See " Acta
Sanctorum
Hiberniae," which, only the consecrating Bishop had
xix.
xix.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v8
It is difficult, however, to reconcile
1
Already, at the 19th of March, there is a brief allusion to St. Auxilius, and
2
to his place, Kilossey, in the County of Kildare, as that day has been
noted for his festival. 3 However, another has been assigned to him, at the present date, where his parentage is inserted, in the Irish Calendars ; and this latter seems to be his principal feast.
great
Apostle,
part
various conflicting accounts having reference to this early Irish missionary.
3 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. , Au- gusti xxvi. De SS. Poeclano vel Heclano, Mercurio. Item Basilla, Maximiliano, Quinto vel Quintino. Item Sevo, Victore ; Primo, Victore, ac Militibus forte xxv. , Martyribus.
Ex apographis —Hieronymianis, p. 812. '
Article I. —' A very interesting account of St. Auxilius, and of his Church—variedly called Killossy, Killussy, Ceallusal, Killuas- suille, Killaussille, and in modern times Kil- lashee—has been given by Rev. Denis
Murphy, S. J. , M. R. I. A. , in the "Journal Ar—ticle v. Thus does that account of the County Kildare Archaeological
" :
S.
S. Peregrinus Romani Scotorum
vol. i. , No. i. , Killashee Church,
run
regis filii famulus legitur apud Camerarhim,
Society,"
lectotum mittit ad Vitam Pere- ejus per
pp. 13 to 18.
2 See the Third Volume of this at Work,
qui
grinum Carpium, Tabulas Lucenses et
that date, Art. vi.
Mutinenses. " See Acta Sanctorum," 3 His name is there entered simply
tomus v. , Augusti xxvi. Among the Pre- termitted Saints, p. 761.
Auxilius, in the Martyrology of Tallagh.
4 As already stated in the Life of St.
Vol. VIII. —No. 7.
1 b
"
386 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 27.
The present St. Auxilius, or Auxilinus, as sometimes called, is said to have been a nephevr to the illustrious Apostle of Ireland ; and, to have been the son of his sister Liemania, by a man named Restitutus, who was of Lombardic origin/ She is related to have been twice married ; in the first instance, to a man named Conis,s and by him her children were Mel,6 after- wards Bishop of Ardagh, Rioch,? Abbot of Inisboffin, in Lough Ree, and one called Nuna. 8 The second husband of Liemania was called Restitutus, according to the opinion most received. By our native Calendarists, St. Auxilius is called son of Hua Baird,9 which designation has been applied also to Restitutus, while it is said to be referable to his race, and to the
her husband 10 Restitutus,Liemania, thought
from which he came.
to have been sister to St. Patrick," had seven sons, and our Saint, moreover,
country
By
:
had six brothers, who are thus named I2 St. Secundums, whose feast is kept
on the 27th of November,^ and St. Nectan, commemorated on the 2nd of
1 * to the —Irish J 5 10 May, according Calendars,likewise,Dabonna, Mogomanus,
Dariocus, saints.
1 ? and 18 all of whom are said to have been' venerated as Lugna
However, the real parentage of the present holy man, Auxilius, seems to
rest merely on conjecture. The Scholiast on the Martyrology of Tallngh calls Auxilius the brother of St. Patrick the Bishop, while the latter is said to
have addressed him, and to have named him, styling Auxilius his own comorban. 10 This, however, can only indicate, that our saint was brother to St. Patrick, in the great works of the ministry, since the latter is afterwards designated his spiritual father.
Whatever may be thought about his origin and relationship, it would appear, that Auxilius became attached to St. Patrick, in his earlier years ; and, t is stated, that he was companion of the Irish Apostle on his way to
Patrick, Apostle and Chief Patron of Ire-
and, in the Third Volume of this work, at
the 17th of March, several contradictory ac- counts have been given, regarding the Sisters
of St. Patrick, and about their offspring.
See especially chap, iii. , and nn. 62, 63, 64,
65, 66, 67, 68, 69, and 70.
5
Conis was married to Darerca, also called
the sister of St. Patrick.
6
His feast occurs on the 6th of February, where notices of him may be found in the Second Volume of this Work, Art. i.
7 See his Acts, in the present Volume, at the 1st of August, the date for his festival, Art. i.
8 We
the account in Rev. Denis Murphy's article on Killashee Church, in the" Journal of the County Kildare Archaeological Society," vol. i. , No. i. , p. 14.
lationship, however, is not well established,
SeeColgan's ActaSanctorumHiber- nise," Martii xix. Vita S. Auxilii, cap. i. , p, 657, and nn. 1, 2, pp. 658, 659.
