Lactinus

ON SAINT LACTINUS, ABBOT IN IRELAND.

YEAR 622

Lactinus, Founder and Abbot of Achadh Ur in Ireland (Saint)

BHL Number: 4669

[1] Among those Saints who illuminated the beginnings of the monastery of Bangor erected by the holy Abbot Comgall, and who were sent out from there to lead new colonies, Lactinus, from a monk of Bangor propagating partly in their homeland and partly abroad the form of monastic discipline imbibed under such a master, Saint Lactinus was the founder of the monastery of Achadh Ur in Ossory, Abbot of Achadh Ur and afterward also Abbot of Cluain-ferta in Leinster, according to what had been divinely signified to his master Molua (whom Colgan, by some error of a straying pen, wrote as his disciple) before he was born, and long afterward predicted by Saint Dagan; as is read in the Life of Saint Molua or Lugidius, to be given on August 4, in these words: "Once Saint Molua came to greet the holy Abbot Dagan; and the holy old man Molua asked Saint Dagan who would be in his place after him. And Saint Dagan prophetically predicted, saying: and successor of Saint Molua at Cluain-ferta 'Blessed Lactinus will sit in your seat after you,' and this pleased Saint Molua." That the same man was also distinguished with the Episcopal character is made probable both from the usage of that time, when the same persons were generally both Abbots and Bishops, and from the Hagiologies; for the manuscript Florarium of the Saints, Hermann Greven in his additions to Usuard, and likewise Ferrarius and Canisius write of him: "In Ireland, of Saint Lactinus, Bishop and Confessor"; He is called a Bishop in the Hagiologies whom Dempster follows, also writing Lactinus in his own Menologion.

[2] Besides the Martyrologies of Marianus Gorman and Tamlacht, the Cashel Calendar also mentions him and names him Lactocus; and Saint Aengus, with the addition customary among the Irish, calls him Molactocus. That his cult among the Irish was solemn is proved by what we shall bring forward at the end from Colgan. The Acts are for the most part lost, That a rather full Life of him once existed can be established from the beginning which we shall bring forward from our Dublin manuscript, which always writes Laccinus -- although scarcely any other

than the miracles of his boyhood and youth are contained in it; to which we shall add what the author of the Life of Saint Mochuddae or Carthagus the Younger narrates of him on May 14; and finally we shall conclude with those things which Colgan collected, omitting however what he himself transcribed from the Life of Saint Senanus; for as we said on March 8, it is difficult for their dates to agree -- indeed when Senanus was dying, Lactinus had perhaps not yet been born, whom the Life itself states was brought at the age of fifteen to the monastery of Bangor and committed to Saint Molua by Saint Comgall. given in part here And if, as is said, the birth of Saint Lactinus was foretold by an Angel to Saint Molua while he was in that same monastery, and was not to occur for fifteen years, it will follow that he died scarcely older than eighty in the year 622, and was brought into the world about twenty years after the death of Senanus. The beginning of the Life which we mentioned is as follows.

[3] The first proof of the sanctity and great merit of Blessed Lactinus His homeland and parents: was that to a holy man named Molua, living under the rule of Abbot Comgall in the city of Bangor, an Angel appeared and foretold the birth of this man fifteen years in the future. To the same Molua he also, in a wondrous manner, assigned the not yet existing Lactinus as a companion and destined him as a friend -- the sort of oracle which most greatly gladdened the holy man's spirit. For it is related of him that he never laughed until he heard that Saint Lactinus had been born. Saint Lactinus, ennobled by the nobility of his parents, was born in the region of Munster; this region is near the city of Cork. The father of Saint Lactinus was called Torphurus, and his mother was named Senecha. From the very first beginnings of his birth -- indeed, before his birth itself -- he was renowned for great signs. His mother's milk restores sight to a blind man, For while he was still in the womb and his mother was only feeling the preludes of childbirth, milk pressed from his mother's breasts and spread over the face illuminated a blind old man; and the place which the blind man had previously wished to visit -- Rome, wonderful to say, though remote by the distances of lands and seas -- he beheld as though close at hand, irradiated by the miraculous brilliance. O stupendous works of the Creator, who upon one still enclosed in his mother's womb conferred so great a grace, and exalted one who had yet merited nothing with so great a glory of signs! Thus Jacob, still placed in his mother's womb, was chosen; thus Jeremiah, before he came forth from the womb, was sanctified; and John, in the womb of Elizabeth, recognizing the approach of his Lord's Mother and leaping for joy, was filled with the Spirit.

