(1858-1923)
His life
+ Joseph Aloysius Marmion was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1858.
+ After beginning studies for the priesthood in Ireland, he was sent to the Irish College in Rome. Returning to Ireland after his ordination he spent one year in parish-work, and then was assigned to teach philosophy at Holy Cross Seminary in Clonliffe. During this time he began to seriously consider the call to religious life, remembering especially the Benedictine abbeys he had visited on the continent.
+ Believing he had a monastic vocation, he entered the Belgian Abbey of Maredsous in 1886. Upon professing vows as a monk, he received the religious name “Columba.”
+ His natural exuberance and love of fun combined with his humility and loyalty soon won for him a wide circle of friends and the respect of his confreres.
+ After serving as prior of Mont-Cesar and as a professor at Louvain, Marmion was elected abbot of Maredsous in 1909. His writings, based on a Christ-centered spirituality applied to daily living, made him one of the best-known Catholic writers of the early twentieth century.
+ After many years spent teaching, writing, giving retreats, and spiritual direction, he died at Maredsous on January 30, 1923. Dom Columba Marmion was beatified during the Jubilee Year of 2000.
+ The Benedictines celebrate the memory of Blessed Columba Marmion on October 3.
For prayer and reflection
“Joy is the reflection of God’s life within us.”—Blessed Columba Marmion
Vocations
To learn more about the monks of Marmion Abbey (Aurora, IL) visit: www.marmion.org
Prayer
God, our Father,
you called your servant, Columba,
to the monastic life.
You bestowed on him the grace
to understand the mysteries of your Son
and to make him known as the ideal
for all who have been baptized.
Grant that we may learn from his example
to live in Christ by opening our hearts in joy
to the Spirit of your Son, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from the Benedictine Supplement: Proper Masses for the Use of the Benedictine Confederation)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
And today we celebrate...