03 June 2024

St Coemgen,* or Keivin, Bishop & Confessor


From Fr Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints:

WAS born of parents of the first rank in Ireland, in 498. He was baptized by Saint Cronan, a holy priest, and at seven years of age was put under the tuition of St. Petrocus, a Briton, who spent twenty years in Ireland , to improve himself in virtue and sacred learning. After five years spent with him, by his advice he was placed, in 510, under the care of three holy anchorets, Dogain, Lochan, and Enna, or Æneas, in the same cell. Three years he spent with them in the study of the holy scriptures, before he took the monastic habit. Some time later, he founded a great monastery in the lower part of the valley called Glean-da-loch,† situated in the east of Leinster, in the territory of Forthuatha.‡ The reputation of St. Keivin and his monastery, drew hither such a conflux of people, that it soon grew up into a famous and holy city. The founder being raised to the episcopal dignity, he erected a cathedral church under the invocation of SS. Peter and Paul, near the church of his abbey.§ In 549, St. Keivin took a journey to Clonmacnois, to pay a visit to St. Kiaran; but he found him dead three days before his arrival, and attended his funeral offerings. Saint Keivin lived to a great age, and having some time before resigned the episcopal charge to confine himself to his abbey, he died on the 3d of June, in the year 618, of his age one hundred and twenty. He is patron of Glendaloch, where his festival is celebrated on the 3d of June, on which day numbers of people resort to the Seven Churches. There is also a parish church in the suburbs of Dublin dedicated to this saint.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments are subject to deletion if they are not germane. I have no problem with a bit of colourful language, but blasphemy or depraved profanity will not be allowed. Attacks on the Catholic Faith will not be tolerated. Comments will be deleted that are republican (Yanks! Note the lower case 'r'!), attacks on the legitimacy of Pope Francis as the Vicar of Christ (I know he's a material heretic and a Protector of Perverts, and I definitely want him gone yesterday! However, he is Pope, and I pray for him every day.), the legitimacy of the House of Windsor or of the claims of the Elder Line of the House of France, or attacks on the legitimacy of any of the currently ruling Houses of Europe.