[4] Saint Lactinus, therefore, as soon as he was born, because a bright gem could not long lie hidden, and at the child's baptism a spring is drawn from the earth. first shone forth with the brightness of such a miracle. The place where he was born had no water, neither spring nor river. Now that elder of venerable name, Mohemeth, who had been blind but (as was already said) had recovered his eyes, was preparing the infant for baptism; and since he did not have water at hand, he held the infant's hand and with it made the sign of the Cross upon the earth; which being done, without delay a most copious spring gushed from the dry bosom of the earth, and a stream of flowing water burst from the dry turf. When Saint Mohemeth saw this, he gave thanks to God and baptized the infant in this water, so recently created for his service; afterward he delivered him to his parents to be nourished, and he himself, returning to his homeland, departed with joy. A month later, Saint Lactinus was brought by some who were either ignorant of or did not remember his first baptism to Blessed Elphaeus The prophecy of Blessed Elphaeus about him, to be baptized again. But Saint Elphaeus, seeing him full of divine grace, recognized that he had already merited baptism, and therefore rightly refused to baptize him, proving that the Sacrament of baptism ought not to be repeated and that one already baptized may not be baptized again. The man of the Lord, Elphaeus, as one conscious of prophecy, predicted many things about the infant's sanctity and the greatness of his merits for the future; which having been heard, those who were carrying the infant returned home with joy.

[5] and the miracles of his infancy. The grain of the province in which Saint Lactinus was being nourished was once spoiled and turned to such bitterness that all who tasted it immediately fell ill and were forced to vomit, as if they had taken a medicinal potion for purging the interior of the stomach. Lactinus alone, still a tender infant, did not feel the distress of this bitterness, because nothing harmed him. When this was discovered, the meal assigned for Lactinus's food was divided commonly among all whom the pestilence had harmed; and when a small amount of it was mixed with each one's grain, the bread of the land was restored to its sweet flavor and the bitterness ceased. At another time, his mother's breast swelled, and from that swelling a most painful wound erupted, which was so venomous that the pestilent putrefaction flowing from it nearly consumed the whole breast. But when the infant's hand made the sign of the Cross, the swelling vanished and no trace of the wound remained. A disease also attacked the cows of the region on another occasion, and so great was the slaughter of herds that the wealthy became poor and the affluent became needy. The cow also -- white of body but red of head, on whose milk Saint Lactinus was nourished -- died of the same disease; but when the holy boy was carried to it in his mother's lap, it immediately came back to life, and when its milk was applied to the other cows, the disease ceased. These are the works by which the infancy of Saint Lactinus was renowned.

[6] In the fifteenth year of his age, therefore, Saint Lactinus, admonished by his Angel, went to Comgall, At his Angel's prompting he goes to Bangor Abbot of the city of Bangor, whose reputation for Religion had at that time grown throughout all Ireland, to be instructed. For the Angel Uriel was always appointed by God as guardian of his care and his inseparable companion on all his journeys, at whose counsel he arranged his conduct; and by the same impulse he chose the aforesaid Abbot as his master and teacher above all others. When therefore Saint Lactinus had arrived at the city of Bangor, and there learns his letters. at Comgall's command he was joined to the blessed man Molua, whom the Angel had long ago, as was foretold, prepared as his companion and colleague. Being taught by this man, he began to recite the psalms; and in reading the psalms he observed this method: from the first fifty he read three psalms each day in the name of the Trinity. He completed the second in three days, and likewise finished the third in three days. Reading in this manner without any interval of negligence, and pursuing his studies with all diligence, by the thirtieth year of his age he attained the summit of knowledge, so that he was skilled in all the Scriptures.

