An Irish monk who went to the continent, he became Bishop of Salzburg and built its cathedral. He sent missionaries to evangelize Carinthia and was so learned that he was called the Geometer.
Life
Saint Virgilius of Salzburg was an eighth-century Irish monk and scholar, known in Irish as Fergal. In the 740s he crossed to the Continent and won the trust of the Duke of Bavaria.
He became abbot of Saint Peter's monastery in Salzburg and later served as bishop of Salzburg. He sent missionaries to the Slavic peoples of Carinthia (today's southern Austria and Slovenia) and built Salzburg's cathedral. A man of great learning, he even debated theological and scholarly questions with Saint Boniface. He died in 784 and was canonized in 1233. The Church remembers him on November 27.
Spirituality
Virgilius's spirituality is the Irish monastic spirit in which learning and mission are one. He loved study and used his knowledge to understand God's creation more deeply and to spread the Gospel. He showed that people who disagree can still work together within the Church.
Reflection
Virgilius disagreed with Saint Boniface yet spread the Gospel in the same Church. What would it take for me to work for good alongside a fellow parishioner who thinks differently?