Columban | Photo via Richard Mayer via Wikimedia Commons
If you want to know about a fearless and outspoken defender of human dignity and rights, you must know about the life of a man called Columban. He was a faithful Christian, an Irishman who dedicated his life to the service of others. He was a missionary, a fiery preacher, fearless and dedicated.
Columban went on a mission with his band of Irish priest monks. They were greatly welcomed, admired, and honored by ordinary people as they traveled by foot throughout Europe, stopping in towns and villages to teach and preach the good news of Jesus of Nazareth.
He and his group brought education to the people. He and his growing band of enlightened and educated followers civilized communities in the Dark Ages of Central Europe. He was criticized, rejected, falsely accused, and deported by jealous clergy. He and his followers suffered harassment by the authorities but endured it all, built monastic communities of learning and prayer around Europe and provided service to the poor.
He was a poet and a writer of sermons, and he defended his rights when he appealed to the Pope for justice. He was also a campaigner for social justice and called for the reform of a wayward clergy.
It all started when he was a young man, around 560 AD. Columban became a monk in a famous monastery in Bangor, Ireland, and was a born leader. Europe was in the dark ages, and the institutional church was beset by civil strife and corruption. In Ireland, an island somewhat isolated at the time, true Christianity flourished in the many monasteries, which were communities of ordinary folk living in villages clustered around a central monastery.
Together, the monks and people worked the farms and fields around the monastery, and they all shared in the harvest. It was the center of their life. The monastic communities at the time were centers of learning, agricultural development, and innovation, producing fantastic works of art such as the Book of Kells.
Columban was inspired by the story of Jesus of Nazareth’s life and teachings, and the monks strove to imitate him in their teachings and lives. Columban eventually became the monastery’s abbot in Bangor, and in 590, he was inspired to carry the gospel message to the people of Gaul in central Europe.
With determination and mission, he chose to leave the monastery in Ireland. With his band of fellow monks, he traveled throughout what is now France and Germany, then known as Gaul, and inspired many to follow his example.
He was outspoken and unafraid of the tribal leaders, kings, authorities, lords, and bishops who ruled society at that time of great poverty and inequality. Columban preached the Good News to them all. He had hundreds of followers, and together, they built a monastery at Annegray, Luxovium, and Fontaines to accommodate the many new believers and missionaries. Their fame spread throughout Gaul, what is now modern-day Europe.
Columban was outspoken and intolerant of the corruption in society and the clergy. He challenged the oppressive elites and family dynasties of the time. Like Jesus of Nazareth, his message of reform was rejected. The local clergy accused him falsely and criticized him when he called for reform.
“What motivated and drove him was his faith in the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, a powerful, unshakable conviction that goodness, love of neighbor, social justice, speaking the truth, and giving a better life to the poor were the heart of the Christian faith ...”
They were furious at him as he was a powerful preacher and influencer who exposed the abuse and wrongdoing in the church and called for them to confess, repent, do penance, and believe in the Gospel message. He and his followers lived frugal lives and challenged the clergy to change and leave their lives of luxury and be faithful servants of the people. He taught them to be humble washers of feet as Jesus taught and challenged his disciples to follow his example. Columban’s challenge was too much for the clergy then, and they rejected him and his message.
What motivated and drove him was his faith in the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, a powerful, unshakable conviction that goodness, love of neighbor, social justice, speaking the truth, and giving a better life to the poor were the heart of the Christian faith and that one day they would overcome injustice, wrongdoing, and evil in the world. That is the heart of all Christian faith.
Columban wanted a society built on justice for the poor, freedom for the oppressed, and respect, dignity, equality, and justice for all.
He was believed and respected by many yet ignored by some, scorned and rejected by the local clergy and corrupt bishops and rulers. Undeterred, he continued to preach unselfish love of neighbor as the heart of the message of Jesus of Nazareth.
The corrupt clergy and bishops struck back at Columban to silence him but could find no fault in accusing him of wrongdoing. Hence, they accused him, an outsider, of violating liturgical customs by celebrating the Easter liturgy on a date other than that of Gaul. Columbans followed the Celtic (Irish) calendar. He appealed against this accusation to the Pope, claiming he was wrongly accused, as many Christian human rights defenders are today.
They conspired against him at King Theodoric II’s court. He was initially deported from Gaul, and the boat he was forced to board ran aground during a storm as it departed.
This was a sign to him and his faithful and trustworthy followers that God protected him, and he continued his mission in Gaul. The authorities tried to close his monastery but failed. He and some monks were later forcibly removed from his monastery at Luxovium in the year 610. Columban went to Switzerland with his faithful friend Gall and other monks. He established a mission in St. Gallen and continued his mission, challenging, teaching, and writing sermons and poems. He eventually crossed the Alps and founded a monastery at Bobbio in Italy, where he died on November 23, 615.
Columban has inspired countless men and women worldwide to follow his example and continue his mission of spreading the values of Jesus of Nazareth. This spirit of service and faith that goodness, truth, and justice will overcome injustice and human suffering inspired the establishment of The Missionary Society of St. Columban in 1916 in Ireland.
The mission continues in many countries today. Members and their helpers serve people experiencing poverty and defend and promote human rights and dignity. Columban missionaries have chosen the preferential option for serving the poor and oppressed and protecting God’s creation.
The Missionary Society of Saint Columban continues this mission today in many countries worldwide, especially in the Philippines. Everyone is invited to join.
