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!
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268 comments on “Columba vs. Kateri Tekakwitha”
My mother discovered Iona shortly after my brother's unexpected death at age 15. She traveled there often and eventually, with her husband, founded an ecumenical rest house there, Duncraig. Her favorite spot was Columba's Cove, where she believed that he spoke to her once in Latin as she was grieving. We were blessed to be able to scatter her ashes there.
Columba's experience feels too political to me. Friends and relatives in high places both helped and hurt him. I went with Kateri, who lived a brief but faith-driven life.
In a time when many Christians are causing great damage in the name of defending the faith, Columba's recognition of the wrong he had caused and willingness to do penance and exile himself gave me hope that maybe Christians today might repent of warring on each other and change their ways. Also, I'm of Scottish descent. Also, Loch Ness Monster. I voted for Columba.
You had me at "Columba adored books." (Actually, you had me at Donegal, but loving a book so much that he would do an unauthorized borrow sealed the deal.) I looked up Patron Saint of Bibliophiles and got nothing. All the responses involved patrons of people who had some hand in producing or selling books. I could find no saint to look after those of us afflicted with this (often happy) disorder. Unless there is someone I overlooked, I would like to nominate Columba for this post.
While I can relate to bumping into things, Columba had my heart when he tried to copy a beautiful book
Kateri gets my vote.
I'm all about the do-ers, so it's Columba for me.
Being shunned is one of the most hurtful punishments one has to endure. Disfigurement scars and poor eyesight are hard to deal with 24/7 and when one professes the Christian faith, no matter the denomination, only God can be your ultimate salvation. Columba is indeed a well-known Christian figure who underwent many hardships, self-initiated in some instances, and paid dearly, but I favored the lesser known Kateri in hopes more LENT MADNESS devotees will know more of her devotion to the Christian faith. Good blogging today...clogging, too, if you're up to it !
While I love Iona and its atmosphere of prayer (and thank Columba for his holy exile), I voted for Kateri. To continue to love in the midst of rejection and loss is a monumental thing for any of us. Her example is far more meaningful to me in the small ways I live my life.
I understood Kateri to be the first Native American woman canonized. The photo above is of the beautiful statue of her here in Santa Fe, NM, in front of the Basilica of St. Francis. We have an icon of her on our home altar and find great joy in her love of nature, people and God.
Anyone who converts Nessy has my vote. St. Columba for this Scottish lady.
Of course I voted for the book lover!
Having spent 33 years in a church of St Aidan of Lindisfarne, I'm partial to Celtic Christianity, but Ireland sure went downhill after Patrick, didn't it? Them Irish is a feisty lot--need some lessons on saintly behavior. But Columba made up for it on Iona.
"Converted the Loch Ness monster"? Come on, that's stretching things a bit, even for hagiography. That was probably made up by somebody who got into the Irish whiskey.
Kateri. She overcame earthly troubles and received a beautiful resurrection body
I wish the description for Kateri provided above for the voting was complete. She has a significance far beyond her Catholic faith. She is the patroness of ecology and nature. She showed the importance of letting spirituality infuse all aspects of life, with the core principles and values of walking and living in a sacred manner, knowing that all spaces are sacred. "Such a world view acknowledges the Creator. We can celebrate that," she said. I took this quote by Saint Kateri from an article written by Juana Magel Dixon, The National Congress of American Indians.
Being of both Irish and Native American ancestry this was a hard one! But I think if Columba loses, it's because his blog was not as well written. The author put the Saint in a negative light while the "Lily of the Mohawks" was adorned w/ accolades?! I voted for the Saint
Both are saints. Kateri was canonized in 2012.
I religious tradition, I read, reasoned, prayed. The I voted for Columba because Ionia is such a great place.
I voted for Kateri. I believe we are closer to God when in the presence of a child. They have no influences from the big world they live in, other than their parents and small circle of relatives and friends. Their small acts of goodness, purity and insight come directly from their hearts and souls. I think Kateri, despite her hardships, showed Christ's light in the way she handled her situation. So many children are brought into the world, by God, into unloving, bad situations, and God finds a way for them to prevail in life and even influence their small world in a good way.
