Columba Marmion

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Columba Marmion OSB (born April 1, 1858 in Dublin , Ireland, † January 30, 1923 in Maredsous , Anhée parish ) was the third abbot of Maredsous Abbey in Belgium . He is venerated as a blessed in the Catholic Church .

Life

His father William Marmion was Irish, his mother Herminie Cordier French. Baptized in the name of Joseph Aloysius, he entered the Diocesan Seminary of Dublin in 1874 . He continued his studies at the Propaganda Fidei University in Rome. On June 16, 1881, he received the sacrament of ordination .

As a result, he wanted to become a missionary benedictine in Australia. During a visit to the new Maredsous Abbey in Belgium, he was so impressed by the liturgy there that he wanted to join Maredsous instead. His bishop first asked him for patience and appointed him chaplain in Dundrum and then professor of theology in Clonliffe (1882–86). In addition, Marmion worked as a confessor for Redemptorists and also in a women's prison.

Maredsous Abbey

In 1886 he entered the novitiate of Maredsous Abbey and was dressed as a novice by Abbot Placidus Wolter . The 30-year-old Fr. Marmion's view of obedience had already been one of the reasons for his entry, and the spiritual theme of obedience accompanied him throughout his life. He made his profession on February 10, 1891 . He soon became known in Belgium and England as a confessor and retreat master. Among his confessors was Monsignor Désiré-Joseph Mercier , who later became a cardinal. They became lifelong friends.

On September 28, 1909, Father Marmion was elected abbot and on October 3, he was appointed . His motto, which he chose from the Rule of Benedict , was: Magis prodesse quam praeesse ( It is better to serve than to rule ). The community of Maredsous then numbered more than a hundred monks with varied and demanding fields of activity, including the publication of the Revue Bénédictine .

Abbot Columba's reign was marked by war and nationalism. For him, because he himself came from two cultures and was abbot of a German foundation in Belgium, this meant great worries and caused him great inner suffering. He sought solace in preaching and gave it to others in the process. His secretary Dom Raymond Thibaut edited Marmion's numerous speeches and lectures, which were circulated, translated into several languages ​​and appreciated worldwide.

Dom Columba died during a flu epidemic . Since 1963 his grave has been in the Saint-Grégoire side chapel of the abbey church.

The writings of Dom Columba Marmion, especially Le Christ dans ses Mystères , deeply influenced the work of Olivier Messiaen , especially his piano cycles Visions de l'Amen and Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus , but also the organ work Le Livre du Saint-Sacrement .

beatification

The diocese of Namur initiated the diocesan process of beatification in 1957 . Pope John Paul II beatified Columba Marmion on September 3, 2000 . His feast day is October 3rd .

Works

  • Le Christ, vie de l'âme. 1917 (Christ, the life of the soul)
  • Le Christ dans ses Mystères. Conférences spiritual. 1919 (Christ in His Mysteries)
  • Le Christ, idéal du moine. 1922 (Christ, our ideal)

Posthumously:

  • Sponsa verbi. La vierge consacrée au Christ. Conférences spiritual. 1923 ( Sponsa verbi. The soul as the bride of Christ )
  • Paroles de vie en marge du missel. 1937 (Words of Life. Daily Thoughts after the Missal.)
  • Le Christ, idéal du prêtre. 1952 ( Christ, the ideal of the priest . ISBN 978-3-936741-97-1 )
  • Œuvres spirituelles: 1858–1923 Lethielleux, Paris 1998. ISBN 2-283-60173-8

German-language editions:

literature

  • Réginald-Ferdinand Poswick: Columba Marmion 1858-2008. Abbaye de Maredsous, Denée 2008.
  • Mark Tierney: Columba Marmion. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2002. ISBN 3-447-04608-2
  • Raymond Thibaut: Un maître de la vie spirituelle. Dom Columba Marmion (1858-1923). Marchons Droit, Clermont-Ferrand 1995.
  • Marie-Michel Philipon: The spiritual teaching of Dom Marmion. Herder, Freiburg 1955.
  • Idesbald Ryelandt: Presence de Dom Marmion. Mémorial publié à l'occasion du XXVe anniversaire de sa mort. Desclée de Brouwer, Paris 1948.
  • Ph. Nyssens-Braun Dom Columba Marmion intimate. 138 pages, Editions Ramgal, Thuillies & Maison Casterman, 1939.
  • Michael Dillmann:  Marmion, Columba. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 30, Bautz, Nordhausen 2009, ISBN 978-3-88309-478-6 , Sp. 947-962.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Maredsous Abbey homepage
  2. ↑ Siglind Bruhn: Messiaen's musical language of faith: theological symbolism in the piano cycles Visions de l'Amen and Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus . Gorz, Waldkirch 2006. ISBN 3-938095-04-0 . Pp. 139–152, on the Livre du Saint-Sacrement p. 144.
personal data
SURNAME Marmion, Columba
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Marmion, Joseph Aloysius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Abbot of Maredsous Abbey
DATE OF BIRTH April 1, 1858
PLACE OF BIRTH Dublin , Ireland
DATE OF DEATH January 30, 1923
Place of death Maredsous Abbey