We are doing a great job at evangelizing young adults through our Catching Fire Young Adult Ministry, we are bringing the Gospel to young children in our parish school and Columbkids religious program, we are caring for the poor and serving others through Good Samaritans, Men of Mercy, Warm Up America and Service Saturday’s. These are just a few of way’s we are proclaiming the Gospel here at St. Columbkille.

PARISH PICNIC WEEKEND CELEBRATING ST. COLUMBKILLE! 

All day this Sunday June 8th we are celebrating our parish feast day starting off with an outdoor Mass at 12pm under the tent. Join us after mass for delicious food, live entertainment, games and activities for the whole family. Please see the parish bulletin for further details on the schedule for the day. See you at the picnic! 

WHO IS ST. COLUMBKILLE? 

On June 9th, the Catholic Church commemorates the sixth-century Irish monk and missionary Saint Columba of Iona, also known as St. Columcille or Columbkille. One of Ireland’s three patron saints together with Saint Patrick and Saint Brigit, Columba is also sometimes called the “Apostle of the Picts” for his evangelization of Scotland.

Columba was born in 521, descended from royalty through his father. He was taught and mentored by the priest who baptized him, and later attended a monastic school founded by Saint Finnian of Moville. His own life as a monk began at the school, where he was also ordained a deacon. The deacon went on to spend time in a different monastery and school run by another Finnian, Saint Finnian of Clonard. Columba became a priest during this period, and along with eleven others from this same institution, he would become known as one of the “Twelve Apostles of Ireland.”

Columba also studied with Saint Mobhi of Glasnevin, before a disease epidemic forced him to return to his ancestral homeland of Ulster during 544. Columba spent the next 15 years traveling, preaching, and founding monasteries. It is not clear why, in 563, Columba left Ireland. By some accounts he was simply going to preach the word of God. Others claim that he had become involved in a battle between warring tribes, before repenting and taking on foreign missionary work as a penance. 

On the island of Iona, located on Scotland’s northwest coast, Columba and his group of companions built simple monastic quarters and a church for themselves. The priest-monk’s first missionary work was in the region of Dalriada, whose Celtic Christian inhabitants were lacking solid religious instruction. His next effort was to convert the Picts of northern Scotland, a task that would take up most of the rest of his life. He began by gaining entrance to the castle of King Brude, where the locked gates are said to have miraculously opened when the sign of the Cross was made. The king welcomed the missionaries, believed the Gospel, and was baptized.

Columba’s evangelization of northern Scotland continued over the next three decades. Columba worked many miracles including driving out the infamous Loch Ness monster! Legend tells us that Columba came to the banks of the River Ness, a short river that flows out of the Loch Ness, and they noticed some people nearby burying a dead man. When they inquired what had happened, the people explained that the man had just been killed by a monster in the water. Unmoved, Columba directed one of his followers to swim across the river and come back with a boat, and the man immediately obliged. That’s when the monster showed up. “But the monster,” the biography explains “which, so far from being satiated, was only roused for more prey, was lying at the bottom of the stream, and when it felt the water disturbed above by the man swimming, suddenly rushed out, and, giving an awful roar, darted after him, with its mouth wide open, as the man swam in the middle of the stream.” 

“Then the blessed Columba observing this, raised his holy hand, while all the rest, brethren as well as strangers, were stupefied with terror, and, invoking the name of God, formed the saving sign of the cross in the air, and commanded the ferocious monster, saying, ‘Thou shalt go no further, nor touch the man; go back with all speed.’ “And it worked! “Then at the voice of the saint, the monster was terrified, and fled more quickly than if it had been pulled back with ropes…” Incredible! Everyone, including pagans who were watching, broke out in praise to God at his awesome power.

Columba and his companions met with some resistance from the native pagan Druids, but on the whole they found remarkable success in spreading the Catholic faith and building up a network of churches and monasteries. The island monastery at Iona remained his home base, and it drew pilgrims looking to benefit from the priest-monk’s wisdom and his prayers. 

He remained in touch with the Irish Church, making many trips back until he became too weak to travel. Even in old age, Columba maintained an intense routine of prayer, fasting, and study. After giving a final blessing to his monastery on June 8, 597, he died sometime in the early hours of the following day.  

Never forget, the Lord Jesus is with us, always!