Dinooth & Columbanus

Donald was a heroic figure who lived in the 5th and 6th centuries and was direct on of Christianity in England and Wales around the time of the beginning of the 1260 year prophecy in 538 and led the church during its critical encounter with Augustine, the founder of the papal Church in Britain. He was a contemporary of Columba and had received his training from him. Here in Bangor on Dee in Wales, a training institute was established that would be key in establishing this country as as a mighty force for truth and resisting the advances of Rome for centuries.

The school here in Bangor was not a small one with just 20 or 30 students, but it would have had hundreds and at times thousands of students. There was one particular story. Soon after the leaders of the Celtic Church had met with Augustine and rejected his teachings and authority when 1200 ministerial students from this school were slaughtered. The Welsh Church was one of the sturdiest and withstood much opposition to it, maintaining its stance the longest out of the churches in England, Scotland and Wales. They differed with Rome on many points, but the supremacy of the bishops, celibacy and the Sabbath were three of the main ones.

There is much evidence that the Sabbath prevailed in Wales universally until AD 115 when the first Roman bishop was seated at St David's the Old Welsh Sabbath keeping churches did not even then altogether bow the knee to Rome, but fled to their hiding places where the ordinances of the Gospel to this day have been administered in their primitive mode without being adulterated. But the corrupt Church of Rome.

So in the 6th and 7th centuries we see a strong Celtic church. Patrick had been the evangelist in Ireland, Columba in Scotland, Aden in England. And Dunald had established a training center here in Wales. But the Gospel would flow from these shores over to Europe through the ministry of a man called Columbanus. He was trained here in Bangor and he would carry the light to France, Switzerland, Germany and Italy, establishing training centers on the continent.

The first place he established a school was in France. Here, along with 13 others who would come with him, these Celtic missionaries lived their lives reading the Scriptures and teaching other people. No longer did the youth of the land have to travel to Ireland, Scotland or Wales to receive training. But right in Europe they could receive an education, education of the highest standard. Soon this school became too small and he planted another one nearby and then another one nearby, all within 20 miles of each other. Later on in his life he would plant schools in Switzerland and in Germany.

Even as he was nearing the end of his life, at 70 years old, he did not slow down. Now settling in Italy, he was joyfully received and and the commonality between the faith of the Celtic Church and that of the Waldensians was seen as he found a strong bond with the believers there. Refusing to enjoy a comfortable retirement, he asked the King for a place to plant a new center. And the locality of Bobbio, with its ruined church was given him, and he established a school and library.

He died one year after founding the school in Bobbio, Italy, in the year 615, at the age of 72. He lived a faithful life, learning the gospel here in Wales and then dedicating his life to the spreading of the gospel in foreign lands, setting up mission institutes all over Europe. One thing that stands out to us from the life of Columbanus is that he worked for God all the way until the end. He didn't enjoy an easy retirement, but he kept pressing on. No matter who we are, whether we work for the church or whether we don't work for the church, whether we are employed, whether we're unemployed, whether we're old or whether we are young, let us be faithful to God wherever we are, using the talents God has given to us all the way until the end.

Sam.