Saint Colmán of Lindisfarne, a bishop and pastor, is remembered by the Church though the record of this life (February 18, 675, Ireland (aged about 69)) is honestly sparse.

Saint Colmán of Lindisfarne was an Irish monk who served as bishop of Lindisfarne from 661 to 664, and who is remembered above all for his role at the Synod of Whitby, where he defended the Celtic method of calculating the date of Easter against the Roman practice. The Church remembers Colmán for the integrity of his convictions and for accepting the Synod’s decision without rancor even as he declined to adopt it personally, choosing exile over compromise.

Quick Facts

• Died: February 18, 675, Ireland (aged about 69)
• Feast Day: February 18
• Canonised: 1898
• Venerated as: Bishop of Lindisfarne

Who Was Saint Colmán of Lindisfarne?

Saint Colmán of Lindisfarne was an Irish monk who served as bishop of Lindisfarne from 661 to 664, and who is remembered above all for his role at the Synod of Whitby, where he defended the Celtic method of calculating the date of Easter against the Roman practice.

Historical Setting

The Synod of Whitby in 664 was a decisive moment for the English Church, called to resolve the dispute between Celtic and Roman liturgical customs. When King Oswiu ruled in favor of Rome, Colmán chose to leave Lindisfarne rather than abandon the tradition he had inherited, returning to Ireland with a group of monks and eventually founding a new monastery on Inishbofin.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Colmán of Lindisfarne

The Church remembers Colmán for the integrity of his convictions and for accepting the Synod’s decision without rancor even as he declined to adopt it personally, choosing exile over compromise. His departure marked the definitive shift of the English Church toward Roman practice.

Canonization and Feast Day

The production register for this saint records a formal canonisation entry from 1898, part of the nineteenth-century confirmation extended to a number of ancient Irish and Northumbrian episcopal cults.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Colmán’s willingness to accept a decision he disagreed with, while still holding to his own conscience, offers Catholics today a model of how to disagree within the Church without division or bitterness.

A Prayer to Saint Colmán of Lindisfarne

Saint Colmán of Lindisfarne, bishop of firm conscience and humble obedience, you accepted a hard decision without losing charity. Teach us to hold our convictions with humility. Amen.

Sources

• Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People
• Butler’s Lives of the Saints
• New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia