OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Tag: Irish Saints

  • 'The Medicine for the Salvation of Souls': the Penitential of Cummean

    The Penitential of Cummean (Paenitentiale Cummeani) is a seventh-century text attributed to Saint Cummean of Clonfert, who died in the year 662, according to the Annals of Ulster. One of my favourite writers on the Irish saints, Daphne Pochin-Mould, gave a summary of Saint Cummean’s list of the ways by which sins can be remitted in her 1956 book The Celtic Saints: Our Heritage:

    There is an Irish homily on the subject of repentance in the Leabhar Breac. It says that it is necessary to do penance both for sins actually committed and for the good that we might have done but did not. There are three ways, says the homily, in which sins can be forgiven, baptism, martyrdom, penance. There is a much more detailed list in the Penitential of Cummean (c.650) which gives twelve different ways by which sins can be remitted….Cummean’s list begins with baptism and ends with martyrdom. The items in between are, however, on a different footing: they are things that we can do, or have done for us, to make reparation for our sins. The confession mentioned in the middle of the list is not apparently ordinary sacramental confession, the Christian’s normal method for getting his post-baptismal sins remitted,  but a general admission of one’s sins: – the scriptural reference is to Psalm 31, v. 5, 6 “I have acknowledged my sin unto thee (god) … and thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin.”

    Cummean’s list is: – baptism; charity (this refers to Luke 7:47 in which Christ told the woman weeping at His feet which she anointed that her sins were forgiven, pointing out that she had also greatly loved); alms-giving; the shedding of tears; confession; affliction of heart and body; renunciation of vices; intercession of saints; the merit of mercy and faith; the conversion and salvation of others; our own pardon and remission of other people’s injuries to ourselves – “forgive and ye shall be forgiven”; and martyrdom.

    Daphne D.C. Pochin Mould, The Celtic Saints: Our Heritage (Dublin, 1956) 114-115.

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  • The Virtuous Customs of Saint Ciarán of Saighir

    (67) And these were the virtuous customs of Ciaran all his life;
    he never wore woollen clothing, but skins of wolves and other
    brute beasts; and he avoided all dainty (lit. worldly or secular) meats,
    and all intoxicating drinks; and he took but little sleep. And there
    was a continual attendance of angels about him. And the bishops and priests that he ordained were innumerable.

    (68) Moreover, if any injury were done to him, he would always do some good thing in return, for he always forgave injuries. He would labour with his hands for the love of God, to get what they wanted for the poor. And so he passed his life in this world as to receive the crown of eternal life in the world to come. Who is there who could maintain in this world in the human body a life like Ciaran’s, in fastings and abstinences, in cold and watching, in chastity and hospitality (lit. house of guests)?

    (69) And so he spent his life from infancy till death, in daily prayer, study, and preaching, and in bearing judgement, whether silently or in speech. He was compassionate, prudent, steadfast, merciful, virtuous, humble to God and to his neighbour, teaching his monks in accordance with the words of the apostle Paul. For these are the words of Paul: ‘Imitate me,’ says Paul, ‘as I have imitated Christ, to receive honour from God and [? not] from men; and seek not anything for the sake of worldly glory, but for God.’ 

    (70) And he neglected none of the commandments of God, but (gave) bread to the hungry, and drink to the thirsty, welcomed strangers, and visited the sick, (giving) alms to the poor and clothes to the naked. And the motive for which he did so was this, that he might obtain his portion in the life everlasting, and for fear of the reproof of God in the presence of the judgement. And Ciaran bade his monks to maintain these commandments, that is to have love one to another.

    C. Plummer, ed. and trans., Life of Saint Ciarán of Saighir II, in Bethada Náem nÉrenn: Lives of Irish Saints, Volume II (Oxford, 1922). 

    Note: For a fuller account of the life of Saint Ciarán, also drawn from his hagiography, see the account by Father Albert Barry at the blog here.

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  • Saints Báithéne, Ségéne & Crónán, The Three Clarenigh, January 29

    I have always been intrigued by the adjective clárainech appended to the names of some of our Irish saints, most famously perhaps to Saint Mobhi of Glasnevin. The usual translation given is ‘flat-faced’ or ‘table faced’ and in the case of Saint Mobhi this is described as a result of his rather traumatic birth. He is not the only saint described in this way, however, and at January 29 we have no less than three clarinechs commemorated collectively, Saints Báithéne, Ségéne & Crónán. As Canon O’Hanlon observes ‘why these three saints are venerated on the same day is a problem of difficult solution’. Yes, indeed. Below are his entries for all three from Volume I of his Lives of the Irish Saints, where he suggests that our three saints may have been brothers in the flesh as well as in Christ, and thus there might have been a genetic explanation for their unusual appearance:

     Article  VI. — St.  Baeithin.  

    After  the  introduction  of  seven  foreign saints  at  this  day,  in  the  Franciscan  copy  of  the  Martyrology  of  Tallagh,  the Irish  saints  first  noticed  are  the  three  Clarenigh,’  i.e.,  Baithen,  Segin,  and Cronan. Baeithin,  is  separately  registered  in  the  Martyrology  of  Donegal, on  this  day.  He  is  also  entered  in  the  published  Martyrology  of  Tallagh, but  united  with  two  other saints.  Why  these  three  saints  are  venerated  on the  same  day  is  a  problem  of  difficult  solution.

    Article  VII. — St.  Cronan.  

    We  find  a  St.  Cronan  separately  recorded in  the  Martyrology  of  Donegal,  as  having  a  festival  at  this  date.  He  is  also entered,  but  not  separately,  in  the  Martyrology  of  Tallagh.  Towards  the close  of  life  he  might  repeat,  as  St.  Paul  did  to  the  Ephesians, “I  have fought  a  good  fight;  I  have  finished  my  course;  I  have  kept  the  faith.” Therefore  was  he  a  ready  sacrifice  when  the  time  of  dissolution  was  at  hand.

    Article  VIII. — St.  Seighin  or  Segin.  

    The  Martyrology  of  Tallagh mentions  that  on  the  29th  of  January  a  festival  was  held  in  honour  of  St.Segin.   He  is  united  with  the  two  former  saints. “Na  tri  Clarenigh.  i  Baethini  ocus  Segini  ocus  Cronani,”  is  the  entry  found  in  this  record.  In  the Martyrology  of  Donegal  we  find  entered  on  this  day,  Seighin.  Immediately afterwards  follows  this  notice: — “The  three  Clairenechs  [flat-faced],  were Cronan,  Baeithin,  and  Seighin.”  Perhaps  from  the  physical  peculiarity  attributed to  these  saints,  and  their  feasts  occurring  the  same  day,  we  may suppose  them  to  have  been brothers,  or  perhaps  to  have  been  descended from  some  common  progenitor.

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