Thomas Innes' " Civil and
Ecclesiastical
History of Scotland," book ii,, ?
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
It is usually developed in the practices of a holy life.
Colgan has entered the Acts of St.
Cronan, called also Cuaran, at the 9th of February, and he has added some notes.
' The Bollandists have also published the Acts of St.
Cronan, bishop,intwoshortparagraphs.
* These,however,containnothingregard- ing him, in addition to what Colgan has given.
This saint is variously named.
St.
^ngustheCuldeecallshimMochuaroc,3andCathaldMaguire gives him a like name.
According to Colgan, the Martyrology of Tallagh calls him Caurnanus, or Cuaranus ; yet, it must be observed, in the edition, published by the Rev.
Matthew Kelly,-* he is styled, Cuarani Sapientis,^
Murray's
ecriA, tloem nAt)AmAi|\ "01511a,
1624, writes regarding it,
eversa, conversa. " "
Bavaria tomus
Sancta," s
" Cuaran the Wise. " ^ Marianus O'Gorman also notices as him,
signifying,
Cuaran. 7 By nearly all other writers, he is named Cronan. Here, it must be observed, that Cronan and Mochua are names commonly used, by our old writers, for one and the same person ; and, in our menologies are found many saints, bearing either of these commutable appellations. ^ The present holy man is also called Trouan, by Hermann Greuen, in the Carthusian Martyrology, and after this writer, by Canisius and Ferrarius, our saint is similarly designated ; but, Colgan proves such designation to be a mistake, the saint not having received this name, in the writings of our native martyr- ologists. 9 According to some accounts, our saint's father was called
—
Southern Germany," sect. x. p, 108.
" Handbook for Travellers in Route 168,
e. u. i'o. in-o moclitiAi\oc
S' Rader, whose work was issued a. d.
"
sedes ilia extra poma-rium, quae ab loco D. Petro conse- crato nomen tulit, hodie nulla est, anno CIDIDLII. , Antistite Georgio cum aliis non-
nullis templis, praetextu belli, funditus
Coeifech 'Oe]\5An 'oiot)A, Ofpuc HonAin tMjDA.
Mochuaroc of the wisdom, A saint illustrious, noble,
Coerach Dergan, the godly,
Bishop Ronan the kingly,
et i—n ossarium haereticorum demum < See p. xv.
5* See, also, Wigullus Hundius, "Metro-
— "Acta Hibernise," ix, Februarii. De S. Cronano,
qui et Cuaranus, pp. 302, 303.
" See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Feb-
ruarii ix. De S. Cronano Episcopo, in Hi-
bernia, p. 339.
3 As in the subjoined rann in the
:
also bore the name Mochuarog, and
lib. i. , iii.
polis,"
Article ii. 'See Sanctorum
^
He
Fei- lire," transcribed from the Leabhar Breac" copy, and transla—ted into English, by Pro-
fessor O'Looney
:
" "^"
these words
Crona Mac Nethseman dicitur vel Mac
Netha. "
ii. Afterwards follow
"qui et
we find, In-o ecriA, "the wise," appended in a MS. note of W. M. llennessy, to his
copy of the Donegal Martyrology.
^ The O'Clerys remark, that his name was
CroninMacNethseman. See"
Martyro-
logy of Donegal," pp. 42, 43.
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
niae," ix. Februarii. De S. Cronano, qui et
Cueranus, n. I, 302. p.
9 See ibid. ^ p. 302.
February 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 429
Nethus ; but, it would seem, more generally Nethsemon. He was descended from the noble and ancient family of Fertlact. It is supposed, that Cronan hadbeenborn,inthecountryoftheNan-Desii. Littleisknownregardingthe early history of this pious servant of God ; but, such was his virtue in after years, and such the knowledge of holy Scripture he had acquired, that he
received this commendable
CronanoftheNones. ^^ Thisreformation,heappearstohaveaccomplished, afterhavingbeenelevatedtotherankofbishop. '3 Suchsupposition,Ihave hazarded, for the reason, that it does not seem probable, he could undertake to effect the reformation alluded to, without exercising the authority, and possessing the jurisdiction, devolving on him, in virtue of his having attained the episcopal dignity. Whether he exercised this office, in the country of the Nandesii,''^ or in some other part of Ireland, is not clearly recorded. It would appear, that our saint paid a visit to St. Columkille, in lona Island. At least, it is deemed highly probable,'^ that this was the bishop, who came in disguise, from the province of Munster, and whose name was Cronan. He, being a bishop, dissembled as much as he could that degree and rank ; yet, he could not keep it hidden from Saint Columba's all-pervading know- ledge. Through humility, Cronan did not wish to declare, he had been in- vested with the episcopal character. St. Columkille did not discover his rank, however, until Cronan was asked on a certain Sunday to celebrate Mass. '^ About that time, when the consecrated bread should be broken,
the bishop called St. Columba to join him as a priest,^7 during the perform-
appellation, Cronan,
zeal for ecclesiastical discipline was so great, he made a regulation, directing that a part of the Divine Office, which is called None, should be recited, distinctfromacelebrationoftheHolySacrificeofMass. Itwascustomary, among ancient monks, to include the celebration of Mass, between the be- ginning and end of None ; and, hence, it is probable, that abuses were found to have occurred, with regard to omissions of some parts in their office. This our saint wised to correct. " On such account, he was also called,
^° He is thus called by St. ^ngus, in the Martyrologyof Tallaghjby Cathald Maguire, and in the Martyrology of Donegal.
