Gaelic Meaning: Meadow or From The Hollow
Scottish Meaning: Finnian's Servant
History:
September 10
Finnian of Moville in the Ards. Down diocese. 579.
Finnian was educated at the abbey of Nendrum on Mahee island on Strangford Lough. After spending twenty years in Scotland as student and missionary he came to Movilla (5 miles from Bangor) to found his monastery. There is a tradition that the Psalter, called the Cathach ("the battle-book"), now in the Royal Irish Academy, was one of Finnian's books. Some scholars say that Finnian introduced to Ireland its first copy of Jerome's Vulgate version of the scriptures. Several Finnians are associated with the famous story of Columba's secret copying of the manuscript without permission; the king's judgment against Columba was supposed to have led to his exile in Iona.
We give thanks and pray for the missionary societies (C.M.S., U.S.P.G., the Dublin University Missions in India and China and Far East).
We pray also for religious education in all schools, especially all education that develops mutual understanding between the different Christian tradition in this island.
We remember the pioneering work of Lagan College and other schools with similar policies. S.
Heavenly Father,
your Son Jesus Christ prayed and taught the people in the hills above the Sea of Galilee; and you led Finnian to establish on the hill above Strangford Lough a place of prayer and learning:
Help us to draw closer to you in prayer and by study of your word, and thereby equip us for the service of the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ VERSION
Born about 495; died 589. Though not so celebrated as his namesake of Clonard, he was the founder of a famous school about the year 540. He studied under St. Colman of Dromore and St. Mochae of Noendrum (Mahee Island), and subsequently at Candida Casa (Whithern), whence he proceeded to Rome, returning to Ireland in 540 with an integral copy of St. Jerome's Vulgate. St. Finnian's most distinguished pupil at Moville (County Down) was St. Columba, whose surreptitious copying of the Psaltery led to a very remarkable sequel. What remains of the copy, together with the casket that contains it, is now in the National Museum, Dublin. It is known as the Cathach or Battler, and was wont to be carried by the O'Donnells in battle.
The inner case was made by Cathbar O'Donnell in 1084, but the outer is fourteenth-century work. So prized was it that family of MacGroarty were hereditary custodians of this Cathach, and it finally passed, in 1802, to Sir Neal O'Donnell, County Mayo. St. Finnian of Moville wrote a rule for his monks, also a penitential code, the canons of which were published by Wasserschleben in 1851. His festival is observed on 10 September
