St. Columbanus was the most outstanding Irish missionary monk in Europe, during the era of the declining roman empire, when the Barbarians began to make incursions into the former roman territory. Columbanus left the monastery at Bangor, County Down, with twelve other monks, of whom St. Gall is the most notable. Columbanus and Gall share good fortunes and bad for twenty years. Gall was a type of right hand man in the missionary expedition, having the unique ability to communicate in a German dialect, enabling him to communicate with German speaking nobles and Barbarians.
During one of their early missions in France, they found themselves being expelled from the territory and put onboard a rowing ship at Nantes, but the ship was blown back to land again, and so they travelled north east and journeyed up the Rhine against the current. They passed to the river Aare and onto the shores of Lake Zurich.
It was at Zurich that Gall gained notoriety. Having witnessed idolatry by a Germanic tribe to Woden, one of the Norse gods. Woden is known as a deity of war, of human wisdom, and of poetry; influencing Anglo-Saxon culture as well as that of the Vikings. Gall not only preached against such idolatry, but set fire to the temple, and threw sacrificial material into the lake. For that reason there was a plan to murder Gall. The team of Irish monks had to flee and they made for Lake Constance, where they then journeyed more until they encountered a priest at Arbon, by the name of Fr. Willimar. This hospitable priest gave counsel as to where the Irish group could settle. They then found themselves, heading across the lake at Bregenz in Austria, on the fertile mountainside plains. There they encountered more Germanic barbarians offering worship to false gods. Again, St. Gall did the same as before; preaching against idolatry, and smashing the statues of the temple. All the idolatrous imagery were thrown to the bottom of the sea. The temple was a former Christian church. The Barbarians were not happy. Reprisal was on the cards, but Gall won many converts, and St. Columbanus rededicated the Christian church, with holy water, holy oils and holy relics, before celebrating mass there.
St. Gall was a good fisherman and mender of nets, providing well for the community. A reprisal came to fruition, as the barbarians hoodwinked Gunzo the local Duke to expel the Irish monks for interfering with fishing and gaming rights. Two other of the Irish monks, were looking for a lost cow, were assassinated, and so the monks had to once again take flight.
At this point Gall and Columbanus part company, under difficult circumstances. Gall felt unfit and sick and would not continue with Columbanus. He therefore gave the strict command that Gall would not celebrate Mass while Columbanus lived. It was a painful obedience. Gall returned to Fr. Willimar at Arbon, and recovered his health. He was given a suitable hermitage on fertile land. He built there a chapel in honour of the Blessed virgin Mary.
Later the local clergy in that region unanimously chose St. Gall to be the succeeding Bishop of Constance, under the promotional influence of Gunzo the local duke. It was the Duke’s way of returning a big favour, as Gall healed his daughter, Fridaburga. The episcopal offer was declined, as Gall could not celebrate under obedience the Holy Mass, and he was not a native to the land. Gall proposed a native deacon who served him well, and reverend John was elected as bishop.
Within a few short years, St. Gaul had a premonition of St. Columbanus’ death at Bobbio in the north of Italy. Columbanus had already regretted his former heated discussion on the parting of Gall with his prohibition of celebrating the Holy Mass. He therefore had sent some monks from his death bed with his staff to gift to St. Gall. Because of the premonition, Gall had already celebrated Mass for the repose of the soul of late Columbanus, just three years after they parted Bregenz.
The hermitage of St. Gall grew into a monastery with the passing of time, then a city, and then a diocese, and finally the Canton of St. Gallen. Today the monastic library boasts a collection of mediaeval Irish manuscripts. The Irish monk who left Bangor so many years before, became St. Gall of Switzerland. His memory is celebrated on the 16th of October. St. Gall died in 630 A.D.
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