With a letter addressed to Vatican Secretary of State Casrdinal Tarcisio Bertone and a message to Benedict XVI, the communities throughout Europe dedicated to St. Colombanus (born in Ireland, c. 525-530 – died at Bobbio, Piacenza, in 615) ask that the monk, preacher and founder of monasteries, a native of Ireland, be included among the patron saints of the old continent. “It’s the desire of so many men and women of good will – says the letter – who see in Colombanus not only a protector but also the inspirer of a movement” which intends to spread a message founded on faith, freedom and human dignity that the saint proposes to the European Church and society. Parishes and communities dedicated to Colombanus are currently situated especially in France, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and naturally in Ireland, whence the monk set out to bring the Gospel to many countries in mainland Europe. Each year these communities meet together for a continental pilgrimage, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. It was held between 30 June and 1st July in the little French town of Luxeuil, where Colombanus wrote his monastic rule. Archbishop Andrè Lacrampe of Besançon, declared: “We are the heirs of St. Colombanus and the abbey of Luxeuil remains the tangible symbol of this inheritance, first as a small seminary and now as a pastoral centre, place of education, encounter, and intercultural exchange”.
