Blessed Columba Marmion

Blessed Columba Marmion O.S.B.,was the third abbot of Maredsous Abbey in Belgium and a noted spiritual author and retreat master. He died in 1923 and was beatified as a Blessed of the Church by Pope John Paul II on September 3, 2000. His feast day is observed on October 3, the date of his blessing as abbot.

As an Irish diocesan priest in the Dublin Diocese, he felt called to the monastic way of life and so entered Maredsous Abbey several years after being ordained a priest. In 1909 he was elected abbot of Maredsous Abbey and served in that capacity until his death on January 30, 1923. He authored three books based upon his extensive retreats. These works give a deep insight into his spirituality: Christ, the Life of the Soul (1917), Christ, in His Mysteries (1919), and Christ, the Ideal of the Monk (1922). It is a spirituality centered on Christ and His divine adoption of the children of God. These works have been translated into many languages and are considered spiritual classics.