" Colgan says, that St. ^ngus, or his old
scholiast, indicates at the 9th of February,
in this following antique Irish distich, that
a part of the None had been omitted, ac-
cording to received custom, and that our in an old Life of St. Carthage. See Ussher, saint w—as the first reformer of such an "DePrimordiisEcclesiarumBritannicarum," abuse: cap. xvi. , p. 781, and cap. xvii. , p. 865.
Originally they were settled in the barony Gibe dian-hail sasadh saor, attir, na of Deece, south of Tara in Meath, but they
naomh cen cuid mbroin, Tabhraidh Mochuaroc for ceill :
bradh co leir in Noin.
celea-
were banished by the monarch, Cormac Mac Airt, to the country south of the River Suir, where they settled in the east of Water- ford county.
'S See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
Thus rendered by Colgan into Latin —
:
Quidesideratdeficiasverasinpatriasane-
"Life of St. Columba," nn. {a, b), p. 85. '^ "
tomm omni tristitia
Advertat ad S. Mochuaroeum, legatque Christi corpus ex more conficere. " Col-
integre Nonam,
—Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibemias,"
gan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
"
carentes,
" the Wise. " '° The saint's
try in his copy of the Donegal Martyrology. ^3 That our saint was a bishop, Colgan
shows, on the authority of Adamnan,Greuan, Canisius and Ferrarius. See " Acta Sane-
torum Hibernise," ix. Februarii, n. 9, pp.
302, 303.
^^ These people are called **na n-Desi,"
InAdamnan's LifeofSt. Columba,"
the Latin words are: "a Sancto — jussus
Quarta Vita S. Columbaj, lib. i. , cap. xliv. , p. 348.
^7 The Second Council of in Seville,
619,
prohibited priests, in the presence of the *"
ix. Februarii, n, 8, p. 302.
""Called Mochuarog na nona' in bishop, sacramentum corporis et sanguinis
Leabhar Breac, 31a. " Mr. Wm. M. Christi conficere" (can. 7), but the general Hennessy's MS. note, appended to this en- usage of the western Churches was, "ut in
430 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [February 9.
ance of this ceremony. ^^ This interesting anecdote, has been omitted by
^'^
Smith,'9 it is probable, because it demonstrates that deference shown to
bishops, by priests, and their superiority, by Divine right, in the Church. ^^ The local clergy were even accustomed to the courtesy of inviting the clergy, who visited them, to celebrate in tb. eir churches. ^^ In the present instance, as in many other cases, we learn from the Acts of our saints, what were the particularliturgicalpractisesofourearlyIrishChurch. ThelearnedDean Reeves observes, in relation to the foregoing incident, that under the Co- lumbian discipline, the several orders of bishop, priest, and deacon, were duly recognised, and that the conferring of Holy Orders was considered the peculiar function of the bishop. The present narrative contains, not only a plain acknowledgment of the distinctness of bishop and priest, but also the express declaration of the founder of lona, regarding the superior privilege, rank and honour, of the bishop. ^3 Instead of the episcopal office bemg ignored, or its proper functions being usurped, by presbyters in Hy, a great respect was paid to bishops in that monastery, and a great distinction made between them and priests, in the celebration of the sacred mysteries. For, by this relation it appears, that in Ycolmkille a priest, and even the abbot, St. Columba himself, looked upon a bishop as so far superior to him, that he would not presume, even though invited, to celebrate the Holy Mysteries jointly with him. ^^ We gather from these memoirs, that the practice of the Irish Church, in the celebration of Holy Communion, at this period, varied in regard to its ministration ; that sometimes the attendant priests's selected
confectione immolationis Christi adsint pres- byteri et simul cum pontifice verbis et manu confidant. " See Martene, " De Antiquis Kc- clesicpe Rilibus," i. , 3, 8, torn, i. , p. 120. The Irish Church seems to have coincided with the
Presbyterorum sublimior sedeat, intra do- mum vere collegam Sacerdotum esse cognos- cat. "—Canon XXXV. Cabassutius, "Notitia Ecclesiastica Historiarum, Conciliorum, et Canonum," &c. , p. 173.
presbyter
came to a foreign church, they were to be
""complimented with the honorary privilege of performing divine offices, and consecrat- ing the Eucharist in the church. "—Bin-
"
dignity.
'^
Spanish,
in its estimate of
episcopal
" Thus, "when or any bishop
Colgan remarks, that the passage, as found in Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," does not seem intended to convey an idea, that both saints were to join in such a simul- taneous pronunciation of the words of con- secration, as takes place at the ordination of a priest, in some dioceses ; but only, that the hosts being consecrated, thej should simultaneously divide them into parts which were to be distributed among other com- municants. See "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nioe," ix. Februarii, n. 10, p. 303.
'9 When treating about St. CJolumba, in
**
gham's works, vol. ii. , p. 3. Ecclesiasticae, or, The Antiquities of the Christian Church," book vi. , 2. The first volume of this learned work, was published in 1 708, and it was allerwards completed in nine volumes more. A complete edition of Bingham's works has been issued in London
A. D. 1840.
"3 Compare this passage, in St. Columba's
The Life of St. Columba, the Apostle and Patron Saint of the ancient Scots and Picts, and joint Patron of the Irish ; com- monly called Columkille, the Apostle of the Highlands. " This biography was compiled by John Smith, D. D. , one of the Ministers of
Life, by Adamnan, lib. 1. , cap. xliv. , with the previous cap. xxxvi. See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," n. (g), p. 86.
Campelton, Honorary
Antiquarian and Highland Societies of Scot- land, towards the close of the last century.
^° "
See Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical His-
tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi,, sect. XV. , n. 182, p. 179.
pres- byterum sacra eucharistiae conficientem," in lib. i. , cap. xl. , adds the Rev. William Reeves; fromwhichwemayinfer,thatthe consecration was held to be effected by the sentence of consecration ; and hence it might
be that the " supposed, invitation, panem
frangere," had reference to the distribution of the bread to the communicants, and not to the act of consecration.
" ut UtEpiscopus in Ecclesiae, et in consessu
"'The Council of Aries
prescribed
peregrino episcopo locus sacrificandi detur. "
The fourth Council of Carthage decrees :
*'
. Member of the
^^ We find the "audiens expression,
" See Rev.
Thomas Innes' " Civil and Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," book ii,, ? • 175-
Origines
February 9. ] LIVES 01* THE IRISH SAINTS. 431
one of their number, either as eminent for piety^^ or for station,=7 or because
a visitor, as in the present instance. ^^ Sometimes two, or probably more,
acted as con-celebrants,^9 in which case, they were wont to break the bread
for the Holy Sacrifice together :3o this as performed conjointly was, if we
may so say, according to the priestly rite. 3^ But when a bishop was present,
there being none of equal rank at hand, he broke the bread alone ;3^ and
thus,thecelebrationwasanepiscopalrite. 33 But,toreturnfromthisdigression.
St. Columkille approached the altar, and looking earnestly at Cronan, he said,
"
May Christ bless thee, brother, for now we know that thou art a bishop, and hence you break the host alone, according to the episcopal rite. And wherefore hast thou hitherto concealed thy rank, so as to prevent us from paying thee due reverence ? " 34 Hearing him speak in this manner, the humble bishop was amazed, and he glorified Christ in his servant St. Columba. 3s Thisanecdoteisexplained,bystating,thatallusionappearsto have been made to a benediction, usually given by bishops, after breaking the host, and before a part of it had been put into the chalice. 3^ The pre- sent narrative comes with great weight of authority, being written by one, who, it is said, not only was a priest himself, but who was officially disqua- lifiedforthehigherorder; and,concerningaman,whocreatedtheprecedent, by his own subordinate condition. 37 This humble bishop, afterwards, con- ceived a great veneration for St. Columkille j38 who seemed to have had a Divine intuition regarding himself, while both saints offered their united prayersandpraisestotheAlmighty. TheyearofthisSaintCronan'sdeath is not known; but, he is said to have flourished, about a. d. 570, as, it is thought, he was contemporaneous with St. Columkille. 39 The feast of St. Cronan was kept, in the country of the Nan-Desii. 4° By Ware and
=^ " See Adamnan's
lib. i. , cap. xl. , p. 47.
"
=9 As conficientes. "
stated, fi'angere. "
Life of St. Columba,"
to Ussher. See Index Chronologicus, A. D.
^7 See ibid. , lib.
arum
He lived there
''^
thirty- four years, according to Columba's Life, by
Adamnan. See lib. i. , cap. i.
xvii.
See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
3° As
** simul dominicum
panem
having thisname,invariouspartsofIreland. Two of the name lived in viz. : St.
iii. , cap.
Antiquitates. "
Life of St. Columba," n. (f ), p. 86.
expressed
" simul verbis et manu
39 There were other saints many
3' See Morinus, Sacr. Ordinat. Exerc. "
the 28th of April, and St. Cronan, a Bishop viii. ; also, Valesius' note on Evagrius' Ec- of Lismore, whose festival is celebrated on
clesiasticalHistory,"i. , 13.
3= As we read " solus panem fregit. " 33 Or as " ritu. "
the1stofJuly. BothoftheseCronans,just named, lived posteriorly to St. Columba.
St. Cronan of Roscrea A. D. flourished,
expressed episcopali
3* See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
625, when he was present at the death of St. Mobianus, son to Hua Alto, as we find in his Life ; and from this, it appears, also, that he survived many years, nor do we read that this Cronan was a bishop. St. Cronan of Lismore died, in A. D. 717, according to the "Annals of the Four Masters. " As, the pontificate of Leo X. See Cardinal therefore, we do not remember any other Munster Cronan, who was a bishop, it is most probable, tliat our saint, who, it ap- pears, was both a Munsterman and a bishop, must in all likelihood be considered identical with the Cronan who visited Columkille, as related in Acts of this latter saint. See " Acta Sanctorum ix.
