Monthly Archives: July 2024

Posted in Irish church history

St. Declan; patron and the Patrick of the Deise of the Waterford and Lismore Diocese – 24th July

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St. Declan

We have a latin account of Declan’s life called ”Vita Declani” in which we can learn about this distinguished Irish saint. Declan is the  patron of the Waterford & Lismore diocese, of the ancient territory of the Déise. Declan was born around 373A.D at Dromroe between Lismore and Cappoquin, to his father Erc Mac Trein and mother Déithin. His parents were of noble blood and his father’s line extended back to King Tuathal Teachtmhar in the 1st century. Around the 1st century, a dispute happened at the Royal Seat of Tara, where the Désii tribe were expelled from the Royal Province. This tribe moved south to Tipperary & Waterford, and its from this tribe that Declan comes from. Another section of the tribe was exiled to the South West Wales, settling in Meniva.

Coming back to the birth of St. Declan, a holy priest called Colman, baptised Declan and explained to his parents that the child was blessed by God. Declan was fostered, trained and educated by his Uncle Dobhrán, for seven7 years. As Declan grew older, he was sent to a holy man named Dioma to further his studies. Whilst with Dioma, his reputation grew and many follower came to Declan.

Around the year 395, he later travelled to Rome via Gaul, now France, to study. At Rome, he met and became friends with Ailbe, the future bishop of Emly. Humble Ailbe is considered the Patrick of Munster. During Declan’s stay in Rome, he was ordained priest and bishop by the pope of the time. While still in Rome, as he began his pilgrim journey back to Ireland, he met Patrick, Ireland’s future patron. They became providentially acquainted during this encounter. Today, St. Declan is considered “the Patrick of the Déise.

St. Declan was to establish a monastery Ardmore (meaning great height), which grew into a large town. He is one of the pre-eminent figures in the early Irish Church. Declan was one of four pre-patrician saints (along with Ailbe of Emly, Ciarán of Saigir, and Abbán of Moyarney) who preached the Gospel along Ireland’s south coastal regions, before Patrick arrived in Ireland.

Anecdotes of St. Declan.

Declan’s monastery at Ardmore has long been a place of pilgrim significance, with large crowds that gather every year for his feast day on July 24. The story behind this pilgrim, has it routes in a religious and political meeting that took place. Declan and Patrick met at Cashel, and this ancient meeting is commemorated today in a long-distance trail known as St Declan’s Way. In the 5th Century, St Declan walked 110 km from his monastery in Ardmore, Co. Waterford to visit St Patrick in Cashel where he was resident. Patrick had been appointed a bishop by pope Celestinus and at that time, and was preaching and converting the King of Cashel Aongus MacNatfrich to Christianity. At the same time, a man named Ledban, the King of Déise, was antagonistic to Christianity. There was a persecution brewing, and so an Angel of the Lord appeared to Declan to tell him that he must make a journey to Cashel before matters escalated. Declan made his way over the Knockmealdown mountains, passing through Mount Melleray, Lismore, Ardfinnan, Cahir and met Patrick at Mullach Inneonach which is just off the R687 road spur from the N24 not far from Clonmel. Here, Declan was greeted with hospitably by his old acquaintance, Patrick. They held a meeting and came to an arrangement and  encouraged the deise people to denounce Ledban and follow Patrick instead. A new King of the Deise was selected by Declan and Patrick, named Fergal Mac Cormac; a Déise relative of Declan, he led his people in the grace of God and Ledban was banished and never heard of again.

Another anecdote

An imminent naval attack threatening Ardmore was averted when Declan asked St. Ultan to intervene. Ultan then raised his left hand against the attackers and the sea engulfed them. Declan and Ultan disputed the originator of the miracle, but the saying holds sway today in Ardmore “The left hand of Ultan be against you’’.