I3 See an account of him, at that date, in the Eleventh Volume of this work.
I5 His name is not found in the Irish Calendars.
,6
Not met with in the Irish Calendars.
I? Under this title not known to our
Calendarists.
l8
At the 20th of January, there is a notice of a St. Lugna, Priest of Cilltarsna, in the First Volume of this work, Art. v. , but he is not known to be identical with
the present Lugna. Again, at the 25th of April, in the Fourth Volume of this work,
there is a Lugna, of Letir, Art. vi. , who seems to have been a different person. At the 31st of December, Lughna the Deacon is honoured with a festival, but his person- ality has not been determined.
However, according to some accounts,
I4 a notice of St. See
suspect
Munis is here meant. See
9 Thus in the Martyrology of Tallaght, he
"
of the Kalends of September, or the 27th
dar of Irish Saints,"
xxxiii.
:
Usaille mac h liaird,"at the vi.
is called,
day of August. See Dr. Kelly's
"
Calen- With this account the entry in the O'Clerys' Calendar
' 9 The words are thus by
given Colgan
p.
agrees.
10 No festival has been
the Irish Calendars.
" Patricius dixit; Auxilinus tuum nomen apud nos ; ordinatus es meus Comorbanus
11 See his Life at the of
17th March,
in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i. This re-
assigned
Episcopus
to her in
et Sanctorum Martii xix. De S. Auxilio
See chap, iii. , n. 64, ibid. 12 "
at that in the Fifth Volume of this work, Art. i.
et amice filius sor—oris et Spiritualis Pater. " "Acta Hibernia? ,"
Episcopo, n. 3, p. 659.
Neachtain,
day,
August 27. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 387 Rome. 20 Here, we are told, that Auxilius received a call to orders, at the
21
time the Irish Apostle was consecrated Bishop, by Pope Celestine,
connected with the biography of our saint. According to the Tripartite
statement must be 23 and it is also received,
is usually held to have been late in 431 or early in 432. " Yet, there are
conflicting accounts, about this ordination, as also regarding other particulars,
Life of St. the Patrick,
foregoing
said, the consecration of our Irish Apostle with the ordination of Auxilius,
and of other companions, took place, before St. Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre,2* and Amathus,25 King of Rome. 20 The more ancient Lives of St. Patrick, and his Confessions, however, seem to indicate, that this consecration and ordination took place, in some part of Gaul. 2 ? Even there is an account, contained in the Book of Armagh, that Auxilius when a boy had been the Exorcist of St. Patrick, who did not advance him to higher
38
orders until the Irish Apostle preached the Gospel in the Liffey plain. There is a grave doubt, as to whether Auxilius accompanied St. Patrick from Rome to Ireland in 432; although such a statement seems to be
20
Others are silent in reference to such a matter. An opinion has been advanced, that this saint and some other attendants of St. Patrick might have arrived with the latter in Ireland, and have aided the work of his mission, in a subordinate capacity. 3° After- wards, on seeing the great success, that attended his labours, and wishing to
favoured in some Lives of the Irish Apostle.
have some Bishops placed over newly-projected sees, the great Apostle 12
possibly sent Auxilius, Isserninus^ and Secundinus,3 to Gaul, or to Great Britain, there to receive episcopal consecration. According to an established
usage in the Church, the presence of at least three prelates is required at the consecration of each Bishop. 33
In that Table, postfixed to the Martyrology of Donegal, as edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, we find some observations introduced within
20
" 28
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga, Secunda Vita S. Patricii, cap. xxvi. , pp. 13, 14.
21 He died on the 6th of April, a. d. 432.
See Rev. Denis Murphy's article on
"
Journal of the County Kildare Archaeological Society,"
See " Histoire Fleury's
vol. i. , No. i. , p. 15.
29 See Colgan's "Trias
Ecclesiastique," tomevi. , liv. xxvi. , sect, xv. , p. 155.
Thaumaturga," Septima Vita Patricii, pars i. , cap. xxxix. ,
22
See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, iv. , sect, xviii. , p. 195.
xl,, p. 123.
30 "
See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol, i. , chap, vi. , sect. 23 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," i. , pp. 259, 260.
Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, i. , cap. xxxix. , p. 123.
24 His festival occurs on the 31st of July.
25 Colgan says that some call the king,
Amator, but he is perhaps more properly
named Amatus. We are referred to the
Second Life of St. Patrick, in the notes,
3I His name does not in the Irish appear
Calendars.
32 He is also called Seachnall, in the Irish
Calendars, and his feast is set down at the 27th of November.