Adamnan's "Vita S. Columbae," lib. i,,
cap. xliv. , p. 348. 35 See ibid.
3^ This benediction varied, according to the various festivals, and the practice con- tinued for many centuries, even as late as
Bona, "Opera Omnia. " Rerum Liturgi- carum, lib. ii. , cap. xvi. , pp. 356 to 360.
37 See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," n. (e), p. 85.
3^ From the anecdote already related, it is supposed, that our saint flourished when St. Columkille lived on lona Island. Now St. Columba came to this island, in the year 565, according to Ussher. See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. 4, p. 168 ; or, in A. D. 563, according
Colgan's Hiberniae," Februarii, n. 11, p. 303.
4° See the BoUandists' "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Februarii ix. De S. Cronano Episcopo in Hibemia, p. 339.
DLXiii. , p. 532,
"
Britannicarum Ecclesi-
Munster,
Cronan of Roscrea, whose feast occurs on
432 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 9.
Harris^^ this saint has been confounded with a Bishop of Lismore, bearing a similarname/' Ournativemartyrologists,undervariousformsofhisname, haveenteredthefeastofthissaint,atthe9thofFebruary. ThusSt. ^ngus the Culdee, the Martyrology of Tallagh, Marianus 0'Gorman,'^3 and Cathald Maguire,-*-^ have their respective notices. We find recorded, also, in the Martyrology of Donegal,'*^ as having a festival on this day, Cuardn,^^ the Wise, in Deisi Mumhan. The foreign martyrologists, Canisius, Hermann Greuen and Ferrarius accord. '^^ In the anonymous catalogue of Irish Saints, published by O'Sullivan Beare, at the 9th of February, Tronanus is entered. Tronanus, bishop, is likewise given in Henry Fitzsimon's list, at the same date, and on authority of the Carthusian Martyrology. '^ This seems in- tended for St. Cronan. In Scotland, as well as in Ireland, the memory of this saint was held in great veneration. At the 9th of February,^9 the Ka- lendar of Drummond enters the departure to Christ, in Ireland, of Mochu- aroc, a holy and a most wise man. 5° Some memorials of his veneration seem,untiloflate,tohaveprevailedinIreland. IntheparishofEdermine, county of Wexford, there is a St. Kieran's well (? Cuaran's), where a patron had been held, formerly, on the 9th of February, s^ It has been remarked,
that no St. Kieran occurs on this day, in the Irish Calendars. s^ Most pro- bably,thatpatronwasnootherthanthepresentCuaranorCronan. The old church of Edermine was situated in the townland of Glebe, on high ground, but no part of it remained in 1840, it having been pulled down, when the modern church was finished. It had a — attached.
large graveyard
About half a mile to the north was St. Kieran's well
53
a strong spring. The
"
cious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins. " S4 Because this holy man
Sacred Scripture has placed on record,
Wisdom will not enter into a mali-
"ofthe Lordin
"himin ofheart
and
so did he acquire that spirit, whereby he well deserved an epithet,
thought
goodness,"
sought
simplicity
"
;" the
^' See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , Lismore," p. 549-
"
Bishops of
^s Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
4= Now Colgan expressly distinguishes the
present saint from Cronan of Lismore, and
for a very just reason, viz. : that their times
were different. It is therefore strange, called Mochuarocc in the Felire of Aengus. '
"
Cronan" before his eyes, in the place cited, name, signifying *my little Cuar,' or
that Ware, who had the
Acts of St. Mochuarocc is the devotional form of the
and where he found mention made of the son of Nethsemon, could have fallen into such a mistake. This cannot be accounted for, except by his having read too cursorily what had been written, about these Cronans. Archdall (at Lismore) has only a part of Ware's mistake ; for, he does not call Cronan of Lismore, son of Nethsemon, but he says, that Cronan died, on the 9th of February. Yet, this day is assigned in the Calendars, not to his death, but to that of Nethsemon's son. See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xix. , sec. vi. , n. 73, pp. 164, 165.
3 Thus he writes, at the 9th of February : CuA^An in ecctiA in "Oeipb mumAn.
^X-p x)0 |\ob Ainm Ci\onAn mAc necVife- mon. " Cuaranus, sapiens, in Desiis Mo- monise, est qui et Cronanus filius Nethse-
"
monis dicitur.
** " Mochuarocus sapiens in regione De-
siorum quiescit : qui et Cronanus filius Neth- semonis dicitur.
Cuaran. "
'^ See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
niae," ix. Februarii. De S. Cronano qui et Cueranus, n. 12, p. 303.
*^ Sec *' Historiae Catholicae Ibernise Com- pendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 49, and cap. xii,, p. 57.
^9 Idus v.
