St. Comgall

Comgall belongs to the hard springtime of Irish monasticism. Drawn from youth to a life of holiness, he embraced the severe discipline of the early Irish monks and eventually founded Bangor, one of the great monasteries of the age. Bangor was far more than a local religious house. It became a place of prayer, study, strict discipline, and missionary formation whose influence reached far beyond its own shores.

Comgall himself appears less as a public wonder-worker than as a monastic father: severe with himself, patient with his monks, and intent on forming souls rather than building reputation. The greatness of his life lies in fruitfulness. Through a hidden life of rule, prayer, and austerity, he helped shape generations of monks, scholars, and missionaries.