33 Devoti remarks, when treating on this subject, that in the ancient Church examples
num. 38, for further particulars regarding are found of episcopal consecrations, at
him.
See " Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," which, only the consecrating Bishop had
xix. Martii. De S. Auxilio Episcopo, n. 4, officiated ; but, although this act seems
p. 659. irregular, the consecration itself may not be
26
when alluding to St. Patrick. See Colgan's
" Trias Thaumaturga," Hymnus seu Prima Vita S. Patricii Hiberniae Apostoli, n. 142,
p. 5.
27 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, iv. , sect. xviii. , xix. , xx. , and notes pp. 198 to 206.
Killashee Church, in the
However, the old scholiast in the Hymn regarded as null. Sometimes, for just reasons, the Apostolic See has permitted episcopal consecration by one Bishop to
of St. Fiach has it, "Amato Rex Antissiodo-
rensis Episcopus est qui eum ordinavit,"
"
take place,
Dignitatibus, si ad earum vim tres episcopos omnino necessarios esse arbitaretur. " See "Institutionum Canonicarum Libri IV. ," tomus i. , lib. 1. , titulus iv. , sect, i. , iv. , d. i,
p. 239.
& See ibid. , pp. 360, 361.
presentibus duabus, tribusve
and which
388 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 2? #
brackets,34 and which seem to imply a doubt, that Auxilius may not have been identical with a saint named Cobran or Cobuir. 35 The former name
6 and the latter is called Cobuir,37 son of Goll, at the 30th of that same month. 3 8 While in the body of that work, no observation occurs at the former date ; at the
Cobran of Cluain occurs in the Calendar at the of
19th July,3
latter, a recent hand has inserted a note, which states, that Cobair means ""u"
aid or help in Irish, while a suggestion is made, that possibly it may have been a Celtic form of the Latinized name Auxilius. However, owing to the names of places and of parentage given for Cobran and Cobuir, it should seem, that both must be distinct from the present saint.
CHAPTER II
THE MISSIONARIES, SAINTS AUXILIUS, ISSERNINUS AND SECUNDINUS—TRAVELS OF ST. PATRICK INTO LEINSTER—HE SETS AUXILIUS OVER A CHURCH FOUNDED AT KILLOSSY—DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE—THE SYNOD OF THE BISHOPS, PATRICK, AUXILIUS AND ISSERNINUS—DEATH OF ST. AUXILIUS—HIS COMMEMORATIONS IN OUR CALENDARS—HISTORIC NOTICES OF KILLOSSY—CONCLUSION.
According to some accounts, Saints Auxilius, Isserninus and Secundinus did not accompany the Irish Apostle, when he first set sail to accomplish the objects of his glorious mission ; but, they arrived five years later,
1
according to the calculation of Archbishop Ussher.
It is related, that these three saints, already mentioned, were sent as auxiliaries to St. Patrick in
Ireland, only about a. d. 438 2 or 439. 3
Having passed from Hy Garchon, the district surrounding the modern
town of Wicklow, the Irish Apostle appears to have crossed the mountains, and journeyed into North Leinster. 4 He there visited Naas, the chief residence of Dunlaing, where his sons were converted and baptised. After- wards, St. Patrick received great encouragement to lay down the foundations of various churches, and over these, having marked out their termons, he set his to
them and to
states, that he went into the plain of the Liffey, and ordained Auxilius, who,
complete
when a boy, had been the exorcist of Patrick, and Isserninus and Mactaleus,s
disciples
preside.
35 Thus are the sentences inserted:— Patricii. " However, at the last word, the
and com-
he is in
but not mentioned by Usuardus. See
Cobran, 19th July, and Cobair, 30th July. ]" 36 The reader is referred to what has
been stated regarding him, at that day, in the Seventh Volume of this work, Art. iv.
3 ? Called Cobarchar, in the Martyrology
of Tallagh.
38 See some notices of him, at the 30th
of July, in the Seventh Volume of this work, Art. ii. , and n. 4, ibid.
Clarendon Codex has "Ad ann. — ccccxviii. ,
secundumaliamlibrum. " Rev.
Dr. Charles O'Conor's " Rerum Hiberni-
carum Scriptores," tomus iv. , p. 1, and n. 8,
ibid.
3 The Bodleian copy of Annales Inis-
falenses has at An. ccccxl. kl. i. f. S. inus
"[Auxilius, Bishop, co-apostle
panion of Patrick
;
O'Gorman,
referuntur
Chapter II. — See " Brittannicarum
copy of those Annals has not the foregoing
entry.
* See the Life of St. Patrick, of Apostle
Ireland, at the 17th of March, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i. , chap. xvii.
