Saint Comgall of Bangor
Even though I have been focussing this blog series on the saints of Great Britain, it is turning out to be very much the case that the Irish Church Fathers and Mothers, awe-inspiring and worthy of veneration fully in their own right, have been vital and indispensable in the spread of Christianity to the bigger island to the east. This is the case equally as much for the saint the OCA commemorates on the tenth of May, Saint Comgall of Bangor. Indeed, it seems his very name is a prophetic indication of this importance. In Gælic, the prefix ‘com-’ carries the same meaning as it does in the Latinate languages; to wit, ‘with’. And the word ‘gall’ means ‘foreigner’ or ‘Gentile’.
Saint Comgall was born in the year 517 to poor, humble parents named Setna (a Pictish man-at-arms) and Briga, in Magheramorne in County Antrim – present-day Northern Ireland. He made his way as a young man serving as a man-at-arms, but gave up his military career for an eremitical life. He studied under a certain Saint Fionnán – likely Fionnán of Clonard – and was ordained as a priest by a bishop named Lugaid.
Comgall then left with several disciples to establish an anchorage on Lough Erne. Lough Erne is a tourist destination now, but Comgall’s monastery was anything but. At Comgall’s cell, the monks practised such severe forms of asceticism that several of Comgall’s followers either died or left for the main island. Comgall was taken with a desire to go into Britain, but Bishop Lugaid prevailed upon him not to go, but instead to evangelise in Ireland and to promote the monastic life there. One may also assume that Lugaid also prevailed upon him to moderate his ascetic exercises, for Comgall’s subsequent rule was a good deal more strict than the Benedictine, but still not quite so stringent as that at Lough Erne.
Comgall’s most famous monastery, and the one where he stayed, was the one at Bangor in County Down (not to be confused with the Bangor in Wales), which he founded in the year 558. The rule of Saint Comgall is well-attested by contemporary sources, and we can discern that this rule laid particular emphasis on renouncing worldly goods. Monks were expected to pray and to fast without cease. The monks ate once a day, and then only bread, water and herbs – milk was considered a luxury. Confession was practised publicly in the midst of all the brethren, and severe penances were not unknown. The monks were committed to silence, particularly during meals; and they laboured hard at manual labour as well. Saint Columbán, who was a pupil of Comgall, composed a Rule that was quite similar to Comgall’s. Despite these strict observances, throughout its time Bangor was home to over thirty thousand monks.
A number of wonders associated with Saint Comgall manifested themselves while he was head of Bangor. On one occasion, there was a grain merchant who was unwilling to sell any grain to the monks. He told them he had rather his mother-in-law Luch eat the grain than that the monks have any. Upon hearing this, Comgall calmly remarked: ‘So be it, by luch it shall be eaten.’ (In Gælic, luch also means mouse. Indeed, that night, a plague of mice visited the merchant and ate thirty cart-loads’ worth of his grain. Another time, thieves broke into Bangor to steal vegetables, and once they did so they were deprived of their sight. They repented and their sight was healed by Comgall, and they entered Bangor as monks themselves. There was another occasion on which visitors were expected to Bangor, but food was scarce. Through the prayers of Saint Comgall, an entire school of fish swam to shore and beached themselves, enough for the guests to eat their fill. In religious artwork, Saint Comgall is often portrayed with a fish.
Liturgy was celebrated there daily. Five daily periods of prayer were set aside – two in the day, and three at night – totalling seven hours of the day. Monks would take up shifts to sing to the glory of God, such that the singing in the monastery would not be heard to stop for even a minute. This practice went on continuously at Bangor until the monastery’s closure. By tradition, the monks of Bangor spread the practice of antiphonal singing, hymnody and psalmody, to the Continent. The Antiphonary of Bangor, containing a hymn in praise of our saint, is still extant, and facsimiles of this precious document have been made; the original rests in Milan, Italy.
Bangor was a shining beacon of learning in Ireland, and its students spread the radiance of Christian love not only throughout Ireland but also among foreign nations. Among the insular places of learning, it was comparable with Saint Colum Cille’s abbey at Iona and Dewi Sant’s abbey in Mynyw. Bangor’s status as an educational centre was attested by a saying common on the Continent, that ‘If someone knows Greek, then that person must be from Ireland.’ Saint Máel Ruba of Applecross was a student at Bangor. So too were Saint Columbán of Luxeuil, Saint Deicuil and Saint Gall. So were Saint Moluag, Saint Blane, Saint Mochutu and Saint Mochoemoc.
Saint Comgall was closely associated with both Ciarán of Clonmacnoise – with whom he may have studied in his early career – and Saint Colum Cille of Iona. Indeed, he accompanied the latter on a voyage to Britain to evangelise the Picts, and likely helped Colum Cille establish monasteries in Scotland. Saint Breandán of Clonfert was also an associate and close friend of Saint Comgall.
Comgall lived to the age of eighty-five. He suffered in the last years of his life, from an ailment that may have been related to the ascetic practices he had visited upon himself. He reposed in the Lord on the tenth of May, 602. Holy and venerable Comgall, father of many monastic saints, pray unto Christ our God that our souls may be saved!
Having learned of the goodness of the Grace that comes from the Highest
And girded yourself from your youth in a clear conscience,
O Comgall, imitator of Christ, you were a pillar of patience
And a preacher of the Word of God,
You confirmed the teachings of the faith and subdued the imaginations of the superstitious,
By so doing you gladly suffered for the truth being an example of suffering.
Since you possess boldness before Christ our God
Do not cease to pray for us, who in love revere your holy memory.
Bangor Abbey, Bangor, County Down
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