Columban

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The statue of St. Columban in Bobbio, Italy, where St. Columban established his final monastery. Who was St. Columban? St. Columban is the patron of the Missionary Society of St. Columban. He is recognized as one of the great pioneers in western European civilization. Columban was born in Leinster, Ireland, in 543. He left Ireland to proclaim Jesus Christ and His Gospel to Western Europe, whose people had fallen into barbarism. Amid hardships and persecutions, Columban and his followers founded monasteries throughout France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. His mission was noted for his remarkable zeal, having once been described as "traveling through Europe like a flaming torch enkindling the fire of God's love in the hearts of men." Columban's great contribution to the Catholic Church was the new spirit in European monasticism he had instilled; a spirit of total commitment to Christ and to the values of the Gospels. His denunciations of the immoral practices of the royal court and the general populace led to his exile from France and Switzerland.

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