Friends at Court.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 9, 28 February 1901, Page 7

Friends at Court.

GLEANINGS FOR NEXT WEEK'S CALENDAR.

March 3, Sunday. — Second Sunday in Lent. „ 4, Monday. — St. Lucius 1., Pope and Martyr. „ f>, Tuesday. — St. Caaimir, King and Confessor „ b. Vvednesday. — SL. Frlduliuu.-,, ALbot. „ 7, Thursday. — St. Thomaß Aquinas, Confessor and Doctor. „ 8, Friday. — St. Cat'ualdub, Bishop ami Confessor. „ y, Saturday. — St. Frances of Rome, Widow.

ST. CATHALDUS, BISHOP AND COXFESBOR. The great glory of the school of Lismore was St, Cathaldus. Like many other Irishmen who left home and died abroad, he has been almost forgotten by our native writers. But the country of hiß love and his adoption has not been ungrateful to Ireland. With one accord all foreign writers, following the testimony of Tarentum itself, proclaim that Cathaldus, its second apostle and patron saint, was an Irishman and a scholar of the great school of Lismore. Lismore is far away from Taranto, as it is now called. Tarentum was a city of Magna Graeoia, frequently hostile to Rome, and at the best of times yielding only a reluctant obedience to the Queen of the Seven Hills. Strange that this Greek-Italian oity, situated in the very heel of Italy, should get its apostle from a Munster monastery. Yet such is the fact, to which its own writers bear unanimous and grateful testimony. The Life of St. Cathaldus has been written by two Tarentinea — the brothers Bartholomew and Bonaventure Morini— of whom the former wrote his account in prose and the latter in poetry. The substance of their account is as follows : — Cataldus, or Cathaldus, which is the Latin form of Cathal, a very common Irish name, ' came from Hibernia, which is an island beyond Britain, in the western sea, smaller in area, but fully equal to it in the fertility of soil and productiveness of cattle, whilst in the warmth of the land, in the temperature of the climate, and the salubrity of the air it is even superior to Britain.' Some say, continues Morini, that Rachau was the Irish city in which he was born, because in many books he is called Cathaldus of Rachau, but the writer rather thinks his native town was Cathandum, which by a change of letter would be Cathaldum. the town of Cathal. His father's name was Euchus and his mother's name is rendered Achlena or Athnea. Euchus is an attempt at Latinising the Irish Eochaidh. Achlena was a not unfrequent Irish female name, which was borne by the mothers of St. Fintan and St. Columbanup. The young Cathal, who seems to have been born about the year A.D. 615, grew up in holiness and grace before God and men ; and, according to the author, was whilst yet a youth sent to study in the great monastic school of Lismore. Morini's account of our saint at Lismore would seem to imply that he was a professor there as well as student, for he tells us that the fame of his learning and virtues attracted many disciples to the new college, and, what is more, raised up against himself many powerful enemies. He not only taught in the pchools, but he preached the Gospel most successfully in all the country of the Dccii, working many miracles too, and building churches — one of which, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, is specially mentioned in his life as the glory of Lismore. After Cathaldus had ruled the See of Rachau for some years, with his brother Donatus and some companions he went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem — a journey that it v> as by no means unusul for the fervent saints of Erin to accomplish even at that early period. On their return from Palestine their vessel was wrecked in the Gulf of Taranto, not far from the city of the same name. Taranto, the classical Tarentum, was an ancient and famous city, beautifully situated on the northern shore of the bay. It was founded by a Spartan colony of young men who had left their native country. The climate was delightful, the air bracing and salubrious ; for the summer heats were tempered by the sea breezea and the mountains sheltered them from the biting winds of winter, But its inhabitants, even in the days of Phyrrus, were said to be an effeminate and licentious people, more devoted to the pleasures of peace than to the arts of war. When the Irish Bishop saw this beautiful city given over to pleasure and to vice, like St. Paul at Athens his spirit was moved within him, and in burning language he implored the inhabitants to return to the service of God, Whom they had forgotten. He performed also many striking miracles in the sight of all the people, healing the sick, and even, it is said, raising the dead to life. It happened at this time that there waß no Bishop in the city, so the Tarentines besought the Irish saint to become their Bishop, and promised to obey his commands and follow all his counsels. Reluctantly he consented, in the hope that he might thus be able to win them back to the service of God. His efforts were crowned with complete success. Once more Tarentum became a Christian city in reality as well as in name, and Cathalduß was venerated as the second apostle and patron saint of the city. Cathaldus spent some years in his new See, then feeling his end approaching the saint once more exhorted the people and the clergy, in language of the most tender affection, to be true to the profession and practice of the Christian Faith. He died shortly after in his city of Tarentum, towards the close of the seventh century, on the eighth day of March. The holy remains, by which many miracles were wrought, were buried in a marble tomb, which up to this day is preserved in the sacristy of the Cathedral of Tarentum.