Catald

Saint Catald was born in Munster, Ireland, and flourished in the seventh century as a monk formed in the renowned School of Lismore in County Waterford. A disciple and successor of Carthage, he is traditionally believed to have been consecrated a bishop, yet his heart longed for deeper solitude with God. Seeking the holy places, he set out on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, embracing the hardships of travel as a path of prayer and purification. On his return, his ship was wrecked off the coast of southern Italy near Taranto. There, the faithful urged the Irish pilgrim to shepherd their local Church, and he accepted this unexpected mission with pastoral charity. Devotion to Catald grew as people attributed to his intercession protection for Taranto, especially in times of plague and flooding. When his tomb was opened in the eleventh century, a gold cross was found within his coffin, and his relics were honored at the high altar of the cathedral. Saint Catald is venerated as patron of Taranto and several Italian towns. His feast day is May 10.