42, 43-
*& in a note Dr. Todd says, at this word,
Cuaran, "The later hand has added in the margin rnociiA|\occ, -p. ^e. , ^i. e. , he is
so gge Bishop Forbes' * ' Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 4,
si See " Letters containing Information relative to the Antiquities of the County of Wexford, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840," vol. ii. John O'Donovan's communication, p. 97.
sz in 1840, the well was still visited by old people, to obtain the cure of various diseases.
S3 A patron held here, about 1810, is now
abolished. Two old oak trees grew over
this well in 1840. See t'did. , p. 97. S4Wisdomi.
Murray's
ecriA, tloem nAt)AmAi|\ "01511a,
1624, writes regarding it,
eversa, conversa. " "
Bavaria tomus
Sancta," s
" Cuaran the Wise. " ^ Marianus O'Gorman also notices as him,
signifying,
Cuaran. 7 By nearly all other writers, he is named Cronan. Here, it must be observed, that Cronan and Mochua are names commonly used, by our old writers, for one and the same person ; and, in our menologies are found many saints, bearing either of these commutable appellations. ^ The present holy man is also called Trouan, by Hermann Greuen, in the Carthusian Martyrology, and after this writer, by Canisius and Ferrarius, our saint is similarly designated ; but, Colgan proves such designation to be a mistake, the saint not having received this name, in the writings of our native martyr- ologists. 9 According to some accounts, our saint's father was called
—
Southern Germany," sect. x. p, 108.
" Handbook for Travellers in Route 168,
e. u. i'o. in-o moclitiAi\oc
S' Rader, whose work was issued a. d.
"
sedes ilia extra poma-rium, quae ab loco D. Petro conse- crato nomen tulit, hodie nulla est, anno CIDIDLII. , Antistite Georgio cum aliis non-
nullis templis, praetextu belli, funditus
Coeifech 'Oe]\5An 'oiot)A, Ofpuc HonAin tMjDA.
Mochuaroc of the wisdom, A saint illustrious, noble,
Coerach Dergan, the godly,
Bishop Ronan the kingly,
et i—n ossarium haereticorum demum < See p. xv.
5* See, also, Wigullus Hundius, "Metro-
— "Acta Hibernise," ix, Februarii. De S. Cronano,
qui et Cuaranus, pp. 302, 303.
" See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Feb-
ruarii ix. De S. Cronano Episcopo, in Hi-
bernia, p. 339.
3 As in the subjoined rann in the
:
also bore the name Mochuarog, and
lib. i. , iii.
polis,"
Article ii. 'See Sanctorum
^
He
Fei- lire," transcribed from the Leabhar Breac" copy, and transla—ted into English, by Pro-
fessor O'Looney
:
" "^"
these words
Crona Mac Nethseman dicitur vel Mac
Netha. "
ii. Afterwards follow
"qui et
we find, In-o ecriA, "the wise," appended in a MS. note of W. M. llennessy, to his
copy of the Donegal Martyrology.
^ The O'Clerys remark, that his name was
CroninMacNethseman. See"
Martyro-
logy of Donegal," pp. 42, 43.
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
niae," ix. Februarii. De S. Cronano, qui et
Cueranus, n. I, 302. p.
9 See ibid. ^ p. 302.
February 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 429
Nethus ; but, it would seem, more generally Nethsemon. He was descended from the noble and ancient family of Fertlact. It is supposed, that Cronan hadbeenborn,inthecountryoftheNan-Desii. Littleisknownregardingthe early history of this pious servant of God ; but, such was his virtue in after years, and such the knowledge of holy Scripture he had acquired, that he
received this commendable
CronanoftheNones. ^^ Thisreformation,heappearstohaveaccomplished, afterhavingbeenelevatedtotherankofbishop. '3 Suchsupposition,Ihave hazarded, for the reason, that it does not seem probable, he could undertake to effect the reformation alluded to, without exercising the authority, and possessing the jurisdiction, devolving on him, in virtue of his having attained the episcopal dignity. Whether he exercised this office, in the country of the Nandesii,''^ or in some other part of Ireland, is not clearly recorded. It would appear, that our saint paid a visit to St. Columkille, in lona Island. At least, it is deemed highly probable,'^ that this was the bishop, who came in disguise, from the province of Munster, and whose name was Cronan. He, being a bishop, dissembled as much as he could that degree and rank ; yet, he could not keep it hidden from Saint Columba's all-pervading know- ledge. Through humility, Cronan did not wish to declare, he had been in- vested with the episcopal character. St. Columkille did not discover his rank, however, until Cronan was asked on a certain Sunday to celebrate Mass. '^ About that time, when the consecrated bread should be broken,
the bishop called St. Columba to join him as a priest,^7 during the perform-
appellation, Cronan,
zeal for ecclesiastical discipline was so great, he made a regulation, directing that a part of the Divine Office, which is called None, should be recited, distinctfromacelebrationoftheHolySacrificeofMass. Itwascustomary, among ancient monks, to include the celebration of Mass, between the be- ginning and end of None ; and, hence, it is probable, that abuses were found to have occurred, with regard to omissions of some parts in their office. This our saint wised to correct. " On such account, he was also called,
^° He is thus called by St. ^ngus, in the Martyrologyof Tallaghjby Cathald Maguire, and in the Martyrology of Donegal.
