Saint Columba was called to Scotland from Ireland to teach the Picts about Christianity. He loved the Picts, wept for them, and tradition is that he intervened, when the Loch Ness monster attacked one of them, making the sign of the cross and with the words, “Thou shalt go no further.”
When Patrick passed, the people persevered until
A prince, a priest, a preacher, a “pigeon,” Colum Cille
Arose to lead the people on the path that Patrick paved
Till a call from the east drew him away
You faced dangers to turn strangers into neighbors
You wept oceans to lead Scotians to devotion
With countless labors transformed stones into domes
And violent leaders into teachers into preachers
Did you battle the Loch Ness Monster? Made the sign of the cross and conquered?
“Thou shalt go no further,” said Gandalf’s ancestor
Durrow, Derry, Kells, Iona, myriad monasteries founder
Selfless labors, love for God and neighbor
You faced dangers to turn strangers into neighbors
You wept oceans to lead Scotians to devotion
With countless labors transformed stones into domes
And violent leaders into teachers into preachers