p. 548.
*3 " . Syrus Anicetus sacrarum pondera rerum
Suslinet, ct Princeps Aurelius eminct — orbi. "
"Cataldiados,"lib. ii.
** The Bollandists remark, that they found a marginal note, referring his arrival there to " anno Di. xvi," instead of to " anno ci. xvi," whicli connected it v\ilh tlie time of P'ii)e Anicetus.
Cataldi, cap. ii. , p. 560.
** See Ussliers Index Chronologicus, at
A. D. ucx. KX. , " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates. " p. 537.
« See his Life, at the 14th of May. 5° These have the date 636.
5' At A. D. 632.
5» See at A. D. 635.
S3 See at A. D. 631, the expulsion from Rathen recorded, in Dr. O' Donovan's etli- tion, vol. i. , pp. 252, 253.
5-t St. Cartage founded it, when driven from Rathen.
55 According *o Dr. diaries Smith, this happened after the death of . St. Carthage. See "Ancient anil Present Slate of the County and City of Waterford," chap, iii.
'" 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. Jo : HyacinthisBaralere. Minor. Conventual. Sac. Theolog. Magistri, p. 178. Roma, fol. 1806.
" This work was intituled, " Miracula S. Cataldi, ex vetustissimis Exemplaribus fide- lissime desumpta, stylo modice immutato. " This work was published, at Rome, A. D.
1614.
'= Among the Colgan MSS. , in the Fran-
ciscan Library, Dublin, 1 iind a transcript, in Colgan's handwriting, in 12 folio pages- only a part of the First Book, written in Latin Hexameter verse.
»3 See "De Probatis Sanctorum Vitis,"
-'5 lie gives a prefatory commentary of '•• In "Catalogus Sanctorum et Gestorum two paragraphs, and next introduces His-
tomus iii.
eorum ex diversis Voluminibus Collectus," lib. iv. , cap. 142.
'5 He was born at Florence, March 2ist, 1595, and he died at Rome, May 19th, 1670. He belonged to the Cistercian Order, and he was called to several high positions in the Church.
'* The first edition of " Italia Sacra," ap- peared at Rome, in fol. , a. d. 1643 to 1662, in nine volumes.
'7 The second edition was enlarged and emended by Nicolas Coleti, and it appeared at Venice, in ten folio volumes, from A. o. 1717 to 1722.
'^ See Tarentina Metropolis, cols. 117 to 1 25. References are here made to the second
toria Inventionis et Translationis, auctore Berlengerio Tarentino, et forsan aliis, ex Codicibus MSS. , in three chapters, and thirty-six paragraphs, with notes. Then follows an Appendix, De Inventione Lin- gua; S. Cataldi et Libri ab co scripti, two adtliiional paragraphs, with notes. After- wards, we find, Inquisitio de aetata et gestis S. Cataldi in V'ita, in eleven paragraphs.
'^ See " Officia Propria Sanctorum lliber- nix, "at March viii. Officium in Fesio S. Cataldi. pp. 1 8 to 27.
'^ At p. 76.
^* See part i. , pp. 285, 2S6.
^ See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and
other princip. il Saints,'" vol. v. , M. iy x.
edition.
'' In " Catalogus Sanctorum Italice. "
^° This account has been published by the
Bollandists, who state, however, that as taken from Manuscripts, differing in the order of narrative, it was not easy to decide, what had been written, by Berlengerius, and what had been inserted, by other writers. These Acts the Bollandists received from Father Nicolas Beatillo, of Naples.
=' See " De Scriptoribus Hibemiae," lib. i. , cap. i. , pp. 6 to 8.
^ See " Britannicamm Ecclesiarum An- tiquitates," cap. xvi. , pp. 392 to 397.
=3 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernice," Martii viii. Vita S. Cataldi, Episcopi et Confessori? , pp. 540 to 562.
-* See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Mali X. , pp. 569 to 578.
May 10. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
187
distes,"3° as also, in the Dictionary of Christian Biography ;3i besides a great number of other writers record various particulars, relative to this holy bishop.