" Colgan says, that St. ^ngus, or his old
scholiast, indicates at the 9th of February,
in this following antique Irish distich, that
a part of the None had been omitted, ac-
cording to received custom, and that our in an old Life of St. Carthage. See Ussher, saint w—as the first reformer of such an "DePrimordiisEcclesiarumBritannicarum," abuse: cap. xvi. , p. 781, and cap. xvii. , p. 865.
Originally they were settled in the barony Gibe dian-hail sasadh saor, attir, na of Deece, south of Tara in Meath, but they
naomh cen cuid mbroin, Tabhraidh Mochuaroc for ceill :
bradh co leir in Noin.
celea-
were banished by the monarch, Cormac Mac Airt, to the country south of the River Suir, where they settled in the east of Water- ford county.
'S See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
Thus rendered by Colgan into Latin —
:
Quidesideratdeficiasverasinpatriasane-
"Life of St. Columba," nn. {a, b), p. 85. '^ "
tomm omni tristitia
Advertat ad S. Mochuaroeum, legatque Christi corpus ex more conficere. " Col-
integre Nonam,
—Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibemias,"
gan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
"
carentes,
" the Wise. " '° The saint's
try in his copy of the Donegal Martyrology. ^3 That our saint was a bishop, Colgan
shows, on the authority of Adamnan,Greuan, Canisius and Ferrarius. See " Acta Sane-
torum Hibernise," ix. Februarii, n. 9, pp.
302, 303.
^^ These people are called **na n-Desi,"
InAdamnan's LifeofSt. Columba,"
the Latin words are: "a Sancto — jussus
Quarta Vita S. Columbaj, lib. i. , cap. xliv. , p. 348.
^7 The Second Council of in Seville,
619,
prohibited priests, in the presence of the *"
ix. Februarii, n, 8, p. 302.
""Called Mochuarog na nona' in bishop, sacramentum corporis et sanguinis
Leabhar Breac, 31a. " Mr. Wm. M. Christi conficere" (can. 7), but the general Hennessy's MS. note, appended to this en- usage of the western Churches was, "ut in
430 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [February 9.
ance of this ceremony. ^^ This interesting anecdote, has been omitted by
^'^
Smith,'9 it is probable, because it demonstrates that deference shown to
bishops, by priests, and their superiority, by Divine right, in the Church. ^^ The local clergy were even accustomed to the courtesy of inviting the clergy, who visited them, to celebrate in tb. eir churches. ^^ In the present instance, as in many other cases, we learn from the Acts of our saints, what were the particularliturgicalpractisesofourearlyIrishChurch. ThelearnedDean Reeves observes, in relation to the foregoing incident, that under the Co- lumbian discipline, the several orders of bishop, priest, and deacon, were duly recognised, and that the conferring of Holy Orders was considered the peculiar function of the bishop. The present narrative contains, not only a plain acknowledgment of the distinctness of bishop and priest, but also the express declaration of the founder of lona, regarding the superior privilege, rank and honour, of the bishop. ^3 Instead of the episcopal office bemg ignored, or its proper functions being usurped, by presbyters in Hy, a great respect was paid to bishops in that monastery, and a great distinction made between them and priests, in the celebration of the sacred mysteries. For, by this relation it appears, that in Ycolmkille a priest, and even the abbot, St. Columba himself, looked upon a bishop as so far superior to him, that he would not presume, even though invited, to celebrate the Holy Mysteries jointly with him. ^^ We gather from these memoirs, that the practice of the Irish Church, in the celebration of Holy Communion, at this period, varied in regard to its ministration ; that sometimes the attendant priests's selected
confectione immolationis Christi adsint pres- byteri et simul cum pontifice verbis et manu confidant. " See Martene, " De Antiquis Kc- clesicpe Rilibus," i. , 3, 8, torn, i. , p. 120. The Irish Church seems to have coincided with the
Presbyterorum sublimior sedeat, intra do- mum vere collegam Sacerdotum esse cognos- cat. "—Canon XXXV. Cabassutius, "Notitia Ecclesiastica Historiarum, Conciliorum, et Canonum," &c. , p. 173.
presbyter
came to a foreign church, they were to be
""complimented with the honorary privilege of performing divine offices, and consecrat- ing the Eucharist in the church. "—Bin-
"
dignity.
'^
Spanish,
in its estimate of
episcopal
" Thus, "when or any bishop
Colgan remarks, that the passage, as found in Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," does not seem intended to convey an idea, that both saints were to join in such a simul- taneous pronunciation of the words of con- secration, as takes place at the ordination of a priest, in some dioceses ; but only, that the hosts being consecrated, thej should simultaneously divide them into parts which were to be distributed among other com- municants. See "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nioe," ix. Februarii, n. 10, p. 303.
