Columba
Born in 521 CE to Fedlimid and Eithne in what is now County Donegal, Ireland, Columba was privileged to receive a first-rate education. His first studies were with Saint Finnian. Then he went to study at Clonard Abbey, and from this base, Columba and other missionaries traveled around Ireland to set up other monasteries that became famous, including ones at Kells, Derry, and Swords.
In 560, trouble struck. Columba ran afoul of his superiors in the monastery over a psalter. Columba adored books, and upon discovering a gorgeous copy of the psalms, decided to make a copy for himself in secret. Saint Finnian objected to this. Behold, the first recorded copyright dispute in monastic publishing!
The argument escalated until there resulted an actual pitched battle known as the Battle of Cul Dreimhe, in Sligo. Many monks were killed. Soon after, Columba ran afoul of the king. A neighboring royal, Prince Curnan of Connaught, fatally wounded the king’s relative in a hunting accident. Prince Curnan was a cousin to Columba, and he sought sanctuary at the abbey from the angry king. The king, however, ignored this long-honored custom, stormed the abbey, and killed the prince. Infuriated, Columba summoned his clan (Clan Niall, of the bloody Nine Hostages-fame) and urged them to rebel against the king. Many died, including several brother-monks, and Columba realized his life had taken a wrong turn.
As penance, he agreed to exile himself. He sailed away, landing at the island of Iona in 563. There, he built a monastery, which has become a famous and oft-traveled site for pilgrimages. From Iona, Columba launched many missionary journeys into Scotland, establishing churches and monasteries as far away as Aberdeen and Inverness. According to legend, Columba even preached to and converted the Loch Ness monster. He died in 597, at home at Iona. According to his biographer, Columba’s last act was to put down the manuscript he had been copying, after he wrote out, “They that love the Lord shall lack no good thing,” and he remarked, “I must stop here. Let Baithain do the rest.” And so, he died—a book lover to the end.
Collect for Columba
O God, by the preaching of your blessed servant Columba you caused the light of the Gospel to shine in Scotland: Grant, we pray, that, having his life and labors in remembrance, we may show forth our thankfulness to you by following the example of his zeal and patience; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Kateri Tekakwitha
Born in 1656 near Auriesville, New York, Kateri Tekakwitha was the daughter of a Mohawk chief and a Roman Catholic Algonquin woman. Named Tekakwitha, which means, “She who bumps into things,” she had a childhood bout with smallpox that left her with permanent facial scars and diminished eyesight. Known as the Lily of the Mohawks and the Flower of the Algonquians, Tekakwitha was among the first Native Americans canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.
Her life changed in 1675 when she met Jesuit Father Jacques de Lambertville. She sought an education in Christianity, and she converted to the Roman Catholic faith and was baptized on Easter Day in 1676. She took the name Kateri for Saint Catherine of Sienna and declared a lifelong vow of virginity. Tekakwitha’s family continued to shun her: first for her disfigurement, and then for her adherence to Christianity. In 1677 she took up residence at the Jesuit mission just south of Montreal. There, she prayed tirelessly for the conversion of her people and undertook many forms of penance in the development of her personal piety. Although she didn’t have access to formalized convent life or instruction regarding holy orders, she and her mentor, Anastasia, her close friend, Marie-Therese, and several other young women committed to practicing their faith together as a community.
On Wednesday, April17, 1680, at twenty-four-years-old, Kateri Tekakwitha died during Holy Week. She is believed to have uttered as her last words, “Jesus, Mary, I love you.” It was reported that in death, her smallpox scars disappeared. The cause for her sainthood was initiated in 1884, by Roman Catholics living in Canada. Pope Benedict XVI canonized her on October 21, 2012.
Four US shrines honor Tekakwitha, and numerous churches, schools, and institutions are named for her in the United States and Canada.
Collect for Kateri Tekakwitha
God of grace and glory, your beauty fills the whole of creation, calling lilies to bloom and mountains to bow. Thank you for the life of Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks, who was called to live a life set apart, devoted to penitence and prayer. Create in us a willingness to examine our hearts and be transformed by your love. Amen.
