St. Malachy

Who they were

Malachy O'Morgair was the great reformer of the twelfth century Irish church. As Archbishop of Armagh he broke the scandal of hereditary lay succession to the see, where eight generations of one family had held it as property, and restored the sacraments and canonical order across a half feral ecclesial landscape.

Travelling to Rome, he stopped at Clairvaux and formed with St. Bernard of Clairvaux one of history's great friendships. He sent Irish monks to train there and planted the Cistercians at Mellifont, and on a later journey he fell ill at Clairvaux and died in Bernard's arms on All Souls' night, 1148. Bernard preached the funeral, wrote his life, and asked to be buried beside him in Malachy's habit. One thing needs saying flatly: the famous Prophecy of the Popes attributed to him, the list of mottoes running down to a supposed last pope, is a sixteenth century forgery, unknown for four hundred and fifty years after his death. It has nothing to do with him.

Why people turn to St. Malachy

Reformers untangling an inherited mess, with St. Peter Damian, who had the same job in a different country. And friends separated by distance, since the friendship that ended in that embrace is the real patronage here.

How to ask their intercession

For the friend you see too rarely, by name. Bernard asked to be buried in Malachy's habit, which is roughly the highest bar friendship has ever been set at.