Dominic Collins

The blessed Dominic Collins, born in 1566 in Youghal, County Cork, Ireland,^[1] and executed on 31 October 1602 in Youghal,^[2] was a Jesuit brother, ex-army man, who died for his Catholic faith. He was beatified as a martyr by John-Paul II on the 27 September 1992.

Life

Born of an Irish noble family, Collins went to Nantes, France, in 1586 where he worked for three years as a servant in various hostelries in Brittany, in order to acquire a horse and join the cavalry. In 1589 he joined the ‘Catholic league' army of Philippe-Emmanuel de Vaudémont, at war against the Huguenots of Brittany.^[3] He was soon promoted to the rank of captain (under the name of La Branche).

After nine years of service in France he went to Spain with a recommendation letter for King Philip II, at whose service he entered. There he became a governor and recovered land from the Huguenots. He later transferred to the Spanish army and was in the garrison at La Coruña.^[4] He decided to leave the army, and was granted a pension of twenty five crowns a month by King Philip II of Spain. ^[5] During the Lent of 1598, he met an Irish Jesuit, Thomas White from Clonmel, who had founded the Irish College at Salamanca. Collins expressed a desire to become a Jesuit and Fr. White introduced him to the Jesuit superiors in Salamanca, Spain.^[4] Although he was now 32 years old, the Jesuit provincial thought it was wise to delay his entrance, perhaps to test the strength of his vocation. There were doubts too about his being sufficiently educated to become a priest but he was willing to be a Jesuit brother. He entered the Jesuit novitiate in Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain in December 1598. When the Jesuit College was struck by a plague. Dominic tended the victims, nursing some of them back to health and comforting the others in their last hours.^[4] A report from that time describes him as a man of sound judgement and great physical strength; mature, prudent and sociable, though inclined to be hot-tempered and obstinate.^[5]

Brother Dominic Collins was assigned as companion and assistant to Fr James Archer, an Irish Jesuit sent by the king as chaplain to a Spanish expedition to assist Hugh O’Neill and Red Hugh O’Donnell in their attempt at revolt.^[3] The fleet set sail on 3 September 1601 in two squadrons. The smaller part of the fleet to which Dominic was assigned ran into bad weather and was delayed, eventually reaching Castlehaven in west Cork on 1 December, the main squadron having reached Kinsale more than two months earlier.^[5]

After the disastrous battle of Kinsale (24 December 1601), James Archer returned to Spain to seek help. Collins remained behind at Dunboy Castle to attend to the spiritual needs of the Irish forces. Dunboy fell into the hands of the English on 18th June 1602.^[6] Even though Collins was the unarmed spokesman of the rendition party, he was made prisoner by the English.

Relishing the prospect of having a Jesuit abjure his faith in his very home town, the English took Dominic Collins to Youghal, a distance of 173km. There, he was tortured. This had no effect on Collins’ resolve: he expressed anew, and publicly, his Catholic faith. Without any formal judgment, he was condemned to death and finally hanged on the 31 October 1602.^[2]

Beatification

Dominic Collins was beatified - along with Francis Taylor and 13 other Irish martyrs - on the 27 September 1992, by Pope John-Paul II.^[7]

Liturgically his feast is celebrated on the 20th June, or the 30th of October (in the Society of Jesus).

References

Bibliography

• Finegan, F.: "The Beatified Martyrs of Ireland," in Irish Theological Quarterly, vol. 65, 2000, 157-167.
• Forristal, D.: Dominic Collins: Irish martyr, Jesuit brother, Dublin, 1992.