'9 When treating about St. CJolumba, in
**
gham's works, vol. ii. , p. 3. Ecclesiasticae, or, The Antiquities of the Christian Church," book vi. , 2. The first volume of this learned work, was published in 1 708, and it was allerwards completed in nine volumes more. A complete edition of Bingham's works has been issued in London
A. D. 1840.
"3 Compare this passage, in St. Columba's
The Life of St. Columba, the Apostle and Patron Saint of the ancient Scots and Picts, and joint Patron of the Irish ; com- monly called Columkille, the Apostle of the Highlands. " This biography was compiled by John Smith, D. D. , one of the Ministers of
Life, by Adamnan, lib. 1. , cap. xliv. , with the previous cap. xxxvi. See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," n. (g), p. 86.
Campelton, Honorary
Antiquarian and Highland Societies of Scot- land, towards the close of the last century.
^° "
See Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical His-
tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi,, sect. XV. , n. 182, p. 179.
pres- byterum sacra eucharistiae conficientem," in lib. i. , cap. xl. , adds the Rev. William Reeves; fromwhichwemayinfer,thatthe consecration was held to be effected by the sentence of consecration ; and hence it might
be that the " supposed, invitation, panem
frangere," had reference to the distribution of the bread to the communicants, and not to the act of consecration.
" ut UtEpiscopus in Ecclesiae, et in consessu
"'The Council of Aries
prescribed
peregrino episcopo locus sacrificandi detur. "
The fourth Council of Carthage decrees :
*'
. Member of the
^^ We find the "audiens expression,
" See Rev.
Thomas Innes' " Civil and Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," book ii,, ? • 175-
Origines
February 9. ] LIVES 01* THE IRISH SAINTS. 431
one of their number, either as eminent for piety^^ or for station,=7 or because
a visitor, as in the present instance. ^^ Sometimes two, or probably more,
acted as con-celebrants,^9 in which case, they were wont to break the bread
for the Holy Sacrifice together :3o this as performed conjointly was, if we
may so say, according to the priestly rite. 3^ But when a bishop was present,
there being none of equal rank at hand, he broke the bread alone ;3^ and
thus,thecelebrationwasanepiscopalrite. 33 But,toreturnfromthisdigression.
St. Columkille approached the altar, and looking earnestly at Cronan, he said,
"
May Christ bless thee, brother, for now we know that thou art a bishop, and hence you break the host alone, according to the episcopal rite. And wherefore hast thou hitherto concealed thy rank, so as to prevent us from paying thee due reverence ? " 34 Hearing him speak in this manner, the humble bishop was amazed, and he glorified Christ in his servant St. Columba. 3s Thisanecdoteisexplained,bystating,thatallusionappearsto have been made to a benediction, usually given by bishops, after breaking the host, and before a part of it had been put into the chalice. 3^ The pre- sent narrative comes with great weight of authority, being written by one, who, it is said, not only was a priest himself, but who was officially disqua- lifiedforthehigherorder; and,concerningaman,whocreatedtheprecedent, by his own subordinate condition. 37 This humble bishop, afterwards, con- ceived a great veneration for St. Columkille j38 who seemed to have had a Divine intuition regarding himself, while both saints offered their united prayersandpraisestotheAlmighty. TheyearofthisSaintCronan'sdeath is not known; but, he is said to have flourished, about a. d. 570, as, it is thought, he was contemporaneous with St. Columkille. 39 The feast of St. Cronan was kept, in the country of the Nan-Desii. 4° By Ware and
=^ " See Adamnan's
lib. i. , cap. xl. , p. 47.
"
=9 As conficientes. "
stated, fi'angere. "
Life of St. Columba,"
to Ussher. See Index Chronologicus, A. D.
^7 See ibid. , lib.
arum
He lived there
''^
thirty- four years, according to Columba's Life, by
Adamnan. See lib. i. , cap. i.
xvii.
See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
3° As
** simul dominicum
panem
having thisname,invariouspartsofIreland. Two of the name lived in viz. : St.
iii. , cap.
Antiquitates. "
Life of St. Columba," n. (f ), p. 86.
expressed
" simul verbis et manu
39 There were other saints many
3' See Morinus, Sacr. Ordinat. Exerc. "
the 28th of April, and St. Cronan, a Bishop viii. ; also, Valesius' note on Evagrius' Ec- of Lismore, whose festival is celebrated on
clesiasticalHistory,"i. , 13.
3= As we read " solus panem fregit. " 33 Or as " ritu. "
the1stofJuly. BothoftheseCronans,just named, lived posteriorly to St. Columba.
St. Cronan of Roscrea A. D. flourished,
expressed episcopali
3* See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
625, when he was present at the death of St. Mobianus, son to Hua Alto, as we find in his Life ; and from this, it appears, also, that he survived many years, nor do we read that this Cronan was a bishop. St. Cronan of Lismore died, in A. D. 717, according to the "Annals of the Four Masters. " As, the pontificate of Leo X. See Cardinal therefore, we do not remember any other Munster Cronan, who was a bishop, it is most probable, tliat our saint, who, it ap- pears, was both a Munsterman and a bishop, must in all likelihood be considered identical with the Cronan who visited Columkille, as related in Acts of this latter saint. See " Acta Sanctorum ix.
Adamnan's "Vita S. Columbae," lib. i,,
cap. xliv. , p. 348. 35 See ibid.