Nb* Much of the information here is taken from the book ‘’’Declan’’ by Liam Suipéil, published in 2020

[When Declan realised that his last days were at hand, his disciples brought him back to his citadel Monastery, for Declan dwelt in a small venerable cell, built in a quiet  place near the sea called Diseart Decláin (Declan’sHermitage). Before he died, He received the body and blood of Christ and he blessed his people, his dependents and his poor and he kissed them in a token of love and peace.]

Taken from Canon Donal O’Connor’s book -‘The Pilgrim’s Round of Ardmore’ Co. Waterford 2000.

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Posted in Irish church history

St. Killian the Irish bishop and martyr who became patron of Wurzburg in Germany – 8th July

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The oldest biographical texts refering to Killian are an 8th century necrology at Würzburg, as well as a reference by Hrabanus Maurus in his martyrology. We have diverse spellings such as Chillian, Killian, Cilian, and Kilian. St. Cillian is the name used in the Irish liturgical calendar.

Cillian was in born in Ireland in the mid 7th century, in Mullagh, County Cavan. He is of Irish nobility and dedicated his life to the service of God, which culminated in a life as a missionary. In the early days, Cillian became a monk at the Monastery of Hy.

Tradition holds that Cillian received his religious formation at St. Fachtna’s monastery in Rosscarbery, Co. Cork. Cillian then founded a monastery of his own near Kilmakilloge harbour in Kenmare. There he formed his monks in preparation for a Peregrinatio Pro Christo to continental Europe. From Kilmakilloge harbour, Cillian and his twelve companions, set sail for Europe and with time they found the Rhine River estuary. They followed up the Rhine until they reached Wurzburg in Bavaria. Cillian then travelled to Rome with Colman and Totnan, seeking approval for an apostolic mission at Wurzburg. In Rome, Pope Conan conferred on Cillian an apostolic mission to the old province of Franconia, in Germany.  Cillian officially established his apostolic mission at Wurzburg in the year 686. He began preaching the gospel and succeeded in converting the local duke, Gosbert.

But things quickly went sour for Cillian over a moral & political stance he took with the count over a sensitive marriage he deemed the duke was involved in. The duke married the wife of his dead brother… in the Franconian province, it was the norm for a widow to be remarried to the brother of the deceased husband.

Now if we look at the biblical verses surrounding this matter, we shall see that it says:

”If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is severe defilement and he has disgraced his brother; they shall be childless.” (Lev. 20:21)

Elsewhere the bible says:

”When brothers live together and one of them dies without a son, the widow of the deceased shall not marry anyone outside the family; but her husband’s brother shall come to her, marrying her and performing the duty of a brother-in-law.” (Deut. 25:5)

So, to give a simple explanation, marrying your brother’s wife is forbidden except if the brother dies childless. But in canonical terms within the catholic church, there seems to be no obvious grounds for advising seperation from such a marriage in the case of Duke Gosbert and his wife Gailana… Cillian however advised separation from Gosbert’s former sister-in-law. At present we can only offer an opinion as to why this advice was given… Perhaps it was to stabilise the province from future family feuds amongst step brothers to be. Leaving such opinion aside, we can say for certain that an irate Countess Gailana began seeking for revenge on Cillian for giving advice to Gosbert. When the duke went off on a military campaign, Gailana ordered the assassination of Cillian. He was stabbed along with Colman and Totnan who were praying beforehand. Their bodies were secretly buried in the count’s stables.

As a result of the whole debacle, the Countess suffered mental ill health and soon died in the state of insanity; the hired assassin committed suicide; and count Gosbert was later killed. They all became a by-word for the local inhabitants.

Over 50 years later the remains of the three martyrs were rediscovered. Tradition has it that horses would paw in their stables where the three monks were secretly buried. An excavation was requested, and three skeletons remains were discovered. Later again, a miraculous cure from blindness, of a local philosopher at the find location, spurred on calls for recognition for the holy remains of the three martyred monks. These rediscovered remains became a point of pilgrimage and St Cillian became the patron saint of Würzburg where a Cathedral is dedicated to him.

Although Cillian’s apostolic mission lasted but a short duration, his influence remained. Later when Saint Boniface arrived in Thuringia, he discovered evidence of Cillian’s earlier influence in the region.

