In today's Saintly Smackdown matchup we have Columbanus vs. Drogo. 6th century Irish monk and missionary against a 12th century Flemish saint. Patron saint of motorcyclists vs. patron saint of coffee (not that these two things are mutually exclusive).
Yesterday, Theodore James Holly defeated Lydia 63% to 37%. He'll face Kateri Tekakwitha in the Saintly Sixteen.
But on to today's vote!
Columbanus
If you want to know about Saint Columbanus, there is no better source than the Sister Fidelma mysteries of ancient Ireland. But since the novels’ author, Peter Tremayne, isn’t a Lent Madness Celebrity Blogger, you’ll have to settle for this far-less suspenseful biography.
Saint Columbanus was born in Ireland in 540 CE and was well educated in grammar, rhetoric, and the scriptures. He wrote a commentary on the psalms and settled in at Bangor Abbey until the age of forty when he was given permission to travel to the European continent. He took twelve monastic brothers with him on his journey.
The life of Columbanus is that of an iconic missionary in early medieval Europe. He and his brothers were welcomed by various French rulers and given Roman ruins and castles to convert into monasteries. His task was to further the Christianization of Europe and uphold his vision of holy life. Each religious community he founded remained under his guidance and authority, and they followed a monastic rule of life similar to the Irish rule he’d taken as a young man.
Over his twenty years in Gaul, Columbanus became embroiled in various conflicts, from debate about the date of Easter to disputes with the royal family. At one point, he was kidnapped but escaped and fled to the Alps. Several times, he tried to flee by boat, but storms kept him landlocked. In the Alps, he found Christians who also prayed to local deities, and he preached to them, turning them from the practice. Columbanus traveled to Italy and preached against the teachings he considered heretical. In Italy, King Agilulf of the Lombards gave Columbanus isolated land called Bobbio, located south of Milan, and he built the Bobbio Abbey there.
While Columbanus spent much of his life founding monasteries on the European continent, he maintained his Irish identity. Historian Alexander O’Hara points to his importance in Ireland, with Columbanus being “the first Irish person that we have a body of literary work from.”
While the Benedictines celebrate Columbanus’s feast day on November 21, the wider church remembers him on November 23. Perhaps because of his many travels by land instead of by sea, he is the patron saint of motorcyclists.
Collect for Columbanus
Almighty God, whose will it is to be glorified in your saints, and who raised up your servant Columbanus to be a light in the world: Shine, we pray, in our hearts, that we also in our generation may show forth your praise, who called us out of darkness into your marvelous light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Drogo
Until the age of online listicles, the powerful witness of Saint Drogo had been largely overlooked. But thanks to hipster baristas and coffee fiends everywhere, he has been brought back to the forefront of popular culture.
Like many other faithful disciples, Drogo was born into a family of means. However, even before his birth at the beginning of the twelfth century, his path shifted away from the life of ease. Before he was born, his father died. The second blow came soon after, when his mother died in childbirth. With two strikes against him, Drogo came into the world as an orphan, given to the care of family members. At 10 years old, he suffered another blow: Drogo discovered that his mother’s death was directly tied to his birth. A sensitive child, he held himself personally responsible for his mother’s death. As an adult, he renounced the inheritance he was entitled to from his parents and instead became a shepherd.
In the Flemish countryside, Drogo stood out among his peers due to his commitment to holy living. He was industrious and faithful, committed to both his work in the fields and worship of God. So committed, in fact, that he was known to do both at the same time. Locals described seeing Drogo in the fields praying while watching his flocks—at the same time he was also seen attending worship in the village. Perhaps bilocation, the ability to be in two places at once and accomplish twice as much in a day, led to Drogo being the patron saint of baristas and coffee shops.
Like many during this time, Drogo felt called to pilgrimage. And he was, again, an overachiever. He traveled to and from Rome a total of nine times over the course of nine years. At the end of those nine years, Drogo became ill. We don’t know what the illness was, but it caused a deformity in his body and appearance. That change in appearance brought another change in Drogo’s life. People are cruel, and Drogo was well-aware of the discomfort his new appearance caused in others. And, so, he took up the life of a hermit. Drogo lived the rest of his life in a solitary room attached to the local parish church. Drogo died on April 16, 1186, and was buried in the parish church in which he had spent the majority of his life. In addition to coffee, Drogo is the patron of people considered to be unattractive.
Collect for Drogo
Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit you have made us one with your saints in heaven and on earth: Grant that in our earthly pilgrimage we may always be supported by this fellowship of love and prayer, and know ourselves to be surrounded by their witness to your power and mercy. We ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, in whom all our intercessions are acceptable through the Spirit, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
149 comments on “Columbanus vs. Drogo”
I confess. It was the coffee that won me over for Drogo. Don't know how I'd stay awake to pray in the AM without it!
I love coffee, but I have to vote for Columbanus.
Leaving Ireland hurts so much that those who do so are called “exiles” in the Irish language. Columbanus took on what St. Jerome called the white martyrdom. His work on the Continent was remarkably effective, too.
It is also not well known that Drogo is the patron saint of The Shire and of all Tolkien geeks who remember that Frodo is the son of Drogo.
And he is the patron of the unattractive, among whom I count myself.
And how could I not vote for the patron saint of coffee!?
People that "attractive" folks would rather not see, plus patronage of coffee won me over to Drago today!
