Above : Picture Of Saint Brigit Given Inspiration ByAngel

St. Patrick writes of the great multitude of the Scots and their daughters who became monks and virgins of Christ. The first ardours of the faith, which brought the first Christians in other countries to martyrdom, drew the Irish neophytes to the monastery, says Frederick Ozanam. The bishops and clergy left by St. Patrick in the churches which he founded, lived together in a relation similar to the community life in a monastery. The clan system also assimilated to the monastic life where the Abbot was the spiritual father of the other monks as the chief was considered the father of the clan, and the example of the members of the chieftain’s families who became Christians and monks was imitated by their followers A Leinster chieftain, who was baptized by St Moedoc of Feras said, ” I offer myself to God and you, and with myself I offer all my race; be you master over all of us.” Women were not behind–hand in sanctity and St. Brigid, St. Ita, and St. Fanchea founded communities of holy women.

The more ardent and enthusiastic spirits were desirous of leading a life of even greater mortification and prayer than was contemplated by the monastic rule, and went to live apart in solitary communion with God. One of the earliest of these, St. Enda, was a son of the King of Oriel, who resigned his kingdom and became a monk, obtaining from his relative the King of Munster a grant of Aran Mor island as a place where he might retreat from the world for solitude, penance, and mortification. St. Kevin dwelt alone for seven years in a small cave at Glendalough. St. Fiac retired every year for the season of Lent to a cave near Sletty, taking with him some barley loaves, which were the only food he used until he returned to his monastery to celebrate the great festival of Easter with his brethren. The Saints who led this life of prayer and mortification became naturally the objects of great veneration and respect, and when their places of retreat were discovered, others came to learn from them and to place themselves under their guidance. Thus disciples came from various parts of Ireland to St. Enda at Aran, and after a time he had one hundred and fifty monks under his control. In the same way a shepherd made known the retreat of St. Kevin, and great numbers of holy men made their way to Glendalough attracted by his reputation for sanctity, so that Kevin became (he father of many monks. St. lunian’s lonely retreat at Clonard became a place of .-reat resort of pilgrims who were drawn there by liis learning and sanctity, and Clonard soon became the greatest ecclesiastical and teaching centre in Ireland.

Above : Picture Of Saint Enda

As most of our Irish Saints were trained under the monastic system, it is interesting to take a survey of the life in the monasteries in Ireland. The rules drawn up by St. Columcille and St. Columbanus for the guidance of their monks are still extant, and they give us some idea of the training that produced such a great number of Saints. In the rule of St. Columcille the day is divided into three parts and the three labours of the day are prayer, work, and reading. The work of a monk was again divided into three parts, and was to consist of: Firstly, the necessary work of each member of the community and the work of Iiis dwelling; secondly, his share of the brethren’s work; lastly, bis help was to be given to the people of the neighbourhood by instruction, writing, sewing, or whatever labour they might be in need of. St. Columbanus describes the work of a monastery as consisting of fasting, prayer, labour, and study. The life of the monks was one of great austerity and activity, and it was provided that at all times during the day when they were not occupied at prayer they should be engaged on some work for the community or for the people “horn they served. They slept on the bare giound or on a skin laid on a little straw or rushes. St. Columcille and St. Ciaran of Clonrnac-noise had stones for their pillows. Their food was of the simplest and poorest character, and was only just sufficient to maintain them in their life of toil. All, including the Abbot, engaged in manual labour, levelling and fencing the ground and cultivating the fields and reclaiming woods and wildernesses. Some of them were skilled workers in metal, or craftsmen, and made many articles for their own use or for the outside world. Others were physicians and helped the poor in the time of sickness. They had attached to the monastery a guest house for travellers, and here all who choose to avail of their hospitality were received and given the best cheer that the monastery could afford.