5 His feast occurs on the nth of June, where notices of him may be found, in the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
Ecclesiarum 438.
2
Antiquitates," cap.
xvii. ,
p.
The Bodleian Codex of Annales Ulto- nienses, has this statement at An. ccccxxxix.
"
tur S. Epi. ipsi in Hiberniam, in auxilium
Secundinus, Auxilius, et Isernius, mittun-
The"Bookof " Armagh
[Secundinus], Auxiliarius [Auxilius], 7 Iser- ninus mittuntur in auxilium Patricii, nee tamen tenuerunt Apostolatum nisi Patricius
— tomus 2. The Dublin solus. " Ibid. , ii. , p.
August 27. ] LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. 389
in the little cell of Cuillin. 6 From Archbishop Ussher's account, we may fairly infer, that Auxilius was consecrated Bishop, about a. d. 448. 7 The names of Auxilius and of Secundums are in the list of the four hundred and
8
fifty Bishops, said to have been ordained in Ireland, by St. Patrick himself. Another conjecture is, that Auxilius, Isserninus and Secundinus had been
consecrated Bishops, previously to this period, although they had not been appointed to fixed sees. 9
There are no ancient records known to exist and which serve to reveal the founder of a church at Kilossey ; unless, indeed, we may assume from the old name it bears of Ceall Uassaille, that its origin could be traced back to the present saint. We are informed, according to legendary accounts, that towards the close of the last century, St. Patrick founded an abbey in that district, which was anciently denominated Magh Laisagh, situated in Magh Libhiadh, the old name for the N. E. parts of the County of Kildare. 10
11
that St. Patrick appointed Auxilius Bishop of North Leinster. Our saint, having had his share in labours of the Irish mission, was at length set over a church, in that plain, bordering on the River Liffey. From him, likewise, this
12
which means the "church" or " cell of Auxilius. " J 3 This place was afterwards known as Kill-ussi or Killossy, in the County of Kildare. The Third Life of St. Patrick states,
j
Following the Tripartite Life, Archbishop Ussher says,
church was called, Kill-Auxaile or Killasaille,
that St. Patrick ordained his 1 * when the sons of disciple Auxilius,
Dunlinge made their profession of faith, and that Fiach s of Slebti was ordained at the
same time. The present church at Killashee is a comparatively modern building ; but the uncommon feature it presents is that of the bell-tower, the lower part of which is square, and the upper part round. 16 The tower is much older than the present church ; it belonged to an earlier building, as may be seen by the drip-stones, which mark the height and pitch of the former roof. But to determine the date of its erection, with any sort of pre-
1
cision, is not any easy task. ? In a Life of St. Patrick, it is stated, that he
6 Now known as Kilcullen, in the County Church of Magh Laissy. " See a Memoir of Kildare. respecting the Antiquities of the Church of 7 Supposed to have been the year of Killossy, in the County of Kildare, with
"
Secundin's death. See Britannicarum
Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 430.
8
The Fourth Life of St. Patrick states particularly, that when he came into the province of Leinster, he built innumerable churches, and ordained Bishops, Priests and others of inferior ecclesiastical rank. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Patricii, lxxv. , 44.
written by Rev. Denis Murphy, S. J. , M. R. I. A. , in the "Journal of the County Kildare Archaeological Society," vol. i. , No. i. , pp. 15, 16.
10
some conjectures on the origin of the ancient Irish Churches. By Mr. William Beaufort, A. B. , in "Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," a. d. m. dccxc, Vol. iii. , Antiquities, pp. 82, 83.
CCCCXLVIII. See "Britannicarum Ecclesi-
arum Antiquitates," p. 518.
I2
It is also written Ceall-uasall.
I3 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," Martii. xix. Vita S. Auxilii, cap. iv. ,
p. 658.
H See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. lviii. , p. 25.
IS His feast occurs, on the 12th of Octo-
cap. p.
9 See the Article on Killashee Church,
Such is the statement of William ber.
Beaufort, A. B. , who again tells us, that the l6 There is an engraving—from a vi—ew O'Kellys were chiefs of that district, and taken by Lieutenant Daniel Grose in 1792 were stated to have founded a monastery of Killossy Church, County Kildare, in
'7 See Rev. Denis article, Murphy's
"Killashee Church," in "Journal of the
County Kildare Archaeological Society,"
l8 "
from thence Killmolossy or Killossy, or the See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical
so
also adds, that the church and other p. 84.
there,
early
" to the fashion according
buildings there,
of the country, were most probably erected of wood, and denominated from the district
Ceallmagh Laisagh or Cillmoilaissy, and vol. i. , No. i. , pp. 17, 18.
