Wood Plaque - St. Finnian by B. Nippert

Saint Finnian was an early Irish monastic saint. He is considered one of the fathers of Irish Monasticism and is sometimes called a “teacher of the Irish Saints.” He was born in the late fifth century. He founded a monastic community and traveled on to Clonard where he built himself a cell and a little church where he settled in to study, pray and practice mortification. The fame of his sanctity soon spread and scholars from all over began to flock to him. He then built a monastery and began to teach. His rule was known for its strictness and asceticism.