Servant of God, Brother Columba O’Neill, C.S.C., died on November 20, 1923, at the University of Notre Dame. He suffered from clubfoot but became a cobbler on campus. He was not formally educated but was given the grace of prayer and healing. His devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ became his grounding, his footing in the Holy Cross community and beyond.
Brother Philip Smith, C.S.C., the archivist for the Brothers of Holy Cross, has developed a newsletter on Brother Columba, C.S.C. CLICK HERE to read complete “In Kind Love” newsletters. I write a column for the newsletter called “An Exchange of Hearts.” Here are three recent columns on Brother Columba’s life of prayer.
Click to learn more about Brother Columba O’Neill
The Strength of Vulnerability
Reprinted: In Kind Love, January 2025
Ronald Patrick Raab, C.S.C.
Brother Columba lived with physical impairment all his life. In seeking God, he was able to transform the pain from his clubfoot into a great strength; his faith became his steadiness, his sure-footedness. The cobbler shop at Notre Dame became not only a place to repair people’s shoes but a safe place for him to share the source of his strength, the Heart of Jesus Christ.
As Brother Columba learned how to receive the gift of God and how to accept help from others, his physical limitations opened within him a deep vulnerability. Vulnerability in the spiritual life means there is space in the human heart to take life in, to understand new events, and to learn from one’s own pain or misfortune. Vulnerability is not weakness, but a place of genuine prayer. Allowing God to enter our lives, to change the patterns of our choices and attitudes, begins when we are open to grace and being formed by truth.
Brother Columba sought the Heart of Christ from his own spiritual vulnerability. In the ordinariness of a cobbler shop, he invited all to walk the path of the Sacred Heart. The encounters he had with people about their shoes became ground upon which he walked with them in their need for healing and hope. As Columba repaired the soles of shoes, God healed the vulnerable souls of people.
Losing and Gaining
Reprinted: In Kind Love, March 2025
Ronald Patrick Raab, C.S.C.
Jesus tells us we must lose our life to find it. This counterintuitive statement may sound threatening to those of us who hold on tightly to wealth, power, prestige and our own authority. How difficult it is to pierce the self-centered heart that beats its own strength.
As Christians, we believe in Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. We believe that our lives are available to follow him when we finally realize we can’t control life or find true meaning in our self-satisfied ways. The liturgical season of Lent invites us to not only celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection, but also to live such a mystery in our daily life.
Brother Columba realized his earthly life was an invitation to live the power of Christ’s compassion. We know he sought such love in his heart because we know his conviction to help other people find healing and joy. While we cannot fully articulate his heartfelt prayer beyond the ritual prayers of a religious community, Brother Columba’s invitation to seek the heart of Christ was itself an expression of his ability to discover the love, mercy and compassion of Jesus Christ.
Brother Columba held in his heart the mystery of Christ, the paradox of losing our earthly power and living and gaining in the compassion and integrity of Christ Jesus. We may articulate such prayer for Brother Columba by viewing the fruit of his generous outreach and his ability to offer devotion to the Heart of Christ Jesus
Of Silence and Awe
Reprinted: In Kind Love, May 2025
Ronald Patrick Raab, C.S.C.
Brother Columba silently surrendered this earthly life to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He surrendered the physical disability of his clubfoot, which led him to walk with other people’s pain and physical needs. He surrendered his difficult childhood to Christ, which opened him to the Congregation of Holy Cross as well as a worldwide community of believers who sought out God’s healing grace. He surrendered his gifts as a cobbler and began to welcome people who desired to walk with God.
The Holy Cross Brothers’ archive contains boxes filled with handwritten letters that request healing from Brother Columba. In the past five years, thousands of these letters have been read that speak of requests, cures and prayers associated with Brother Columba’s earthly life. The letters were sent from people across the globe, including Germany, Canada and Australia. News of healing spread rapidly among the worldwide apostolates of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
The mystery of how the news spread to people in desperate need of healing is itself a miracle filled with awe. What began with silent, humble, and yet courageous personal prayer ended with the beauty of people knowing Christ Jesus in their pain and anguish. Columba’s prayer life becomes the story of silent surrender to Christ’s love and ends with God offering Brother Columba a gift of healing that spread to the hearts and souls of other people. Silence and awe become the story of this humble servant, Brother Columba, C.S.C.
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About: Rev. Ronald Patrick Raab, C.S.C., serves as the religious superior of Holy Cross House, our retirement and medical facility at Notre Dame, Indiana. He is an award-winning author, blogger, and visual artist. Learn more: ronaldraab.com
Artwork: Fr. Ron created this painting and collage a few months ago. Fr. Ron’s artwork has been published in parishes, dioceses, and ecumenical settings around the world.