[7] The wall of the new city Moreover, the city of Bangor, newly founded under Blessed Comgall, had begun to be built by the Brothers and fortified with a circuit of walls; but because the ancient enemy is accustomed to envy the progress of the faithful, whatever the Brothers built during the day, the adversary power destroyed at night; and diabolic legions, flying about on all sides and appearing visibly, harassed the Saints, and as far as was in their power, prevented the habitation of places long accustomed to them and, as it were, possessed by them as by hereditary right. But the good shepherd, often overthrown by demons, the provident shepherd, namely Comgall, not being ignorant of how to repel these and keep his flock safe, appointed a fixed number from the Brothers to guard the wall. Thirty Brothers therefore kept watch near the walls each night, and passed the night watches in psalms and spiritual canticles and other praises of God, and thus preserved their labor inviolate from diabolic attacks. Commanded to keep watch One night these vigils were assigned to Saint Lactinus with his companions; for he had four companions, himself being the fifth, and these five had flourished in so great a grace of mutual love that their partnership had no equal: for the gain of one each reckoned as his own progress, and the misfortune of one seemed to be divided among each by compassion, and thus they spent the entire course of their life together without murmuring and without any disturbance of discord. He secures the wall by placing his cross upon it, To these, therefore, as we have said, the aforesaid vigils were assigned; but Saint Lactinus, who was the youngest among them, alone undertook the guard of the wall and granted the others rest and permission to sleep. He himself went to the wall and there left his cross, which we said was golden, fixed in the wall and veiled with his cowl, and returning to the house, he remained that night with his companions; but rising in the morning, he found the wall entire and in no way damaged.

The rest is missing.

[8] How greatly he excelled in the prerogative of charity and prudence and in the grace of miracles, we gather from the Life of Saint Mochuddae or Carthagus: "Afterward, the Abbot Saint Lactinus, taking pity on the holy Father Mochuddae and his monks, He persuades Saint Mochuddae, who was unwilling to accept cows, went with thirty cows and a bull and two herdsmen and two greyhounds and vessels to the city of Rathen, and concealed his things in a place near the city, and went into the monastery, and feigning illness, asked for milk. Immediately the servant informed Father Mochuddae that Saint Lactinus had asked for milk on account of illness. Then Saint Mochuddae ordered a cup to be filled with water, and blessing it, it was made into fresh milk, as if recently drawn, and it was brought to Saint Lactinus. But Saint Lactinus, knowing by divine inspiration what had been done, blessed it, and it was turned back into water; and he said: 'I asked for milk, not water.' After these words and deeds, the Master of Guests was ministering among the Saints. Saint Lactinus said before all: 'Our Father Carthagus is a good monk, by a pious stratagem he persuades him to this but his successors will not make milk from water.' And he said to the Master of Guests: 'Tell Saint Mochuddae that I will not eat in this place unless he accepts the alms which I have brought for the brothers of this place.' And Saint Carthagus promised to accept it. Then the disciples of Saint Lactinus assigned the cows with the rest to the monks of Saint Mochuddae; and Saint Mochuddae said to Saint Lactinus: 'I did not wish to accept cows from anyone in this place, but yet for fear and honor of you I have accepted them.' To whom Saint Lactinus said: 'From this day there will always be an abundance of temporal goods among your followers, and a multitude of Religious men in your city, in which you will depart to Christ, will endure forever; for from this place you will be expelled.' After this, the Saints, greeting each other, established fraternity between themselves here and in the future."

[9] So says the Life. Colgan, moreover, from the compilation of John Kerkested, existing in the Vatican Library, on the principal Bishops and Abbots of Ireland, an ever-watchful guardian of the Munstermen says that a dead man was raised by Saint Lactinus; then he adds what Saint Cumineus of Connor says in his little work on the special prerogatives

and virtues of certain of the principal Saints of Ireland indicates that he was a strenuous champion of the Munstermen in certain disputes that arose between them and certain other Princes of Ireland, and a man accustomed to continual vigils and rare mortification of the flesh. "It was the custom of Saint Lactinus, the strenuous fighter," he says, "(which was no small mortification of the flesh) to stand without intermission in vigils for the defense of the Munstermen."

[10] and famous for miracles after death. The holy man died, famous for miracles and virtues, in the year of salvation 622, as the domestic Annals testify. Not only is he recorded to have worked wonders in life, but also after death to this very day, in various places, and especially at a certain spring of the diocese of Cashel sacred to him, near a place called Liosnasciath, to this very day he is renowned for continual cures of the sick and other innumerable miracles. He is invoked as a special patron against sorcery and other infestations of the devil; and in consideration of his merits, divine power daily works wonders in curing the possessed, the obsessed, and those afflicted by other arts of the devil, especially at the aforesaid spring, as we have learned from witnesses who proved it by experience. Besides the aforesaid Church of Achadh Ur in the diocese of Ossory, and venerated in various places. and another of Belach-abrat, there also exists another Church called Lis-lachtin, named after him, in the diocese of Ardfert in Munster, once dedicated to him, where there is a friary of the Friars Minor of the Stricter Observance founded in 1464 by O'Connor, Lord of Kerragh. And his birthday is celebrated on this March 19 according to both domestic and foreign Martyrologists.