Who was St. Gall?
St. Gall was born in Ireland and was
one of St. Columban's 12 disciples. He
trained with St. Columban and St.
Comgall and traveled with them to
France to establish the Luxeuil
Monastery between the years 585 and
590 A.D. In 610 A.D., St. Columban
was exiled by leaders opposed to
Christianity and the church and fled
with St. Gall to Switzerland. In their
travels they found the church alive and
present, but many towns were without
monasteries and cathedrals. Together
they established monasteries where
young Christian men could study and
learn the scriptures.

He died at the age of 95 in Switzerland,
at Arbon. He spent the remaining
years of his life in prayer and study of
the scriptures. During his life in
Switzerland, he lived on the Steinach
River, and the monastery of St. Gall
was erected on that site.

The feast of St. Gall is celebrated on
October 16th. Images of St. Gall
typically represent him standing with a
bear. A legend recorded in the Lives of
St. Gall tells that one night as
commanded by St. Gall, a  wild bear
brought wood to St. Gall and his
traveling companions to feed a fire
they had kindled in the desert.

St. Gall is remembered and revered in
Europe and especially in Switzerland
and in Ireland. Decades ago when the
South Side of Chicago was
predominately Irish Catholic, St. Gall
School was one of a few parishes
immortalized in the "South Side Irish"
song. The verse that mentions St. Gall
Parish is:

"Our parents came from Mayo, from
Cork and Donnegal.
We come from Sabina's, St. Killian's
and St. Gall..."