The Life of St. Columba

The great St. Columba of Iona (521-597) was one of Ireland's most famous missionaries. Exiled from Ireland as a young monk for his part in the bloody Battle of Cúl Dreimhne, St. Columba removed himself and a few loyal monks to the island of Iona in Scotland's Inner Hebrides. From his Abbey at Iona he spent decades spreading the faith among the pagan Gaels and Picts of Scotland, a labor that earned him the title "Apostle of Scotland." The introduction of Christianity in Scotland and is due to Columba's work. His hagiography, the Vita Columbae ("The Life of St. Columba"), was compiled in the 7th century by his successor, St. Adomnán of Iona. Full of miracles, prophecy, and visions of the holy angels, St. Adomnán's work reveals a saint mighty in the power of God and moved by a zeal for the salvation of souls. 

This new edition of the Life of St. Columba contains the complete biography of Adomnán (updated with historical footnotes), an appendix of all the hymns and prayers attributed to St. Columba, and a thirty page introductory essay on the life and times of Columba, the spirituality of St. Columba, and the genius of Irish Catholicism. Full of saints and miracles, this classic Irish hagiography of one of Erin's greatest saints is a must have for any student of Irish Catholicism's golden age.


Paperback, 165  pages,  $13.99 USD + shipping.