" In his Index Chonologicus, at a.
1
Already, at the 19th of March, there is a brief allusion to St. Auxilius, and
2
to his place, Kilossey, in the County of Kildare, as that day has been
noted for his festival. 3 However, another has been assigned to him, at the present date, where his parentage is inserted, in the Irish Calendars ; and this latter seems to be his principal feast.
great
Apostle,
part
various conflicting accounts having reference to this early Irish missionary.
3 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. , Au- gusti xxvi. De SS. Poeclano vel Heclano, Mercurio. Item Basilla, Maximiliano, Quinto vel Quintino. Item Sevo, Victore ; Primo, Victore, ac Militibus forte xxv. , Martyribus.
Ex apographis —Hieronymianis, p. 812. '
Article I. —' A very interesting account of St. Auxilius, and of his Church—variedly called Killossy, Killussy, Ceallusal, Killuas- suille, Killaussille, and in modern times Kil- lashee—has been given by Rev. Denis
Murphy, S. J. , M. R. I. A. , in the "Journal Ar—ticle v. Thus does that account of the County Kildare Archaeological
" :
S.
S. Peregrinus Romani Scotorum
vol. i. , No. i. , Killashee Church,
run
regis filii famulus legitur apud Camerarhim,
Society,"
lectotum mittit ad Vitam Pere- ejus per
pp. 13 to 18.
2 See the Third Volume of this at Work,
qui
grinum Carpium, Tabulas Lucenses et
that date, Art. vi.
Mutinenses. " See Acta Sanctorum," 3 His name is there entered simply
tomus v. , Augusti xxvi. Among the Pre- termitted Saints, p. 761.
Auxilius, in the Martyrology of Tallagh.
4 As already stated in the Life of St.
Vol. VIII. —No. 7.
1 b
"
386 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 27.
The present St. Auxilius, or Auxilinus, as sometimes called, is said to have been a nephevr to the illustrious Apostle of Ireland ; and, to have been the son of his sister Liemania, by a man named Restitutus, who was of Lombardic origin/ She is related to have been twice married ; in the first instance, to a man named Conis,s and by him her children were Mel,6 after- wards Bishop of Ardagh, Rioch,? Abbot of Inisboffin, in Lough Ree, and one called Nuna. 8 The second husband of Liemania was called Restitutus, according to the opinion most received. By our native Calendarists, St. Auxilius is called son of Hua Baird,9 which designation has been applied also to Restitutus, while it is said to be referable to his race, and to the
her husband 10 Restitutus,Liemania, thought
from which he came.
to have been sister to St. Patrick," had seven sons, and our Saint, moreover,
country
By
:
had six brothers, who are thus named I2 St. Secundums, whose feast is kept
on the 27th of November,^ and St. Nectan, commemorated on the 2nd of
1 * to the —Irish J 5 10 May, according Calendars,likewise,Dabonna, Mogomanus,
Dariocus, saints.
1 ? and 18 all of whom are said to have been' venerated as Lugna
However, the real parentage of the present holy man, Auxilius, seems to
rest merely on conjecture. The Scholiast on the Martyrology of Tallngh calls Auxilius the brother of St. Patrick the Bishop, while the latter is said to
have addressed him, and to have named him, styling Auxilius his own comorban. 10 This, however, can only indicate, that our saint was brother to St. Patrick, in the great works of the ministry, since the latter is afterwards designated his spiritual father.
Whatever may be thought about his origin and relationship, it would appear, that Auxilius became attached to St. Patrick, in his earlier years ; and, t is stated, that he was companion of the Irish Apostle on his way to
Patrick, Apostle and Chief Patron of Ire-
and, in the Third Volume of this work, at
the 17th of March, several contradictory ac- counts have been given, regarding the Sisters
of St. Patrick, and about their offspring.
See especially chap, iii. , and nn. 62, 63, 64,
65, 66, 67, 68, 69, and 70.
5
Conis was married to Darerca, also called
the sister of St. Patrick.
6
His feast occurs on the 6th of February, where notices of him may be found in the Second Volume of this Work, Art. i.
7 See his Acts, in the present Volume, at the 1st of August, the date for his festival, Art. i.
8 We
the account in Rev. Denis Murphy's article on Killashee Church, in the" Journal of the County Kildare Archaeological Society," vol. i. , No. i. , p. 14.
lationship, however, is not well established,
SeeColgan's ActaSanctorumHiber- nise," Martii xix. Vita S. Auxilii, cap. i. , p, 657, and nn. 1, 2, pp. 658, 659.
I3 See an account of him, at that date, in the Eleventh Volume of this work.
