Beyond Controversy: Lessons from Christopher Columbus
Grace and peaceโค be yours from God โขourโ Father and from our Lord jesusโข Christ.
Next โคMonday marks โColumbus Day, a fall holiday honoring the Italian explorerโฃ Christopher Columbus. While the holiday is met โฃwith โincreasing โฃscrutiny, with some viewing itโค as a glossing โover of โคtheโ violent history ofโฃ colonizationโฃ inโค the Western Hemisphere and โคColumbus’s actions, including the enslavement of Native Americans, โa deeperโฃ look reveals much to learn from his life and voyages.
Columbus distinguished โhimself from many โsailors of his era through his personal piety. Accounts from his voyages detail a shipboard surroundings steeped in religious observance. Crew members consistently marked time withโ a prayer: “Blessed beโค the hourโฃ of our Savior’s birthโ / blessed be โthe Virgin โMary who bore โขhimโข / andโค blessed be John who baptized him”โฃ – recited each time the ship’sโค half-hourglass was โขturned. Each โday concluded withโ the singing of vespers, โขthoughโข reportedly not โalways harmoniously.
It wasn’t until his thirdโ voyage in 1498 that Columbus โคmade landfall on โthe American mainland. Upon observing four rivers emanating fromโข the land, he interpreted theโข landscape as the biblical Garden of Eden. He passed away in 1506, still believing he โฃhadโ reached the outskirts โฃof โขAsia, unaware ofโ the vastโข distance separating himโ from his intendedโ destination.
Throughout history, advocates – particularlyโค Irish and French โCatholicsโ – have โคchampioned Columbus for canonization,โค citing his roleโข in “bringing the Christian faith toโ half the world.” โPopeโค Pius IX, reigning from 1846 to 1878, supported theโ effort. Though, despite this โฃpapal approval, โคColumbus was never officially recognizedโฃ as a saint. Obstacles included the fact that he fathered โan illegitimate child, and crucially, a lack of documentedโข evidence of a miracle โขattributed to his โคintercession.
On Monday, Cardinal Dolan will lead a Mass at St. Patrick’sโข Cathedral at 9:30 a.m. in observance of Columbus Day. Thisโฃ will be followed by the annual Columbus Day parade, running from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. All are welcome to participate or simply โคextend a greeting if in the area.