Saint Malachy

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Malachy, St ( Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair St) (d. 1148), archbishop of Armagh. The most prominent advocate of the 12th‐century reform of the Irish church, Malachy was born into an ecclesiastical family in 1094–5 and trained as a monk at Armagh, where he came under the influence of the ascetic Imar Ua hÁedacáin, abbot of SS Peter and Paul, Armagh. He was ordained priest at the age of 25, notwithstanding that the canonical age for ordination was 30 years. He spent a period of time at Lismore, under the eccelesiastical discipline of the monk bishop Máel su Ua hAinmire (Malchus). He inaugurated his public career as a church reformer by reviving conventual life at the secularized monastery of Bangor, although he faced strong local opposition. In 1124 he was consecrated bishop for the see of Connor, but was forced into exile to the monastery of Lismore in 1127, where he met another refugee, Cormac Mac Carthaig, king of Desmond, whom he persuaded to return to the kingship, and with whom he subsequently collaborated in promoting church reform. Cellach, archbishop of Armagh, had designated Malachy as his successor, but when he died in 1129, Malachy encountered great difficulty in ousting the hereditary secularized ecclesiastical dynasty of Clann Sínaich, which had asserted an almost 200‐year monopoly of clerical offices at Armagh. He was unable to take possession of either the insignia or temporalities of the church of Armagh until 1134. Having asserted the case for reform and canonical consecration at Armagh, he resigned the see in 1137 in the interests of conciliation to Gilla Meic Liac ( Gelasius), abbot of the important Columban monastery of Derry, and assumed the bishopric of Down.

In 1139 he undertook a mission to Pope Innocent II to request formal papal recognition (signified by the granting of palls) for the archbishoprics of Armagh and Cashel, visiting on the way the Cistercian abbey of Clairvaux, where he formed a friendship with his future biographer, St Bernard. Pope Innocent II did not accede to his request, but instructed Malachy, whom he commissioned as a papal legate, to return to Ireland and summon a general church council so that a more formal and demonstrably unanimous request for papal endorsement could be made. On his homeward journey Malachy again visited Clairvaux and left four of his associates to be trained as monks in the Cistercian observance. The first Irish Cistercian monastery was founded under his auspices at Mellifont in 1142. Malachy also visited the monastery of Arrouaise in Flanders, whence he introduced the Augustinian rule according to the Arroasian observance into Ireland, the first Arroasian community in Ireland being founded at St Mary's abbey, Louth, in 1142. Both Mellifont and Louth abbey were situated in the kingdom of Airgialla, the protection and patronage of whose king, Donnchad Ua Cerbaill, enabled Malachy to introduce these continental monastic observances. Malachy's brother, Gilla Críst, acted as bishop of Airgialla, alias Clogher, 1135–8. In 1148, availing of the fact that Pope Innocent II had summoned a church council at Reims, Malachy undertook a second journey to the Continent, having first convened a synod on the island of Inis Pádraig (Co. Dublin) for the purpose of making a formal request for palls. Reaching Clairvaux in October he fell ill and died there, aged 54, in the arms of St Bernard on 2 November 1148. The monks of Clairvaux initiated proceedings for his canonization which Pope Clement III confirmed in 1190, his feast day being set as 3 November, so as to avoid All Souls' Day (2 Nov.). Bernard of Clairvaux's biography of Malachy, as well as letters written to him during his lifetime, and commemorative sermons preached on his feast day, are the most important sources for his life.

Marie Therese Flanagan

Saint Malachy , 1095–1148, Irish churchman, reformer of the church in Ireland. His Irish name was Máel Máedoc ua Morgair. He was assistant to Cellach (Celsus), bishop of Armagh, who was attempting to reduce the disorderly ecclesiastical system to a state of discipline. Malachy was ordained, studied at Lismore, and became abbot of Bangor (1123?), bishop of Connor (1124), and archbishop of Armagh (1134–37). He resigned to be bishop of Down in 1137. Paganism was rife in Ireland following the invasions of the Danes. To deal with the problem, St. Malachy reorganized the Irish church into a territorial hierarchy, following the example of the church in England and on the Continent. He disciplined the clergy and generally ushered in a religious revival. He went to Rome to seek confirmation of his deeds and to request the pallium for newly created Irish archbishops. On the way he visited Clairvaux (1140), where he became the friend of St. Bernard. They planned a Cistercian house for Ireland; this resulted (1142) in the abbey of Mellifont (near Brobheda). On a later trip to the Continent, he died at Clairvaux, where he was buried. Feast: Nov. 3. The primary source is the biography by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (Eng. tr. by H. J. Lawlor, 1920).

Malachy, St (c.1094–1148). Malachy was a great reforming bishop in Ireland, when hereditary succession linked church with clan, sacraments were neglected, and old customs frequently prevailed over canon law. His own nomination as archbishop of Armagh, 1129, was strongly opposed by his predecessor's kin and took several years to resolve. Journeying to Rome, 1139, Malachy stayed with Bernard of Clairvaux. They became firm friends, and with monks trained under Bernard, Malachy established a Cistercian monastery at Mellifont (Co. Louth). Appointed papal legate to Ireland, his wish to remain at Clairvaux was denied, but it became his final resting place when he died there en route to Rome.

Audrey MacDonald

Malachy, St (1094–1148), Abp. of Armagh and an advocate for reform in the Irish Church. When he was nominated Abp. of Armagh in 1129, he was opposed by a rival candidate and not installed until 1134; he resigned in 1137. In 1139 he went to Rome to seek the pallium for the two metropolitans in Ireland. En route, he met St Bernard, his future biographer; with four monks from Clairvaux, he introduced the Cistercian Order into Ireland. Feast day, 3 Nov.

Malachy, St (c. 1094–1148). Malachy was a great reforming bishop in Ireland, when hereditary succession linked church with clan, sacraments were neglected, and old customs frequently prevailed over canon law. His own nomination as archbishop of Armagh, 1129, was strongly opposed by his predecessor's kin and took several years to resolve.