I5 His name is not found in the Irish Calendars.
,6
Not met with in the Irish Calendars.
I? Under this title not known to our
Calendarists.
l8
At the 20th of January, there is a notice of a St. Lugna, Priest of Cilltarsna, in the First Volume of this work, Art. v. , but he is not known to be identical with
the present Lugna. Again, at the 25th of April, in the Fourth Volume of this work,
there is a Lugna, of Letir, Art. vi. , who seems to have been a different person. At the 31st of December, Lughna the Deacon is honoured with a festival, but his person- ality has not been determined.
However, according to some accounts,
I4 a notice of St. See
suspect
Munis is here meant. See
9 Thus in the Martyrology of Tallaght, he
"
of the Kalends of September, or the 27th
dar of Irish Saints,"
xxxiii.
:
Usaille mac h liaird,"at the vi.
is called,
day of August. See Dr. Kelly's
"
Calen- With this account the entry in the O'Clerys' Calendar
' 9 The words are thus by
given Colgan
p.
agrees.
10 No festival has been
the Irish Calendars.
" Patricius dixit; Auxilinus tuum nomen apud nos ; ordinatus es meus Comorbanus
11 See his Life at the of
17th March,
in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i. This re-
assigned
Episcopus
to her in
et Sanctorum Martii xix. De S. Auxilio
See chap, iii. , n. 64, ibid. 12 "
at that in the Fifth Volume of this work, Art. i.
et amice filius sor—oris et Spiritualis Pater. " "Acta Hibernia? ,"
Episcopo, n. 3, p. 659.
Neachtain,
day,
August 27. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 387 Rome. 20 Here, we are told, that Auxilius received a call to orders, at the
21
time the Irish Apostle was consecrated Bishop, by Pope Celestine,
connected with the biography of our saint. According to the Tripartite
statement must be 23 and it is also received,
is usually held to have been late in 431 or early in 432. " Yet, there are
conflicting accounts, about this ordination, as also regarding other particulars,
Life of St. the Patrick,
foregoing
said, the consecration of our Irish Apostle with the ordination of Auxilius,
and of other companions, took place, before St. Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre,2* and Amathus,25 King of Rome. 20 The more ancient Lives of St. Patrick, and his Confessions, however, seem to indicate, that this consecration and ordination took place, in some part of Gaul. 2 ? Even there is an account, contained in the Book of Armagh, that Auxilius when a boy had been the Exorcist of St. Patrick, who did not advance him to higher
38
orders until the Irish Apostle preached the Gospel in the Liffey plain. There is a grave doubt, as to whether Auxilius accompanied St. Patrick from Rome to Ireland in 432; although such a statement seems to be
20
Others are silent in reference to such a matter. An opinion has been advanced, that this saint and some other attendants of St. Patrick might have arrived with the latter in Ireland, and have aided the work of his mission, in a subordinate capacity. 3° After- wards, on seeing the great success, that attended his labours, and wishing to
favoured in some Lives of the Irish Apostle.
have some Bishops placed over newly-projected sees, the great Apostle 12
possibly sent Auxilius, Isserninus^ and Secundinus,3 to Gaul, or to Great Britain, there to receive episcopal consecration. According to an established
usage in the Church, the presence of at least three prelates is required at the consecration of each Bishop. 33
In that Table, postfixed to the Martyrology of Donegal, as edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, we find some observations introduced within
20
" 28
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga, Secunda Vita S. Patricii, cap. xxvi. , pp. 13, 14.
21 He died on the 6th of April, a. d. 432.
See Rev. Denis Murphy's article on
"
Journal of the County Kildare Archaeological Society,"
See " Histoire Fleury's
vol. i. , No. i. , p. 15.
29 See Colgan's "Trias
Ecclesiastique," tomevi. , liv. xxvi. , sect, xv. , p. 155.
Thaumaturga," Septima Vita Patricii, pars i. , cap. xxxix. ,
22
See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, iv. , sect, xviii. , p. 195.
xl,, p. 123.
30 "
See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol, i. , chap, vi. , sect. 23 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," i. , pp. 259, 260.
Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, i. , cap. xxxix. , p. 123.
24 His festival occurs on the 31st of July.
25 Colgan says that some call the king,
Amator, but he is perhaps more properly
named Amatus. We are referred to the
Second Life of St. Patrick, in the notes,
3I His name does not in the Irish appear
Calendars.
32 He is also called Seachnall, in the Irish
Calendars, and his feast is set down at the 27th of November.
33 Devoti remarks, when treating on this subject, that in the ancient Church examples
num. 38, for further particulars regarding are found of episcopal consecrations, at
him.
See " Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," which, only the consecrating Bishop had
xix. Martii. De S. Auxilio Episcopo, n. 4, officiated ; but, although this act seems
p. 659. irregular, the consecration itself may not be
26
when alluding to St. Patrick. See Colgan's
" Trias Thaumaturga," Hymnus seu Prima Vita S. Patricii Hiberniae Apostoli, n. 142,
p. 5.
27 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, iv. , sect. xviii. , xix. , xx. , and notes pp. 198 to 206.
Killashee Church, in the
However, the old scholiast in the Hymn regarded as null. Sometimes, for just reasons, the Apostolic See has permitted episcopal consecration by one Bishop to
of St. Fiach has it, "Amato Rex Antissiodo-
rensis Episcopus est qui eum ordinavit,"
"
take place,
Dignitatibus, si ad earum vim tres episcopos omnino necessarios esse arbitaretur. " See "Institutionum Canonicarum Libri IV. ," tomus i. , lib. 1. , titulus iv. , sect, i. , iv. , d. i,
p. 239.
& See ibid. , pp. 360, 361.
presentibus duabus, tribusve
and which
388 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 2? #
brackets,34 and which seem to imply a doubt, that Auxilius may not have been identical with a saint named Cobran or Cobuir. 35 The former name
6 and the latter is called Cobuir,37 son of Goll, at the 30th of that same month. 3 8 While in the body of that work, no observation occurs at the former date ; at the
Cobran of Cluain occurs in the Calendar at the of
19th July,3
latter, a recent hand has inserted a note, which states, that Cobair means ""u"
aid or help in Irish, while a suggestion is made, that possibly it may have been a Celtic form of the Latinized name Auxilius. However, owing to the names of places and of parentage given for Cobran and Cobuir, it should seem, that both must be distinct from the present saint.
CHAPTER II
THE MISSIONARIES, SAINTS AUXILIUS, ISSERNINUS AND SECUNDINUS—TRAVELS OF ST. PATRICK INTO LEINSTER—HE SETS AUXILIUS OVER A CHURCH FOUNDED AT KILLOSSY—DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE—THE SYNOD OF THE BISHOPS, PATRICK, AUXILIUS AND ISSERNINUS—DEATH OF ST. AUXILIUS—HIS COMMEMORATIONS IN OUR CALENDARS—HISTORIC NOTICES OF KILLOSSY—CONCLUSION.
According to some accounts, Saints Auxilius, Isserninus and Secundinus did not accompany the Irish Apostle, when he first set sail to accomplish the objects of his glorious mission ; but, they arrived five years later,
1
according to the calculation of Archbishop Ussher.
It is related, that these three saints, already mentioned, were sent as auxiliaries to St. Patrick in
Ireland, only about a. d. 438 2 or 439. 3
Having passed from Hy Garchon, the district surrounding the modern
town of Wicklow, the Irish Apostle appears to have crossed the mountains, and journeyed into North Leinster. 4 He there visited Naas, the chief residence of Dunlaing, where his sons were converted and baptised. After- wards, St. Patrick received great encouragement to lay down the foundations of various churches, and over these, having marked out their termons, he set his to
them and to
states, that he went into the plain of the Liffey, and ordained Auxilius, who,
complete
when a boy, had been the exorcist of Patrick, and Isserninus and Mactaleus,s
disciples
preside.
35 Thus are the sentences inserted:— Patricii. " However, at the last word, the
and com-
he is in
but not mentioned by Usuardus. See
Cobran, 19th July, and Cobair, 30th July. ]" 36 The reader is referred to what has
been stated regarding him, at that day, in the Seventh Volume of this work, Art. iv.
3 ? Called Cobarchar, in the Martyrology
of Tallagh.
38 See some notices of him, at the 30th
of July, in the Seventh Volume of this work, Art. ii. , and n. 4, ibid.
Clarendon Codex has "Ad ann. — ccccxviii. ,
secundumaliamlibrum. " Rev.
Dr. Charles O'Conor's " Rerum Hiberni-
carum Scriptores," tomus iv. , p. 1, and n. 8,
ibid.
3 The Bodleian copy of Annales Inis-
falenses has at An. ccccxl. kl. i. f. S. inus
"[Auxilius, Bishop, co-apostle
panion of Patrick
;
O'Gorman,
referuntur
Chapter II. — See " Brittannicarum
copy of those Annals has not the foregoing
entry.
* See the Life of St. Patrick, of Apostle
Ireland, at the 17th of March, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i. , chap. xvii.
5 His feast occurs on the nth of June, where notices of him may be found, in the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
Ecclesiarum 438.