My vote goes to Columbanus because St. Stephen's, Oak Ridge, TN, choir visited and sang at Bangor Abbey three summers ago. I was fortunate to travel with them. Drogo has a wonderful history as well.
Could not vote on my iPad today so I went to my phone and it let me vote there.
FYI. Problems? I did not want to vote twice, ipad is just easier to read. New problem
Patron saint of motorcyclists vs. patron saint of coffee, who had the same name as the father of Frodo Baggins (Lord of the Rings).
Had to go with Frodo.
Yes!! Glad I'm not the only one to share the connection to LotR!!
I'm my third cup and not last cup of coffee, I could sure use a clone this week, and I didn't leave for the office without putting on a bit of makeup. But I voted for Columbanus, canonized for his impact, over Drogo, who seems to be one of those odd saints canonized for their mawkishness.
I love the word "mawkish."
Today's matchup was a no-brainer for me because of my daily coffee intake. Also our granddaughter works for Starbucks!
Interesting matchup today...Columbanus got my vote today
as I have a food allergy to coffee so drink Irish tea!
Oh when will voting work for me? My vote is with Drogo today.
I voted for Drogo because, in my job as a psychologist, I often pray for the wisdom to help my clients. And I love my local coffee shop to relax and unwind.
Since I prefer tea to coffee, and I am the mother of a member of the Widow's Sons,a bunch of motorcycling Masons, it's going to be Columbanus for me today. Apart from frivolity, I've always had a soft spot for Columbanus because we share Celtic roots.
I vote for Drogo as he was a type A person. Also love coffee.
my vote didn’t register!!! why??
Not so good, but in appreciation
There once was a poet named Cabot
making reading lenten Madness a habit
endlessly creative
never abated
I look for his poem and grab it
Many thanks, Vera-Lee! I’m honored.
I'm not a big fan of telling other people to stop worshiping in ways that are meaningful to them. Drogo's warm heart and perseverance moved me to vote for him.
What can I do about not being able to vote?
Part 2……. ever since you made the changes to stop the hacker(s)
Another tough choice today. But, being honest, I had to go with my morning Joe!
Sorry folks. The earliest reference to coffee is in Ethiopia at the beginning of the 13th century CE. The first record of coffee in Europe was in Italy in the late 16th century. So, it seems pretty unlikely that 12th century Drogo/Druon could have known of it. Historical inaccuracies aside, I just can't get on-board with specious claims and hipster appropriation by the espresso-slinger set. Columbanus it is.
"Be simple in faith but well trained in manners."
I'm reading lines from Columbanus' Letter to a Young Disciple. From my Celtic Daily Prayers book. I hope it's a close match today for some reason. Also, my mind is a bit foggy. After reading some comments I'm more surprised I didn't vote for Drogo. Even in my bracket guessing he seemed an underdog. But I think it's that I didn't want to vote out of pity perhaps? Though you'd think I'd be able to relate to him in several ways (extra sensitive, caring what others think) but mostly in that my chronic illnesses, while not causing physical deformity, do often cause folks to avoid me or be uncomfortable around me. Like how I needed a mask in public (even pre-Covid) and that freaked people out. Now the masks aren't enough for me (to avoid fragrances, toxic chemicals) and I have an entire PAPR unit when out... But while on one hand it bothers me to make others uncomfortable and I practically am a hermit for other reasons, philosophically I think it's good for other to be uncomfortable in that way and so create an awareness or understanding about folks who are different so I don't want to intentionally hide away. And it's not that I dislike or "judge" Drogo for going a different direction (and our circumstances are a bit different of course), but it just makes me really, really sad...
Also, I don't do coffee. I'm very much a tea gal! 😉
And one final Columbanus quote: "Disagree where necessary, but be in agreement about truth."
How could I not vote for Drogo, whose name is shared by the father of Frodo Baggins??
My fellow Lent Madness devotee came up with this yesterday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMXzL2SXR1Q
Whether or not Lydia was your choice yesterday, this will bring a smile. 🙂
Drogo; poor little guy, no one to explain his mother's death was so NOT his fault. Also liked him being in two places at once.
As the mother and grandmother of two baristas, I had to vote for Drogo.
Turns the final page . . . and the murderer is: the over-caffeinated, highly unattractive motorcyclist! Agatha Christie is feeling threatened . . . NOT. I voted for Columbanus because of his work founding monasteries. His name makes me giggle, and I wonder if some of these "heretics" he was exercised by weren't simply making fun of his name.I had to look up "listicle," and it turns out it's simply an over-caffeinated, highly unattractive new term for what some of us know as an "outline." Drogo was unfortunately born seven centuries before the novel Cyrano, but as a saint he is perhaps in heaven watching the new movie "Cyrano" and taking comfort in the notion that the ugly guy gets the woman in the end.
As a plain looking female who loves coffee, I suppose Drogo should get my vote, but I am of Irish descent and have to vote for Irish Action man. Columbanus it is.
Drago had enough negatives in his life. Perhaps a victory today will lead to a shining positive. Also, I think of myself as a sheep in My Lord's flock; so shepherds have a special place in my heart. Drago gets my vote.
Easy vote for Drogo today!! for 2 reasons:
1. We are a coffee making business (Red Coffee) & 1 ☕️ is usually exceeded.
2. Drogo is the name of the bestest doggie ever owned by my extra son, Matt, Heather (a barista @ ⭐️bucks on base) & their family of 5.
Although I did enjoy my coffee this morning, my motorcycle days were glorious and a Saint must have been the reason I survived.