The Feast of All Irish Saints was instituted in 1921, by Pope Benedict XV. It was a huge privilege already to have twenty five new Irish saints recognised by Rome in 1902, albeit via an informal procedure. Therefore, the oft misplaced idea, that Ireland has saints only by hearsay tradition does not really hold. We shall explain, while first listing off our canonized saints…
Examples formally canonised Irish Saints are
- Saint Malachy
- Saint Lawrence O’Toole
- Saint Oliver Plunkett
- Saint Charles of Mount Argus
An Irish monk, Fergal, also known as St. Virgil of Salzburg, is an 8th-century missionary scholar who was also formally canonized in 1233 by Pope Gregory IX. Formally canonised saints are when there is a solemn public affair in publicising the recognition of someone as a saint. Now Pope St. John Paul Magno canonised many saints in this way, after a careful and rigorous process of authenticity and verification.
Examples of informally canonised Irish Saints via the process of what is called Cultus Confirmation:
1) Assicus from Elphin
2) Carthach the Elder from Lismore
3) Colman from Cloyne
4) Colman from Dromore
5) Colman from Kilmacduagh
6) Conleth from Kildare
7) Déclán from Ardmore
8) Aidan from Ferns
9) Éogan from Ardstraw
10) Fachanan from Kilfenora
11) Felim from Kilmore
12) Finbarr from Cork
13) Flannán mac Toirrdelbaig from Killaloe
14) Jarlath from Tuam
15) Ciarán from Clonmacnois
16) Laserian from Leighlin
17) Mac Nisse from Connor
18) Macartan from Clogher
19) Muiredach from Killala
20) Nathy from Achonry
21) Oran from Iona
22) Kevin from Glendalough
23) Comgall from Bangor
24) Finnian from Clonard
25) Albert from Cashel (8th cent.)
All twenty five saints were recognised in 19 June 1902 by the universal church. They are our all Ireland champion saints.
Cultus confirmation is also called equipollent (equivalent) canonization, which consists in decreeing an Office and Mass by the pope in honour of the saint, (Benedict XIV, l, c., xliii, no 14). The Congregation for the Causes of Saints (CCS), instituted in 1969, has the competence to consider such an honour. Ordinarily someone whose cultus has been confirmed is considered “Blessed”. In some cases, the decree grants the title as “Saint”.
The rules instituted by Pope Benedict XIV, on the conditions for an equipollent canonization:
1) Existence of an ancient cultus of the person: namely evidence of an immemorial public veneration (cultus ab immemorabili tempore) of the person at least one hundred years before the publication of the decree.
2) Reliable and constant attestation to the virtues or martyrdom of the person by credible historians.
3) Uninterrupted fame of the person as a miracle worker: the claimed saint maintains a reputation for performing miracles that have continued without exception of the centuries.
These criteria ensure only claimed saints of authentic merit veneration and canonisation.
Finally there are those who are saints of the ”pre-congregation canonization” type; being proclaimed a saint by popular devotion and recognised as such by a local bishop. St. Mel of Ardagh is an example of this category.
So there you have it, we have many recognised saints. What a great privilege it is to be part of the land of saints and scholars. We celebrate all Irish Saints day on the 6th November.
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