St Malachy

Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair
Archbishop of Armagh
See	Archdiocese of Armagh
In office	1132–1136/37
Predecessor	Celsus
Successor	Gelasius
Orders
Consecration	1124
Personal details
Born	1095(?) 1094[1][2][3][4] Armagh, Ireland
Died	2 November 1148 Clairvaux, France
Previous post	Bishop of Down (1124–1148) and Bishop of Connor (1124–1136/37) Abbot of Bangor

Saint Malachy
Canonized	1190 by Pope Clement III
Feast	3 November
Patronage	Archdiocese of Armagh, Diocese of Down and Connor

1095(?)

Saint Malachy (Middle Irish: Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair; Modern Irish: Maelmhaedhoc Ó Morgair) ([11th century in Ireland|1094] – 2 November 1148) was an Irish saint and Archbishop of Armagh, to whom were attributed several miracles and an alleged vision of 112 Popes later attributed to the apocryphal (i.e. of doubtful authenticity) Prophecy of the Popes. It is now believed by scholars that this document was a forgery created by Cardinal Girolamo Simoncelli. Saint Malachy was the first native born Irish saint to be canonised.

Malachy, whose family name was Ua Morgair, was born in Armagh in 1094. St. Bernard describes him as having noble birth. He was baptised Máel Máedóc (Malachy) and was trained under Imhar O'Hagan, subsequently Abbot of Armagh. Imhar was in sympathy with the aims of those who sought to reform the Irish church, and it was probably through his influence that Malachy became imbued with their principles. After a long course of studies Malachy was ordained priest by St Cellach (Celsus) in 1119.

Shortly afterwards Cellach made the young priest his vicar. For the next year or two it was Malachy's duty to administer the diocese of Armagh. He established in all the churches the apostolic sanctions and the decrees of the holy fathers, and the customs and practices the Roman Church. He introduced the Roman method of chanting the services of the canonical hours and instituted a new Confession, Confirmation, the Marriage contract, which those over whom he was placed were either ignorant or negligent. With the consent of Cellach and Imar he went to study under St. Malchus, who had by this time retired from the archbishopric of Cashel and was settled at Lismore. He spent three years there.

In 1123 the coarb of Bangor Abbey died. Bangor was the principal religious site in the north-east of Ireland. Since he ended his days at Lismore, it may be assumed that he was a friend of Malchus, and of the movement with which he was identified. His successor, who was Malachy's uncle, expressed his willingness to surrender his office and the site of the monastery to his nephew. Malachy became Abbot of Bangor Abbey.

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Wikipedia