3^ This benediction varied, according to the various festivals, and the practice con- tinued for many centuries, even as late as
Bona, "Opera Omnia. " Rerum Liturgi- carum, lib. ii. , cap. xvi. , pp. 356 to 360.
37 See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," n. (e), p. 85.
3^ From the anecdote already related, it is supposed, that our saint flourished when St. Columkille lived on lona Island. Now St. Columba came to this island, in the year 565, according to Ussher. See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. 4, p. 168 ; or, in A. D. 563, according
Colgan's Hiberniae," Februarii, n. 11, p. 303.
4° See the BoUandists' "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Februarii ix. De S. Cronano Episcopo in Hibemia, p. 339.
DLXiii. , p. 532,
"
Britannicarum Ecclesi-
Munster,
Cronan of Roscrea, whose feast occurs on
432 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 9.
Harris^^ this saint has been confounded with a Bishop of Lismore, bearing a similarname/' Ournativemartyrologists,undervariousformsofhisname, haveenteredthefeastofthissaint,atthe9thofFebruary. ThusSt. ^ngus the Culdee, the Martyrology of Tallagh, Marianus 0'Gorman,'^3 and Cathald Maguire,-*-^ have their respective notices. We find recorded, also, in the Martyrology of Donegal,'*^ as having a festival on this day, Cuardn,^^ the Wise, in Deisi Mumhan. The foreign martyrologists, Canisius, Hermann Greuen and Ferrarius accord. '^^ In the anonymous catalogue of Irish Saints, published by O'Sullivan Beare, at the 9th of February, Tronanus is entered. Tronanus, bishop, is likewise given in Henry Fitzsimon's list, at the same date, and on authority of the Carthusian Martyrology. '^ This seems in- tended for St. Cronan. In Scotland, as well as in Ireland, the memory of this saint was held in great veneration. At the 9th of February,^9 the Ka- lendar of Drummond enters the departure to Christ, in Ireland, of Mochu- aroc, a holy and a most wise man. 5° Some memorials of his veneration seem,untiloflate,tohaveprevailedinIreland. IntheparishofEdermine, county of Wexford, there is a St. Kieran's well (? Cuaran's), where a patron had been held, formerly, on the 9th of February, s^ It has been remarked,
that no St. Kieran occurs on this day, in the Irish Calendars. s^ Most pro- bably,thatpatronwasnootherthanthepresentCuaranorCronan. The old church of Edermine was situated in the townland of Glebe, on high ground, but no part of it remained in 1840, it having been pulled down, when the modern church was finished. It had a — attached.
large graveyard
About half a mile to the north was St. Kieran's well
53
a strong spring. The
"
cious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins. " S4 Because this holy man
Sacred Scripture has placed on record,
Wisdom will not enter into a mali-
"ofthe Lordin
"himin ofheart
and
so did he acquire that spirit, whereby he well deserved an epithet,
thought
goodness,"
sought
simplicity
"
;" the
^' See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , Lismore," p. 549-
"
Bishops of
^s Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
4= Now Colgan expressly distinguishes the
present saint from Cronan of Lismore, and
for a very just reason, viz. : that their times
were different. It is therefore strange, called Mochuarocc in the Felire of Aengus. '
"
Cronan" before his eyes, in the place cited, name, signifying *my little Cuar,' or
that Ware, who had the
Acts of St. Mochuarocc is the devotional form of the
and where he found mention made of the son of Nethsemon, could have fallen into such a mistake. This cannot be accounted for, except by his having read too cursorily what had been written, about these Cronans. Archdall (at Lismore) has only a part of Ware's mistake ; for, he does not call Cronan of Lismore, son of Nethsemon, but he says, that Cronan died, on the 9th of February. Yet, this day is assigned in the Calendars, not to his death, but to that of Nethsemon's son. See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xix. , sec. vi. , n. 73, pp. 164, 165.
3 Thus he writes, at the 9th of February : CuA^An in ecctiA in "Oeipb mumAn.
^X-p x)0 |\ob Ainm Ci\onAn mAc necVife- mon. " Cuaranus, sapiens, in Desiis Mo- monise, est qui et Cronanus filius Nethse-
"
monis dicitur.
** " Mochuarocus sapiens in regione De-
siorum quiescit : qui et Cronanus filius Neth- semonis dicitur.
Cuaran. "
'^ See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
niae," ix. Februarii. De S. Cronano qui et Cueranus, n. 12, p. 303.
*^ Sec *' Historiae Catholicae Ibernise Com- pendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 49, and cap. xii,, p. 57.
^9 Idus v.
42, 43-
*& in a note Dr. Todd says, at this word,
Cuaran, "The later hand has added in the margin rnociiA|\occ, -p. ^e. , ^i. e. , he is
so gge Bishop Forbes' * ' Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 4,
si See " Letters containing Information relative to the Antiquities of the County of Wexford, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840," vol. ii. John O'Donovan's communication, p. 97.
sz in 1840, the well was still visited by old people, to obtain the cure of various diseases.
S3 A patron held here, about 1810, is now
abolished. Two old oak trees grew over
this well in 1840. See t'did. , p. 97. S4Wisdomi.
