British Saints

BRITISH AND IRISH SAINTS OF THE WEEK

(Including saints having a connection with these lands.)

When the Church in the British Isles begins to venerate her own saints, then the Church there will grow. - St Arsenios of Paros. (1877)

Week commencing Sunday 8 June 2025, we commemorate the following saint:

Monday – St Columba of Iona, 597

St Columba – Columba (597), is an Irish saint who is called, ‘Enlightener of Scotland’, and one of the best known saints of Orthodox times in these lands, and the only one who appears in the Calendar and Lectionary for this week. He is one of Ireland's three patron saints (together with Saint Patrick and Saint Brigid), and is also sometimes called the ‘Apostle of the Picts for his evangelisation of Scotland.

Columba was born in 521. He was taught and mentored by the priest who baptised him, and later attended a monastic school founded by St Finnian of Moville. His own life as a monk began at the school, where he was also ordained a deacon. He went on to spend time in a different monastery and school run by another Finnian, St Finnian of Clonard. Columba became a priest during this period, and along with eleven others from this same institution, he would become known as one of the ‘Twelve Apostles of Ireland.’ Columba also studied with St Mobhi of Glasnevin, before a disease epidemic forced him to return to his ancestral homeland of Ulster during 544. He spent the next 15 years travelling, preaching, and founding monasteries.

It is not clear why, in 563, Columba left Ireland. By some accounts he was simply going to preach the word of God. Others claim that he had become involved in a battle between warring tribes, before repenting and taking on foreign missionary work as a penance. On the island of Iona, located on Scotland’s northwest coast, Columba and his group of companions built simple monastic quarters and a church for themselves. The mission was to convert the Picts of northern Scotland, a task that would take up most of the rest of his life. He began by visiting the king of the Picts, King Brude. The king welcomed the missionaries, believed the Gospel, and was baptised.

Columba’s evangelization of northern Scotland continued over the next three decades. He and his companions met with some resistance from the native pagan Druids, but on the whole they found remarkable success in spreading the Christian faith and building up a network of churches and monasteries.

The island monastery at Iona remained his home base, and it drew pilgrims looking to benefit from the priest-monk’s wisdom and his prayers. He remained in touch with the Irish Church, making many trips back until he became too weak to travel. Even in old age, Columba maintained an intense routine of prayer, fasting, and study. After giving a final blessing to his monastery on June 8, 597, he died sometime in the early hours of the following day. The island of Iona is a popular place of pilgrimage.