A letter from Bishop Perez on the protection of children

St. Malachy Statue

Malachy O’More was born in 1095 in Armagh, County Down and was raised in Armagh. St. Celsus, Archbishop of Armagh, ordained Malachy at age 25. In 1123, Malachy’s uncle, the lay abbot of Bangor, resigned in favor of Malachy. Bangor lay in ruins and Malachy set about restoring it. In 1125, Malachy was chosen Bishop of Connor and Down. The diocese had suffered greatly from Norse raiders; many were Christian in name only. Malachy worked teaching and proclaiming the Gospel; he inspired the population to renewed faith and receiving the Sacraments. He established a seminary and restored churches.

In 1129, on his deathbed, Celsus named Malachy his successor as Archbishop of Armagh, However, the diocese had functioned as a hereditary see for generations and Celsus’ family installed his cousin, Murtagh, as Archbishop. To avoid confrontation, Malachy refused to try to occupy the see. In 1132, on direct command of the papal legate, Malachy assumed the pastoral and spiritual care of Armagh, but left the revenues and temporal care to Murtagh. When Murtagh died in 1134 after naming Celsus’ brother, Niall, to succeed him, armed conflict broke out. Niall’s allies invited Malachy to a conference, planning to murder him. Malachy so disarmed the group with his dignity and courage that peace was restored and Malachy became undisputed archbishop. He restored discipline and peace; then, as promised, resigned. He ordained a successor as Archbishop and became bishop of Down.

In 1137, Malachy set out for Rome. He stayed at Clairvaux monastery and became friends with St. Bernard. Arriving in Rome, Malachy tried to resign to become a monk at Clairvaux, but Pope Innocent II refused; instead, he appointed him Papal Legate to Ireland. On his return trip, Malachy brought Cistercian monks to Ireland.

In 1148, the Irish Bishops sent Malachy to make a formal petition to the Pope Eugenius III. Malachy stopped again in Clairvaux but was stricken with fever and died in Bernard’s arms on November 2. Malachy was buried in Clairvaux; St. Bernard was later buried beside him. Malachy was canonized by Pope Clement III in 1190, the first papal canonization of an Irish saint.

The so-called “Prophecies of Malachy” describing future popes were supposedly revealed to Malachy during his visit to Rome and presented to Pope Innocent II. They are not accepted as authentic by scholars, but date from several centuries later.

“Malachy performed many miracles, but the first and greatest was himself.” St. Bernard of Clairvaux