All mortal beings in God's infinite plan must close their eyes to the vision of this world and open them to a world which human eyes could not see and human ears could not hear. And so it came to pass that in year of Our Lord 597, Saint Columcille died on the Island of Iona.

The events of the last day leading up to his death are found in the Web Medieval Sourcebook Adamnan: Life of St. Columba, Ch. 24. Here I summarize.

St. Columcille was now an old man bent and worn out with age. On a Sabbath of May St. Columcille went with his pious attendant Diormit to the barn which contained corn; he blessed it and said, "I heartily congratulate my beloved monks, that this year also, if I am obliged to depart from you, you will have a sufficient supply for the year." Upon hearing this Diormit became disturbed. St. Columcille told his attendant that he had a secret to tell him and made him promise not to tell anyone. "This day in the Holy Scriptures is called the Sabbath, which means rest. And this day is indeed a Sabbath to me, for it is the last day of my present laborious life, and on it I rest after the fatigues of my labours; and this night at midnight, which commenceth the solemn Lord's Day, I shall, according to the sayings of Scripture, go the way of our fathers. For already my Lord Jesus Christ deigneth to invite me; and to Him, I say, in the middle of this night shall I depart, at His invitation. For so it hath been revealed to me by the Lord himself." At these words Diormit began to weep bitterly.

On the way back to the monastery Columcille stopped to rest. Their white pack-horse came up to him, laid his head on his bosom and began to moan and shed tears. His attendant wanted to drive the horse away but St. Columcille said,"Let it alone, as it is so fond of me, let it pour out its bitter grief into my bosom. Lo! thou, as thou art a man, and hast a rational soul, canst know nothing of my departure hence, except what I myself have just told you, but to this brute beast devoid of reason, the Creator Himself hath evidently in some way made it known that its master is going to leave it." The horse left after St. Columcille had blessed it.

After this, he ascended a hill overlooking the monastery and with both hands raised blessed his monastery saying; "Small and mean though this place is, yet it shall be held in great and unusual honour, not only by Scotic kings and people, but also by the rulers of foreign and barbarous nations, and by their subjects; the saints also even of other churches shall regard it with no common reverence."

Upon returning to his hut at the monastery, he continued to transcribe Ps 34 till he had completed vs 11 which read, "...those who see the LORD lack no good thing", than he stopped and said that Baithene would continue his writing. Baithene was his nephew who became the next abbot at Iona.

This being the Sabbath, St. Columcille went to the Church for the Sunday Vigil Service, then retired to his room where he used a stone for a pillow. He gave his attendant the last instructions for his monks. At midnight he rose hastily and arrived at Church before the others where he began to pray before the altar. Diormit, who followed St. Columcille, was still outside the church when he saw it filled with light which disappeared as he drew near the door. The church was now dark so Diormit cried out, "Where are you father?" and feeling his way found St. Columcille lying before the altar. Diormit raised the saint's hand to help him bless the monks for the last time who were now around him. After that, he expired.

"Alone with none but Thee, my God,
I journey on my way;
What need I fear when Thou art near,
Oh King of night and day?
More safe am I within Thy hand
Than if a host did round me stand."
--Attributed to Saint Columcille

There was at the time of St. Columcille death a holy monk named Lugud in Ireland. Now this man had a vision who thus related: "In the middle of this last night," said he, "Columba, the pillar of many churches, passed to the Lord; and at the moment of his blessed departure, I saw in the spirit the whole Ionian island, where I never was in the body, resplendent with the brightness of angels; and the whole heavens above it, up to the very zenith, were illumined with the brilliant light of the same heavenly messengers, who descended in countless numbers to bear away his holy soul. At the same moment, also, I heard the loud hymns and entrancingly sweet canticles of the angelic host, as his holy soul was borne aloft amidst the ascending choirs of angels."

St. Columcille was buried at Iona and this graveyard became a burial place for kings, chieftains and prelates and was regarded as the holiest place in Scotland.

Skellig Michael