St. Colman of Lindisfarne

St. Colman of Lindisfarne was an Irish monk of the seventh century, formed in the monastery of Iona, who became bishop of Lindisfarne in Northumbria and a leading champion of the traditions of the Celtic Church. A man of simplicity, austerity, and deep prayer, he shepherded the northern English Church in the manner handed down from St. Columba and St. Aidan.

He is best remembered for his part in the Synod of Whitby in 664, where he defended the Celtic customs — especially the reckoning of the date of Easter and the form of the monastic tonsure — against those who urged conformity with the practice of Rome. When the synod decided in favor of the Roman usage, Colman, unwilling to abandon the ways of his fathers, humbly resigned his see and withdrew with his monks to Iona and then to Ireland, where he founded new monasteries. Honored for his integrity and gentleness, he died around 675, and his memory is kept on 18 February.