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”
Worshipping at Iona was a highlight of my trip to Scotland years ago, and Columba's feast day is my birthday. This was the toughest vote yet, because I could relate to Kateri too, but I went with Columba. P.S. My prayers are with the families of the students Nolan mentioned in an earlier post.
Having spent many very happy times at Camp Tekakwitha as a child, I was drawn to Kateri and to her story. I alss found a thin place at that camp- perhaps because it was named in honor of a saint. She got my vote!
Book lover that I am, and knowing that Colomba straightened up and flew right, he was still a bit too wild and wooly for me. Dater Tekawitha gets my vote today.
Peace over war wins out!
Iona! Ahhhhh.....
St. Columba for me. I grew up in the St Columba parish in Chester, NY and have many wonderful memories. Would have been nice if the nuns taught us about Columba being a book lover and a Nessie tracker!
Many Canadians sat up and took notice of the canonization of our first Canadian saint, a First Nations woman, in October 2012. Almost exactly one year later I travelled from home in British Columbia to Montreal where a group of us were guests at the synod of our companion Diocese of Montreal. Before and after the synod weekend we were taken to places of interest in and around Montreal including the Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha at St. Francis-Xavier Church in the First Nations community of Kahnawake, a short drive out of the city. The visit to the church and its attached museum was a highlight for me. Although we claim her as Canadian it is important to remember that she spent most of her life in New York State with only her last 5 years in Canada that began with her conversion to Christianity and her devotion to God and the Church. Of special note is that she is the fourth Native North American to be venerated in the Roman Catholic Church and the first to be canonized.
Well, sort of: there was no "New York state" at the time, of course. The province of New York was smaller than the current territory of the state, and parts of what are now Western and Upstate NY did indeed fall within Canada. Ste Kateri wasn't crossing a border when she migrated: indeed the Mohawk, who in fact consider themselves neither Canadian or American, do not recognize the border that cuts through their territory.
Kateri Tekakwitha. Any saint who is the focal point of a Leonard Cohen novel ("Beautiful Losers") gets my vote.
All I can say is that I like Lent Madness far better than the 2016 Presidential primary elections. So far, I could vote for every saint we have read about for the Golden Halo. Today, it is a tough choice but I have to go with Columba. I read some more information on him, and learned that after the fight with the king a hermit monk convinced him to head for Scotland and to convert at least as many souls as were lost in the rebellion. Of course, he converted and saved far more than that in Scotland and Northern England. Columba and Celtic 12 Apostles is a remarkable story.
I could have voted for Kateri and felt perfectly good about it. I always have mixed feelings about the conversion of indigenous peoples, and certainly she suffered losses because of it, though she remained faithful to her Lord.
However, I cannot turn my back on a fellow book-lover! Columba, I would have coveted that psalter myself! And, of course, his recognition of his life having taken a wrong turn and his self-imposed penance aren't lightly dismissed, especially during Lent.
Columba it is!
I voted for Columba, not because he is one of my favorite Irish Saints but because he exiled himself as penance for his warring ways. This season of Lent is all about Penance. I honor that in this season.
I voted for Kateri because I bump into things too. We people that bump into
things need a Saint!
Kudos to the SEC for a challenging matchup. While Kateri's story is compelling, my Scotch-Irish roots are strong. First call was to a church on Staten Island that was founded by Scots (very strong willed people). Iona has influenced me from afar and someday I will get there. Booklover, check. But the clincher? First copyright dispute -since that's where hubby's career has been for years. Go Columba!
Iona of my heart, Iona of my love . . . . Columba for me!
I voted for Kateri because she lived near where I lived as a child. I lived in Chateuguay, Quebec, which is right next to Caughnawauga, the reservation that Kateri lived on south of Montreal.
I've been to the magic isle of Iona (and that's not so easy, two separate boat rides and one long bus ride in between), Columba must have really been amazing that so many followed him (and they didn't have the advantage of the comfy bus and boats to get there) Have to go with Columba.
I work at Iona College - pass St. Columba's statue daily. Kind of a no brainer for me... Love LentMadness!!!