PLEASE NOTE
At 11:02 p.m. EST, two addresses in Vermillion, SD and Medford, OR were blocked. 125 votes for Kateri Tekakwitha were recorded from these two locations, and we do not know of groups participating in Lent Madness in those cities. Not enough votes were cast to affect the outcome, but we have blocked the addresses to prevent further votes. At this point, no votes have been removed from the total cast. Unless we hear from those folks, we will subtract the appropriate number of votes if needed to keep the outcome as determined by fair voting. Remember, vote once only per person!
[poll id="149"]
268 comments on “Columba vs. Kateri Tekakwitha”
It can be hard to be a girl and woman in this world. Props to Kateri!
I was delighted to see the photo of Kateri's statue that stands in front of the Cathedral of St. Francis in Santa Fe. I have seen it in person many times.
Like so many other saints, Columba led a less than perfect life. He was human, after all. He repented.
The is more in that which is biblical, to my mind, than many would seem to recognize while fixated on the warring.
Columba for me, although it was a tough choice. However, the Irish half of my ancestry identifies with him. We often do things in anger and regret them a minute after. And, of course, I can understand the love of books and learning!
Despite my love for all things Celtic,
Irish monasticism, and Scottish roots, I am voting for Kateri, as I live down the street from a parish dedicated to the North American martyrs, and there is a beautiful statue of Kateri-of-blessed- memory there that I visit on my daily constitutional.
As a calligrapher and book lover, I had to vote for Columba. And he did repent his warlike ways, which is a good example for people -- OK, for me -- when smacking someone with a sword sounds like a good idea! And preaching to Nessie? Wow!
Had to vote for Columba, one book lover to another
I've never met a book I didn't want to take home. The Katerie statue is beautiful and Columba — well he was Irish, so what more can I say?
I had to go with Columba--he's my favorite saint, thanks to his musical, poetic, and soul-friend gifts. This particular contest reminded me of another voting opportunity going on around the U.S. right now. . .
My ancestors came from St Columb parish in Cornwall so I cast a vote for Columba
Does anyone know why the Roman Catholics canonized Kateri? Not having that information, I voted for Columba.
She didn't perform miracles while alive but following her death her relics were used to heal. In 2006 a relic of hers healed a boy who was dieing. This was considered the second miracle and she was canonized in 2012
I left my heart in Iona on my first visit to Scotland in 2007 - Columba for me!
Columba is the classic prodigal son. He strayed and caused loss and grief as a result. He also recognized his errors and set about correcting them. Kateri was like the older brother; she didn't stray and remained true to God's ways. However, while Columba went on to accomplish much to help other people, it's not clear to me that Kateri did the same, other than prayers (and I won't gainsay the power of prayer). So, I'm going with Columba. Frankly, I don't see either as a Golden Halo winner.
I had planned to vote for Columba, having fallen in love with Iona and all things Celtic. But the more I thought about, the more I realized that Kateri overcame even more formidable odds to follow Christ. Besides, Columba has already achieved great fame in the Christian world and probably doesn't need more, whereas she could use a bit more! So I voted for her.
Converting the Loch Ness Monster made me a convert.
A vote for the Irish and Scots and their wonderful, colorful, earthy legends. So glad to know the Loch Ness monster is Christian!
Is there an up to date bracket? For those of us who miss a day and want to see "real time" coverage of the brackets. Thanks.
Absolutely. The bracket is updated daily on the Bracket tab: https://www.lentmadness.org/bracket/
I went with the underdog in this battle, though it was almost like a coin toss. For the times, becoming a Christian and modeling a life of prayer and devotion, Kateri showed great strength of character in remaining steadfast in the face of being shunned from her people. The fact that she established a small community to practice her faith shows she was a doer...and may have done other acts of piety in a quiet way. Columba already has a great following, and I understand Iona is indeed a powerful thin place that I hope to visit one day.