In the present days, the Kiliani-Volksfest is a popular festival in the Franconian region, and the celebration lasts over a fortnight around St Kilian’s Day! The Feast Day of St Kilian is held on the 8th of July and his relics are paraded publicly along the streets of Wurzburg. According to the local Franconian farmers’, with St Kilian’s Day begins the harvest time. Additionally, each year a German whiskey distillery named after St. Kilian produces a special edition whiskey.

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Posted in Irish church history

The Meath Martyr unjustly condemned at Tyburn in England – 1st July

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St. Oliver Plunkett

On the 12th October 1975, St. Paul VI canonized our parish patron St. Oliver Plunkett, addressing about 12,000 Irish pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square, Rome ‘’as gaeilge’ saying:

“Dia’s Muire Dhíbh, a chlann Phádraig! Céad mile fáilte rómhaibh! Tá Naomh nua againn inniu: Comharba Phádraig… Naomh Oilibhéar Pluincéid”.

St. Oliver’s story

Oliver Plunkett was born in Loughcrew, Oldcastle, Co. Meath on the 1st of November in the 1620s. His Father John, was Baron of Loughcrew and the family had excellent connections. As Oliver grew older, he felt the calling to the religious life. In a providential way, in 1643, a Fr. Luke Wadding, an agent in Rome for the Irish Confederates, made a request to Urban VIII, to send an envoy to Ireland. Fr. Scarampi was sent by the Pope to assist at the Supreme Council of the Confederation, whose aims were to unshackle Ireland from England’s grip. Fr. Scarampi arrived in Ireland and he was received by the Irish Catholics as an angel from heaven. The Pope’s envoy was highly esteemed by the Irish bishops, the clergy, and the nobility alike. By 1647, the end of his tenure in Ireland had come, and it was in that same year that Rev. Scarampi conducted St. Oliver Plunkett, with five companions to Rome.

For the next twenty-two years Plunkett remained in the Eternal City of Peter and Paul. He was a student at the Irish College in Rome. For three years, after his 1654 ordination to the priesthood, Rev. Oliver Plunkett served as Chaplain with the Oratorians. For twelve years he taught in the College of Propaganda Fide.

Oliver Plunkett was then appointed bishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland for twelve years. His nomination as Primate was welcomed by England, who identified his parents as one of their own. Oliver was accepted by the English monarchy under the parliamentary premunire law, which means to prepare in advance. The monarchy had a big influence on who could be appointed bishop in Ireland and Rome was often sensitive the English politics.

St. Oliver as bishop of Armagh and primate of Ireland did great pastoral and catechetical work. He was highly regarded by the protestants in Ireland, and reached out to all, giving spiritual nourishment. St. Oliver indeed helped England, as he managed to successfully convince the Irish Tories, to lay down their arms, and leave aside appraisal attacks on the new English land owners in Ulster. The Tories had lost their land, but were still a force to be reckoned. St. Oliver convinced them to head to France, and make a new agricultural life for themselves there, rather than spend an eternity in hell for vain gorilla warfare.

Despite all the good that the Primate of Ireland did, to the advantage of England, they did not appreciate his Catholic faith. The English martyred St. Oliver in Tyburn in England of false grounds of political conspiring, He was tried in England, because no-one would dare falsely accuse the Primate on Irish soil. Rev. Oliver’s good reputation was so  widespread among Catholics as well as the ruling protestant elite in Ireland.

At Tyburn, Oliver did not receive a fair trial, and his executioners knew it. In his speech on the scaffold, his words of pardon were: «I do forgive all who had a hand directly or indirectly in my death and in my innocent blood». Thus the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, is made manifested in St. Oliver Plunkett. Like Jesus, St. Oliver surrendered his life willingly in sacrifice (Cfr. Is. 53, 7; Io. 10, 17). His dying words were: «Into thy hands, o Lord, I commend my spirit».

Today his relics are in St. Peter’s church in Drogheda. His feast day is celebrated on the 1st of July.

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