I visited the island of Iona while in Scotland two years ago, and with my Celtic ancestry, I was tempted to vote for St. Columba, but St. Kateri is my neighbor (so to speak--her shrine in Auriesville is about 100 miles away), and I am impressed by her gentle nature, so I voted for her. A note: when I was in Tucson, Arizona, a few years ago, I re-visited the church of San Xavier del Bac, south of Tucson. This is an old church built by missionaries to the First People there. They had a statue of her in the church, put up some years ago, because she is seen as a saint for all First People, not just the Mohawks. The original plaque identified the statue as "Blessed" and this had been changed to "Saint" when she was made a saint.
I voted for Columba. I hadn't known of Columba's violent earlier life, but it seems he repented and recommitted his life to the Gospel. Founding a monastery in Iona was a wonderful gift to the Church. I have been to that beautiful isle which is truly, as the Celts say, a "thin place." Surrounded by the splendor of earth and sea and sky and sustained by the prayer that has been going on there for 1500 years, one does indeed experience a great closeness to God, as no doubt the saint himself did.
I voted for Columba, as his lifelong dedication to books struck a chord with me. I would not be who I am if not for the riches of the written world. I love the first nations feel of Kateri, but her "interaction quotient" is low, in my book.
book. there you go!
I had never heard of Kateri before and was moved by her story. A bit heavy on the Roman Catholic emphasis, but I'm glad someone took her in and nurtured her faith. I still have to vote for Columba and his island community Iona, His legacy continues to benefit Christians of all types.
If he can convert Nessie he has my vote! Columba all the way.
I went with Colomba. Anybody who rebels against the institutional church gets my vote. Okay, so he shouldn't have started a war over it but if we start discounting everyone in the early church or middle ages who started a senseless war, we'd take out a large chunk of the saintly population. And as many have already pointed out, he repented. I remember when Kateri was canonized and unfortunately I've never been able to get excited about her.
Ah, me Irish brethern. Sorry, I just had to laugh at this bio. Did anyone else hear the Pogues singing in the background? Maybe their Christmas hit where everyone loves each other until they've had a few drinks? I actually thought I was going to vote for Kateri, but had to go for Columba after reading that outrageous bio.
I felt it was a bit inappropriate to suggest a person was a candidate for sainthood because of some physical problem, despite the fact that scarring from her disease was certainly severe to cause visual impairment. I suspect we all know a number of fine Christian people who soldier on despite physical problems of various kinds, and nobody singles them out for distinction. There's no question that the lady was a remarkable individual, but saints require a bit more. Millions of people die young. Should we designate them as saints because they might have done great things, had they lived?
Columba, like so many of us, did some profoundly unacceptable things, but then he did what few ever do -- he posed for himself severe consequences, and he did not waver from these. And, like Joseph (the REAL Joseph), he was able to take something very evil and turn it to something very good. Because of his deadly quarrels, he ended up converting many to a more civilized form of life.
Ok, I would have voted for Columba, however, if he was such a good Christian, then why was he coveting a copy of a book? It should have been enough that he had access to it and was allowed to read it. On the other hand, our native American daughter sought out Christianity. I look at it this way, Columba had everything and wasted it. Kateri had nothing but gained everything.
Just my $.02 worth.....
Such a fine Christian (his "boss") forbade someone from having a copy of Scripture?
I must agree. That was one of the worst bios of a famous saint that I've read here. I just wish everyone had the time to read Adomnan's bio of Columba. I think we'd get a much better and more balanced pic of the Celtic Saint.
I have worked with children with disfiguring skin conditions like neurofibratosis and Sturge-Weber, so I was moved by Kateri's lot in life and what she must have endured. I admired her piety, her continual prayer for conversion of her people, and the development of a community of sisterhood of faith, all accomplished in a very short lifetime. I did not want to vote for that brawling book-loving Irishman. I'm married to one, except for the brawling part. And nuts to "converting" an imaginary beast.
My grandfather was born on Colonsay/Oronsay, named for saints Columba and his companion Oron. Their first priory was built on Oransay, which is one island with Colonsay at low tide. A farm on Oransay was in my father's family until the mid-20th century. Not sure who owns the land now, but each custodian works to preserve the ruins as best they can. A tiny mention of Oronsay would not detract from the eminence of Iona.
Having visited Iona and loving all things Scottish, I had to vote for Columba. I do have admiration for Kateri, however. Both admirable contestants.
Columba and I belong to the same clan in Ireland- I've got to support family!