I'm surprised that Kateri is losing here. The only thing Columba has going for him as far as I'm concerned is converting the Loch Ness Monster. Other than that, he seems to be a most selfish and disagreeable fellow. I'm voting for Kateri for her humble devotion (and because she's Canadian! My mother was born in Victoria, B.C.).
It seems that many are stuck with our societies biggest flaw; the inability to forgive. A perpetrators worth is only equal to the wrong they have done, no matter what level of repentance and restitution they attempt to make.
I do like the thought of Heidi who thinks we should have more men who repen t for their violentce but my vote goes to Kateri, the
I voted for Kateri. Her short life was full of misery. Being disfigured and shunned by her people for accepting Christ would have been hard for anyone much less a young woman. Sure Columba did advance the church, however he did some naughty things . He copied a book that he knew he wasn't supposed to. He certainly didn't turn the other cheek. Less Nessie and more Good Deeds would have impressed me more in his case.
I voted for Columbo not only because I had a college classmate who actually lived on Iona with her husband, but also because I purchased prints from the Book of Kells when I visited Ireland in the 1960's.
I would like to ask the Lent Maddness community for prayers. Yesterday three international students at my university we hit and killed by a drunk driver while changing a flat tire while driving home from visiting friends at nearby schools over the weekend. Another is in the hospital, and three more are physically unharmed by watched this all happen in front of them. Please pray for our community as we try and make sense of what happened.
I am sorry for your community's loss, and my heart goes out to the families who are receiving notifications that no parent should ever have to hear, that their child has died far from home. Prayers are being offered for your community.
Yes, prayers. Every parent who sends their child abroad lives in fear of such things. I am so very sorry to hear about this tragedy.
So sorry for this terrible tragedy. I will certainly pray for you.
This is indeed a tragedy, and I offer prayers for the families and loved ones who suffer this terrible loss, and for those who are suffering physically and emotionally. May God's presence be felt and bring peace and healing.
Lifting up prayers for you and your community. May the peace which surpasses our human understanding come to you, your community, and the families of the students to heal what has been broken.
I'm so glad you took the opportunity to address this community in this way. Lent Madness is fun, but community is a deeper thing. My prayers are certainly with you, all the others at your university who are suffering, and the bereaved families. May all of you receive the powerful consolation of the Holy Spirit.
My closest friend is a graduate of your university. We were shocked and saddened by this news, and will pray for your community and the students and family involved. Doubly difficult for the families, since the students came from so far away.
Prayers indeed from all of us at Lent Madness.
Praying for the students, their families and the whole university community.
Prayers for your community and especially for the students and their families.
Sorry I pushed reply too soon - I agree with Heidi who likes men who repent for their violence, but I vote for Kateri who suffered for many injustices and yet knew God was with her helping others.
She who bumps into things ought to be allowed to bump along to the next round! Thanks for sharing her story with us.
I wanted to vote for Kateri for all the politically correct reasons and because I'm not physically attractive. But, because I often take wrong turns with my life and have made many course corrections, and because I'm a sucker for Celtic spirituality, I voted for Columba who saw his mistakes, repented and did his best to serve God.
I'm glad Columba finally got it right, but he caused a bit too much damage along the way for me. As a rule, I don't cast my vote for a contestant whose name I can't pronounce, but I've got to give this one to the quiet piety of Kateri Tekakwitha.
Although I am from upstate NY and know about Kateri, my vote goes to Columba. Did he write the lovely melody for The King of Love My Shepherd Is?
Probably not. It's named after him and called a "traditional Irish [or Celtic] melody," but traditional melodies are by definition not ascribable to any particular composer. Nor did St Patrick write "St Patrick's Breastplate," also identified as "Irish melody."
I think I'll always side with the one who does something with their imperfect human existence something to help others keep from making the same mistakes. While Kateri is a good role model I had to vote Columba just for his impact on later generations.
Her scars disappeared upon her death! What a wonderful demonstration of God's healing power! Kateri gets my vote.