It is almost universally admitted, that Cathaldus was born in Ireland ;
for, not alone are there early authorities to quote, in support of this claim, but his name seems resolvable into Cathal, which was one common among the prelatesandprincesofourIsland. 3^ Wherefore,Colganthinks,thatCathaldus should be the proper Latinized form of his name. Contrary to the most clear and convincing testimony, and with contradictions in his statement, suffi- ciently notorious to destroy nearly all of his assertions,33 Dempster has falsely pretended, that Cataldus was a native of Scotland. After quoting the words of Dempster, who says he was born there, that he had been educated in St, Fillan's Monastery in Knapdalia, and that having his birth among the moun- tains of Scotland, which retained the name of Ireland, gave rise to an opinion, that Cathaldus was a native of our Island, although born in lona, &C. 34 Ussher remarks, not to mention the absurdity of mountains in lona, which have no existence, this Island never obtained the name of Ireland ; and moreover, as St. Philan, or Fillan, lived some ages after our saint's time, this latter could not have been educated by the former, and who, perhaps, never hadamonastery,inthatplace,calledKnapdaiia. 35 Inlikemanner,Colgan
repeats these reasons, urged by Ussher, to disprove Dempster's contradictions. In addition, the Scottish " Saint Stealer " allows, that Cathaldus passed over to Ireland, where he remained for some time; thence, it is asserted, and from the Islands, and from Anglia, he took twelve companions with him, to enter upon his Apostolic career, which continued until at least a. d. 361, supposed to be the year for his departure. In another part of his History, Demp- ster likewise admits, that Fillan flourished in the year 703. 3^ A much greater difference of opinion exists, among writers of our saint's Acts, regard- ing the period at which he flourished. According to some writers, 37 during the reign of Con, in the second century, Ireland sent forth the famous St. Cathaldus, to preach the Gospel of Christ, before he became bishop and
3° See "Vies des Saints," &c,, tome v,, Xe Jour de Mai, p. 425.
3' Edited by Dr. William Smith and Henry Wace, M. A. , vol. i. , pp. 421, 422.
3^ See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," viii. Martii, n. i. , p. 544. Colgan cites many instances, from the Annals of the Four Masters, for proof of his assertion.
33 See Dempster's " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomusi. , lib. iii. , num. 278. s* For these assertions, Dempster cites the authority of a MS. in the Ambrosian Lib-
are sufficient to discredit his account, with- out any additional remarks from Colgan. These scarcely increase the weight of his other reasons. For, in labouring to prove, that neither in Ireland nor in Scotland, before A. D. 361, could twelve Bishops be found, he omits the possibility of England in addition being able to furnish this number, and the fact, after all, that Dempster does not make Bishopsofoursaint'scompanions. Ofafar different cliaracter is the positive testimony, adduced by Colgan, to prove our saint an Irishman, if such proof were at all required. It will be unnecessary, in this place, to do more than merely refer the reader to Colgan's dissertation, on the country of Cathaldus, to
rary, depending on the statement of Father
George Lesley, a Capuchin. Besides this
account, Alexander >Iill, in a Preface to the
succession to the church of Dunkeld, states,
that Cathaldus discharged the duties of be found in the Third chapter of his Appcn- Bishop for a long time, in the country around dix. There, it is shown, that not only the Dunkeld and Dumblaine, according to authors of this saint's Lives, as published by Dempster ; and this statement is said to be him, but a great number of other writers, proved, from local Manuscript Acts, and concur in the statement, that Cathaldus was from the testimony of Veremund, a Priest.
See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scoto- rum," tomus i. , lib. iii. , num. 278, pp. 163, 164.
35 See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum An- tiquitates," cap. xvi. , p. 393.
3* These contradictious and mistatements
a native of Hibernia. See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibernia," viii. Martii, Appen- dix ad Acta S. Cataldi, cap. iii. , pp. 561, 562.
3? The Vita S. Cataldi, and Bruodin, p. 879, are quoted.
