Our Patron Saint

Where We Come From: 

St. Columbkille, the patron saint of our parish in school, was born of a noble family at Garran, in the country of Donegal, in Ireland on December 7, 521. At Baptism, he received the name Colum which means "dove." In Gaelic, "call" means "church," and since Colum was a common name in Ireland, his name was later changed to Columbkille or "Dove of the Church." Under the special tutoring of a holy and zealous priest, Columbkille received his education in a monastery founded by Saint Fijian. He took on the austere and enthusiastic spirit of the founder and was our day to priest and monk in 546.

St. Columbkille labored passionately in his native Northern Ireland and founded some 30 monasteries. With St. Patrick and St. Bridget, he is recognized as one of the giants of the early church. In 562, St. Columbkille was exiled from Ireland as a penance for some personal misunderstanding he had with civil officials. He was then set out with 12 companions to Scotland. He spent 34 years working among the Pacts on the island of Iona. There he established many churches and schools which he staffed with many disciples who are attracted to serve with him by his ardent penance, fervent prayer, sincere preaching, and deep confidence in God. 

St. Columbkille spent much time copying scriptures and manuscripts while writing poetry. His great book, written by his missionaries, the Book of Kells is a stunningly beautiful manuscript containing the Four Gospels. It is Ireland's most precious medieval artifact, and it is generally considered the finest surviving illuminated manuscript to have been produced in medieval Europe.

St. Columbkille died in Iona on June 9, 597. In 877, his remains were returned to his native Ireland. He's honored as Saint Columba ,the apostle of Scotland. His feast day is celebrated on June 9th. 

For more details of his life, check out St. Columbkille's page on our parish website.