The feast day of St. Columba (also known as St. Colmcille) was earlier this month in the church calendar, and I fell in love with a number of the beautiful prayers I found that are attributed to him. These prayers are filled with an intimacy and longing for the Lord combined with the close relationship to nature often seen in prayers from the Celtic world.
St. Columba (521-597 AD) was an Irish abbot and is considered one of the twelve Apostles of Ireland for his role as an evangelist to Scotland and the Picts. He also founded the abbey on Iona, which was a center of religious and political importance for centuries and remains a place of pilgrimage and worship to this day. St. Columba is venerated in the Anglican, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Lutheran Churches.
The prayers below are designed for use with an Anglican rosary. They are all attributed to St. Columba and are taken from a variety of sources (listed below the prayers). I have updated some of them from the third person (we) to the first person (I) for personal prayer, but I have not updated older language to newer (e.g., changing “thou” to “you”) because I liked the reminder of how ancient these prayers are.
I hope you enjoy these beautiful Celtic prayers of St. Columba as much as I do!
| Cross: | Be thou a bright flame before me, be thou a guiding star above me, be thou a smooth path below me, be thou a kindly shepherd behind me, today, tonight and forever. Amen. |
| Invitatory bead: | Kindle in my heart, O God, the flame of love that never ceases, that it may burn in me, giving light to others. May I shine for ever in your temple, set on fire with your eternal light, even your Son Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Amen. |
| Cruciform beads: | Alone with none but thee, my God I journey on my way. What need I fear, when thou art near O King of night and day? More safe am I within thy hand, Than if an host didst round me stand. |
| Week bead 1: | Lord, Thou art my island; in Thy bosom I rest. |
| Week bead 2: | Thou art the calm of the sea; in that peace I stay. |
| Week bead 3: | Thou art the deep waves of the shining ocean. With their eternal sound I sing. |
| Week bead 4: | Thou art the song of the birds; in that tune is my joy. |
| Week bead 5: | Thou art the smooth white strand of the shore; in Thee is no gloom. |
| Week bead 6: | Thou art the breaking of the waves on the rock; Thy praise is echoed in the swell. |
| Week bead 7: | Thou art the Lord of my life. |
| Invitatory bead: | Kindle in my heart, O God, the flame of love that never ceases, that it may burn in me, giving light to others. May I shine for ever in your temple, set on fire with your eternal light, even your Son Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Amen. |
| Cross: | Be thou a bright flame before me, be thou a guiding star above me, be thou a smooth path below me, be thou a kindly shepherd behind me, today, tonight and forever. Amen. |
Sources of prayers used above:
Cross: https://prayingthruthebible.com/2021/09/03/a-prayer-by-st-columba/
Invitatory bead: https://pastorfergus.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/prayers-of-the-saints-a-prayer-of-longing-by-st-columba-of-ireland/
Cruciform beads: https://www.daily-prayers.org/angels-and-saints/prayers-of-columba-colomcille-of-ireland/
Week beads: https://holycelticchurch.weebly.com/green-chapel/prayer-attributed-to-st-colmcille
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