38 g^g Ferrar's " History of Limerick,"
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 10,
patron of Turentum in Italy. 3^ Some writers will have it, that St. Cathaldus arrived from Ireland, in Tarentum, ad. i6o,39 or i66;4o Ughelli ' has the latter date ; others have a. D. 170—such as Bartholomew '^ and Bonaventure*3 Moroni. But, as author? ;, who place Cathaldus in the second century, remark of him, in their accounts, that he visited the sepulchre of Christ, at Jerusalem, before he came to Tarentum ; and, as we do not find, that the Holy Land had been much frequented by pilgrims, before the Empress Helena discovered Christ's tomb, a. d. 326 ; our saint's arrival at Tarentum must have been subsequent to that period. -*^ Whilst advancing this position, Caraccioli^s hazards also an opinion, that Cathaldus lived subsequent to the arrival of the Goths, in Italy, viz. , after a. d. 500. This is also an opinion of Alexander ab Alexandro. ^^ If we are to credit the accounts, in the Life of St. Cathaldus, that before leaving Ireland, when departing for Italy, the- year 500 or 520 might have elapsed ; about these periods, Ireland must have had, at least, one hundredcontemporaneousbishops. -*? Atorabouta. d. 630,4^afterhisexpul- sion Irom Rathen, St. Mocluida,'*^ or Carthage, founded Lismore, according to the Annals of Tigernach,5° of Clonmacnoise,5' of Ulster,S2 and of the Four Masters. 53 As it is stated, in the same Life, that our saint studied at Lis- more,54 and taught in its schools,55 he must have lived even later. Coigan thinks, that our saint could not have been a teacher of English, Scotch, Gauls, and Germans,56 before a. d. 636, at which time, it is probable, St. Carthage died ; and before which period, English and German converts were not found in sufficient numbers, to have left their own country for Ireland, to receive education at her schools. ^? The period of Cataldus has been referred even to die eighth century,s^ Again, the Meliridis, mentioned in the Life . md
pari iii. , chap, iii. , p. 184.
^9 In the Preface to his History of Taren-
tum, Juhn Juvenis states, that Cataldus
from Ireland effected the conversion ot
Pagans in Tarentum, about 160 years after
our Lord's Ascension, Anicetus being mx," viii. Martii. Appendix ad Acta . S.
Sovereign Pontiff, at the time.
*° In another part of this work, the author
tells us, that during the same pontificate, in the year of our Lord 166, Catlialdus entered Tarentum. See Joannes Juvenis "' De Anti- quitate et Varia Tarentinorum Fortuna," lib. viii.
' See "Italia Sacra," lomusix. Tarentina Metropolis, col. 124.
•• Larlholumew Moroni says, that Cathal- dus entered Tarentum, about the year of the Incarnation 170, when Pope . \nicetus ruled the Church, and Antoninus the Philosopher governed tlie I'. mpire. See Bartholomew Moroni's Vila . S. Calaldi, ca]). xiv. . in Col- gan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibernia;," viii. Martii, p. 548.
*3 " . Syrus Anicetus sacrarum pondera rerum
Suslinet, ct Princeps Aurelius eminct — orbi. "
"Cataldiados,"lib. ii.
** The Bollandists remark, that they found a marginal note, referring his arrival there to " anno Di. xvi," instead of to " anno ci. xvi," whicli connected it v\ilh tlie time of P'ii)e Anicetus.
Cataldi, cap. ii. , p. 560.
** See Ussliers Index Chronologicus, at
A. D. ucx. KX. , " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates. " p. 537.
« See his Life, at the 14th of May. 5° These have the date 636.
5' At A. D. 632.
5» See at A. D. 635.
S3 See at A. D. 631, the expulsion from Rathen recorded, in Dr. O' Donovan's etli- tion, vol. i. , pp. 252, 253.
5-t St. Cartage founded it, when driven from Rathen.
55 According *o Dr. diaries Smith, this happened after the death of . St. Carthage. See "Ancient anil Present Slate of the County and City of Waterford," chap, iii.