Let's see, Columba is the name of Jeb's wife. So do I support him because I am a Floridian? Or do I support Kateri? In this day and age, Muslims who convert to Christianity face much the same rejection as Kateri. Their families will have nothing more to do with them. Maybe Kateri can give them strength and support as they endure some of what she had to endure. Kateri had everything against her, yet she found peace and comfort in the Lord.
Please help! Lentmadness.org has apparently kicked me out. When I tried to re-subscribe, I received the message to go to wordpress.com
I did, but I don't really understand what that's about and what they want me to do. Please get me back on Lent Madness. I've learned so much on your web site.
the same thing has happened to me and I have the same problems. I hope we can both get back onto the list. I just wanted the comment notifications to stop, they were filling my inbox.
Sorry that's happened! We don't manage this piece of the puzzle -- that's word press. You can always resubmit your email and hopefully that will fix the problem. If nothing else, you can simply visit http://www.lentmadness.org each day to vote.
Ooops Ionia is a town in Michigan. Iona is a saintly place.
Well, I have to vote for Columba. I have the immense joy of going to Iona most every summer for a few weeks and his spirit is still deeply felt on that holy island. The Chapel at Bishop's House, the Scottish Episcopal Church's retreat center, is named after this saint of the church. He almost single-handedly brought the faith of Christ to the whole of Scotland and northern England and is an inspiration to so many. Columba all the way!
Just replying to myself because for some reason I have not been getting any posts.
While I think the legend that Columba converted the Loch Ness Monster is pretty cool and I respect him for recognizing and repenting for his violent ways, I immediately identified with Kateri as soon as I read her name means "she who bumps into things," as this could easily be my name. My dad used to jokingly refer to me as "Grace" (as in "get it Grace" during my clumsy moments); therefore, my vote today is for Kateri just because her story reminded me of a happy memory with my late father.
Also, I would like to draw attention to Nolan's prayer request listed above. What a horrible tragedy to lose 3 students in this manner. I will join in praying for their families and classmates.
It's Columba for me -- I've visited his island very briefly in 2013 and will be returning this May for a longer stay. He started something important on that island...
If you'd like to read good historical fiction on Columba's life, try The Chronicles of Iona by Paula de Fougerolles--two of the proposed 3 volumes: Exile and Prophet are written. Island-Pilgrim has not been published.
Men of a certain age who grew up Roman Catholic in upstate New York may recall Camp Tekakwitha, on the shore of Lake Luzerne in the Adirondaks. It was run by the RC Diocese of Albany. It was here that I first learned about Kateri Tekakwitha long before there was any talk of canonization. So despite my Irish heritage I went with Kateri.
A tough choice today but the Holy Island of Iona and "he died a book lover to the end" decided my vote for Columba
I am drawn to Columba because of his love of books, because he and his brethren spread the word of the Gospel far and wide, and because there were times during the Dark Ages when the religious houses in Europe were almost the only places where people knew how to read and write and the communities kept literacy and learning alive.
However, our city (Santa Clarita, California) has four Catholic churches: Queen of Angels, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Clare's, and St. Kateri Tekakwitha. Since Our Lady is not eligible for the Golden Halo, I confess to a hope that Clare and Kateri will make it to the final countdown. I am not sure if the SEC was aware of this coincidence, that two of the 32 nominees are patrons of neighboring parishes, but we have certainly taken note of it. Kateri to go on!
And for the record, the Episcopal church in Santa Clarita is St. Stephen's and we would love to see Stephen, the first deacon and martyr of the church, as a nominee in 2017...
St. Columba converted my rough, lawless ancestors, and Nessie to boot. Had to go with him since he preceded the wonderful clerics of today in leading me to Christianity. He gets my vote.
Besides, virginity is highly over-rated.
This was a tough one for me. I sure have had many struggles with publishers, and felt kin to Columba thusly, but had to go with someone who was shunned but kept the faith. It is tough enough dealing with invisible illnesses.
Columba is my favorite - my maternal great-grandparents came form Iona, so I'm biased as can be.