From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   September 25th - St. Findbarr, Bishop, Mystic   
      
   The Irish saint Findbarr, or Bairre, was founder of the monastery and city   
   of Cork. He was born about 560, son of a master smith or craftsman. His   
   parents settled with Findbarr in the region of Macroom where the new child   
   was baptized. Although he founded other churches, his greatest   
   accomplishment was the foundation of the monastery at Cork. This monastery   
   attracted many disciples and its school became famous all over southern   
   Ireland.   
      
   Findbarr lived on Loch Iree, in Edergole to the east of the lake. This was   
   the school he started. Folang was the tutor, and the male students were   
   Colman, Baichine, Nesan, Garban, Talmach, and others. All these offered   
   their churches to God and to Findbarr in perpetuity. With him in Edergole   
   were numerous women, including Findbarr's own sister, who also offered their   
   churches to God and to Findbarr.   
      
   Some time later, with an angel guiding him, Findbarr came to his own   
   district and built a church. A cave is located there called Cuas Barral   
   (Findbarr's Cave). Nearby is a beautiful pool in which every night Findbarr   
   caught a salmon in his net. The angel said to him, however, "This will not   
   be your place of resurrection." So Findbarr crossed the river to Cell na   
   Clualne (Gougane Barra) where he built a church and remained for some time.   
   Two pupils of Ruadan, Cormac and Buichin, came to him there. They had asked   
   Ruadan where they should go, and Ruadan had said to them, "Go with my   
   blessing, and the place where your bell rings and the strap of your   
   book-wallet breaks, that will be your place of resurrection." When they came   
   to Findbarr at Cell na Cluaine, all those things happened to them as Ruadan   
   had predicted. They were depressed, however, thinking that the church would   
   not be given to them, but Findbarr assured them," Do not be sad or   
   depressed. I give this church and all its treasures to you and to God."   
   Findbarr built twelve churches before he came to Cork, and he gave them all   
   up out of humility and the greatness of his charity.   
      
   Findbarr, together with Eolang, Maedoc of Ferns, and David of Cell Muine,   
   accompanied by twelve other monks, went to Rome to receive episcopal orders.   
   Gregory was successor of St. Peter at that time. When Gregory raised his   
   hand over Findbarr's head to consecrate him, a flame suddenly came down from   
   heaven and hit his hand. Gregory said to Findbarr, "Go home, and the Lord   
   himself will read the episcopal orders over you." And that is how it   
   happened.   
      
   When Findbarr arrived at his own church, the Lord himself read the order   
   over him at the cross in front of the church where his remains were later   
   buried. Oil flowed abundantly out of the earth there, so that it rose up   
   over his sandals and over the sandals of the elders who were with him. That   
   oil healed every ailment to which it was later applied. Then Findbarr and   
   his elders blessed the church and the cemetery, praying that there would be   
   an abundance of wisdom in Cork forever.   
      
   After the death of Bishop MacCuirb, Findbarr was much concerned at being   
   without a soul friend. So he went to visit Eolang, and God revealed to   
   Eolang that Findbarr was coming to see him. Soon Findbarr arrived, and   
   Eolang's guestmaster met him, welcomed him, and said, "Eolang is aware of   
   your arrival. Please let me take your clothes, so that you and your   
   attendants can bathe yourselves." Findbarr replied, "We would first like to   
   see Eolang." The guestmaster went to confer with his master. Eolang said:   
   "Let Findbarr bathe first, and we will converse later. Let him go to his   
   monastery tomorrow, and I will come to him at the end of the week."   
      
   Eolang came to Cork as he had promised at the end of the week. He   
   immediately knelt before Findbarr and said the following: "I offer to you my   
   church, my body, and my soul." Findbarr wept openly and said, "This was not   
   my thought, but that it would be I who would offer my church to you." Eolang   
   said, "Let it be as I have said, for this is the will of God. You are dear   
   to God, and you are greater than myself. One thing only I ask, that our   
   resurrection will be in the same place." Findbarr replied, "Your wish will   
   be fulfilled, but I am still troubled about the soul friendship." Eolang   
   told him, "You shall receive today a soul friend worthy of yourself." This   
   was done as he said, for Eolang in the presence of the angels and archangels   
   placed Findbarr's hand in the hand of the Lord himself and said, "O Lord,   
   take this just man to yourself." Then the Lord took the hand of Findbarr and   
   began leading him to heaven. But Eolang cried out, "O Lord, do not take   
   Findbarr from me now, but wait until the time of his death when the soul   
   leaves the body." The Lord then released Findbarr's hand, and from that day   
   no one could look upon his hand because of its radiance. Because of this he   
   wore a glove on his hand continuously.   
      
   The day of Findbarr's death was prolonged for the elders. God did not allow   
   the sun to go beneath the earth for twelve days afterward. That was as long   
   as the synod of the churches of Desmond were busy preparing the body of   
   their master with hymns and psalms, with Masses and recitation of the hours.   
   Then the angels of heaven came to meet his soul and carried it with them   
   with honor and reverence to heaven where he shines like the sun in the   
   company of the patriarchs and prophets, in the company of the apostles and   
   disciples of Jesus, in the company of the nine heavenly orders of angels who   
   sinned not, in the company of the divinity and the humanity of the Son of   
   God, in the company that is higher than any company, the company of the Holy   
   Trinity Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   
      
   The year of Findbarr's death has been variously calculated as 610, 623, 630,   
   or 633. His cult in Ireland was based upon his teaching skills (he founded   
   at least one monastic school, which included both female and male students)   
   and his healing abilities. Findbarr died at Cloyne, and his body was taken   
   for burial back to his church in Cork. This is now a magnificent cathedral.   
   Today his island retreat at Gougane Barra is a popular pilgrimage site with   
   a wooden cross marking the original place of Findbarr's hermitage and a   
   small chapel with stained-glass windows telling the stories of other Irish   
   saints.   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   Let us look at our own faults, and not other people's. We ought not to   
   insist on everyone following in our footsteps, nor to take upon ourselves to   
   give instructions in spirituality when, perhaps, we do not even know what it   
   is.   
   --St. Teresa of Lisieux   
      
   Bible Quote   
   The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field. Which a man   
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)