The Irish standard., 1916-01-15
IlluStri0uS Irish Saint
Thirteenth Centenary Of Saint coumbanus Recognized with
Review Of Life and Labors-A Great Irish Missionary
Special Recognition Given by Arcadia Noted Literary soce
Notmsthe Eternal City.

615. This ,year therefore his Thir-
teenth Centenary occurs. Not only in
ireland, the land Of his birth and
training, but in many European lands
his renown was once great; greatest
perhaps in Northern Italy, the theatre
Of his labo during the closing years
of his life. Nor there, any more than
in his cradleland, are his name, his
yet forgotten. His cult seems to be
as popular and as widespread in Ligu-
ria and Lombardy as is that of his
fellow-countryman Catholdus of Lis
more and laramie in Southern Italy
and Sicily. Recently the Catholic
press of Italy have made him the
theme of many lengthy and enthusiast
tic articles.
No wonder then that there should
have been what may be called Co.
lumbanian evening at the Arcadia.
The Arcadia is one of the Oldest, most
exclusive and learned of the Literary
societies of the Eternal City; a soci-
ETY. too in the highest and strictest
sense Catholic. Those who, like the
writer, have been accustomed to fire.
Quent the lectures and other literary
exercises of the Arcadia, in it's rooms
beside the Church of SIS. Ambrogio e
Carlo al Corso, need not be told of
their value and of their exceptionally
high standard. The range of the lee
lures is of the widest, just as their
standard is Of the highest: theology,
philosophy, sociology. travel, art,
archaeology, poetry, pure literature,
everything. Lectures-occasiona in
terspersed with other literary and ar
tistic exercises of the most varied
characterize delivered every even
ing during the winter and spring
months. Besides the ordinary lectur-
ers, extraordinary lecturers frequently
appear in the Arcadia, and on these
occasions one can hear many of the
most distinguished personages in the
literary and artistic circles of Rome,
discourse on subjects of which they
are masters.
Fitting therefore was it that the il
lustrious Academia dell-Arcadia-ever
mindful Of those who have exercised
beneficent influence on the scientific
and literary patrimony of the various
ages-should have arranged in this
Centenary year Commemoration of
st. Columbanus. BY doing so it per-
formed, in the name of all who revere
the ancient pioneers of civilization, an
act Of justice towards one whose
deserts are exceptional, whether as a
wise founder of monastic commune
ties or as an intelligent student and
transcriber of the ancient classics in
an age of general literary decadence.
The Concentration of st. Column
banus at the Arcadia took place on
the evening of Nov. %, the anniver-
sary of the saints death. 1t assumed
the form of lecture. The lecturer
was Padre Placido Lugano, of the
Olivetan Benedictines, Consultor of
the s. Congregation of the Affairs of
Religious and Of the S. Congregation
of Studies, as we'll as Editor of the
Rivista Storica Benedettina (Benedic-
tine Historical Review, who last year
delivered from the same platform a
course of lectures on ancient monas-
ticism.
Last September Padre Lugano paid
visit to Bobbio to venerate the
shrine of the saint. This visit deeply
impressed him. That glorious tomb,
surrounded by those of S. Alfalfa, S.
Bertulfo, S. Bobuleno ard S. Cumiano
di Scotia is still the goal Of pious pill
grimages. At the restoration of the
Basilica of Bobbio in the Fifteenth
century, the relics of St. Columbanus
were placed in a marble casket exc.
cuted in 1882, which was ornamented
with sculptures illustrating the story
Of the saints life. Recently the crypt
has been carefully restored on the
initiative of the Irish Nation, under
the direction of the architect G. Ar
peasant of Milan. On Nov. %, 1911,
Cardinal Logue, Primate of Ireland.
consecrated the new altar erected at
the tomb of the saint, thus happily
Strengthening the bond between dis
tant Ireland and the land where Co
lumbanus sought peace and rest.
In his lecture Padre Lugano out
lined clearly, and with knowledge of
all the historical sources, the life of
the Irish apostle, both as monk and
writer. Unfortunately we have before
us, as we write, only brief sum.
mary of the lecture the full text of
which will appear, it is expected, in
the Rfvista Storica Benedettina. Our
readers must therefore be content
with the summary.
The life of st. Columbanus-as re.
corded by the monk of Bobbio Giona
di Susa between 639 and 642-
seems to have been very laborious
and full of vicissitudes. When a youth
" already versed in grammar, rhetoric
and geometry, by the advice of re.
ligious woman, having overcome his
mothers reluctance he left his native