2
Antiquitates," cap.
xvii. ,
p.
The Bodleian Codex of Annales Ulto- nienses, has this statement at An. ccccxxxix.
"
tur S. Epi. ipsi in Hiberniam, in auxilium
Secundinus, Auxilius, et Isernius, mittun-
The"Bookof " Armagh
[Secundinus], Auxiliarius [Auxilius], 7 Iser- ninus mittuntur in auxilium Patricii, nee tamen tenuerunt Apostolatum nisi Patricius
— tomus 2. The Dublin solus. " Ibid. , ii. , p.
August 27. ] LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. 389
in the little cell of Cuillin. 6 From Archbishop Ussher's account, we may fairly infer, that Auxilius was consecrated Bishop, about a. d. 448. 7 The names of Auxilius and of Secundums are in the list of the four hundred and
8
fifty Bishops, said to have been ordained in Ireland, by St. Patrick himself. Another conjecture is, that Auxilius, Isserninus and Secundinus had been
consecrated Bishops, previously to this period, although they had not been appointed to fixed sees. 9
There are no ancient records known to exist and which serve to reveal the founder of a church at Kilossey ; unless, indeed, we may assume from the old name it bears of Ceall Uassaille, that its origin could be traced back to the present saint. We are informed, according to legendary accounts, that towards the close of the last century, St. Patrick founded an abbey in that district, which was anciently denominated Magh Laisagh, situated in Magh Libhiadh, the old name for the N. E. parts of the County of Kildare. 10
11
that St. Patrick appointed Auxilius Bishop of North Leinster. Our saint, having had his share in labours of the Irish mission, was at length set over a church, in that plain, bordering on the River Liffey. From him, likewise, this
12
which means the "church" or " cell of Auxilius. " J 3 This place was afterwards known as Kill-ussi or Killossy, in the County of Kildare. The Third Life of St. Patrick states,
j
Following the Tripartite Life, Archbishop Ussher says,
church was called, Kill-Auxaile or Killasaille,
that St. Patrick ordained his 1 * when the sons of disciple Auxilius,
Dunlinge made their profession of faith, and that Fiach s of Slebti was ordained at the
same time. The present church at Killashee is a comparatively modern building ; but the uncommon feature it presents is that of the bell-tower, the lower part of which is square, and the upper part round. 16 The tower is much older than the present church ; it belonged to an earlier building, as may be seen by the drip-stones, which mark the height and pitch of the former roof. But to determine the date of its erection, with any sort of pre-
1
cision, is not any easy task. ? In a Life of St. Patrick, it is stated, that he
6 Now known as Kilcullen, in the County Church of Magh Laissy. " See a Memoir of Kildare. respecting the Antiquities of the Church of 7 Supposed to have been the year of Killossy, in the County of Kildare, with
"
Secundin's death. See Britannicarum
Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 430.
8
The Fourth Life of St. Patrick states particularly, that when he came into the province of Leinster, he built innumerable churches, and ordained Bishops, Priests and others of inferior ecclesiastical rank. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Patricii, lxxv. , 44.
written by Rev. Denis Murphy, S. J. , M. R. I. A. , in the "Journal of the County Kildare Archaeological Society," vol. i. , No. i. , pp. 15, 16.
10
some conjectures on the origin of the ancient Irish Churches. By Mr. William Beaufort, A. B. , in "Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," a. d. m. dccxc, Vol. iii. , Antiquities, pp. 82, 83.
CCCCXLVIII. See "Britannicarum Ecclesi-
arum Antiquitates," p. 518.
I2
It is also written Ceall-uasall.
I3 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," Martii. xix. Vita S. Auxilii, cap. iv. ,
p. 658.
H See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. lviii. , p. 25.
IS His feast occurs, on the 12th of Octo-
cap. p.
9 See the Article on Killashee Church,
Such is the statement of William ber.
Beaufort, A. B. , who again tells us, that the l6 There is an engraving—from a vi—ew O'Kellys were chiefs of that district, and taken by Lieutenant Daniel Grose in 1792 were stated to have founded a monastery of Killossy Church, County Kildare, in
'7 See Rev. Denis article, Murphy's
"Killashee Church," in "Journal of the
County Kildare Archaeological Society,"
l8 "
from thence Killmolossy or Killossy, or the See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical
so
also adds, that the church and other p. 84.
there,
early
" to the fashion according
buildings there,
of the country, were most probably erected of wood, and denominated from the district
Ceallmagh Laisagh or Cillmoilaissy, and vol. i. , No. i. , pp. 17, 18.
" In his Index Chonologicus, at a.
