Saint Charles Of Mount Argus

On Sunday 3rd June 2007, Ireland welcomed a new saint when the Passionist, Father Charles Houben, was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. Father Charles was born John Andrew Houben on 11th December 1821 in the village of Munstergeleen, Holland. He was fourth of eleven children born to Peter and Johanna Houben. The family background was simple and Catholic with prayers morning and evening and family rosary. They worked in a flour mill owned by their uncle. His childhood was nothing exceptional. He was shy, quiet, pious, friendly and “always bright and cheerful in the family”. He found study difficult, but walked the two miles into secondary school in Sittard for ten years. He wanted to be a priest and served Mass and visited the Church every day.

At nineteen he was enrolled for military service from 1840 to 1845 but only saw active service for three months. He was not an outstanding soldier. He spent too much time in Church! While in the army, he first heard of the Passionists and from that moment he decided to join them.

On returning home he worked in the mill by day and continued to study. Troubles came, first with the death of his uncle, and then in 1844 his mother died aged 52. With his military service completed in 1845 Andrew joined the Passionists at Ere in Belgium. He was ordained on December 21st 1850 in Tournai. His father died in August of that year and none of the family could make his ordination.

Father Charles never saw Holland again. In 1852 he was sent to England where he first came in contact with the Irish who were emigrating in the wake of the Famine. He was transferred to Ireland and on July 9th, 1857, arrived in the newly-founded monastery of Mount Argus. Dublin had a population of less than a quarter of a million – many of whom were British soldiers. It was a rough place, with many official brothels, licensed public houses and shebeens. Murders were common and moral standards questionable. Religious knowledge was hopeless.

Charles was not a good preacher. He never really mastered the language. But he excelled in the Confessional and in comforting the sick. He was fond of the Irish. He called them “my people”. He soon became very popular not only in Dublin but all over Ireland as he collected money to pay for the new monastery of Mount Argus.

It was his gift of healing the sick which is most clearly remembered. As many as 300 people a day came to be blessed by him. Fr. Sebastian Keens told of a boy of 12 who lost the use of his leg and was brought to him. With no delay he called Fr. Charles and shortly afterwards found the boy walking up and down in front of the house completely cured.

His fame spread and trouble came. Some doctors claimed falsely that he discouraged people from going to the doctor. Others took Holy Water blessed by Fr. Charles and began to sell it throughout Ireland.
Fr. Charles was transferred to England in 1866 and remained there for eight years. He returned to Ireland in 1874 and remained for the rest of his life. The daily pilgrimage of sick and distressed resumed almost immediately. He went out all over Dublin and into the country blessing people. He started on his fund-raising rounds again, this time for the new Church at Mount Argus.

During the last years of his life he had many trials. His family in Holland were dying. Old injuries returned to plague him. Towards the end of 1892, it was obvious that the life of Fr. Charles was coming to an end. He said his last Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Word of his illness spread through the city, crowds gathered to enquire about him. At 5.30 a.m. on 5th January 1893 he died.

His body was brought to the Church and lay in state for five days. Despite heavy snow, thousands filed past his coffin with the police keeping order. His funeral was bigger than Parnell’s two years before. His remains were laid to rest in the cemetery beside the Church. His grave became a place of pilgrimage where people came daily. When in 1949 his remains were moved inside the Church the Shrine became a place of prayer.

Father Charles was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1988 after the cure of a Dutch lady, Mrs Verheggen, was approved as a miracle attributed to his intercession. The miraculous cure of Mr Dolf Dormans, also from Holland, paved the way for his Canonization. This was a wonderful and an historic occasion, not just for the Passionists and Mount Argus, but for the whole of Ireland.

A new portrait by well known artist James Hanley featured on a postage stamp to mark the occasion. A new song for St. Charles, “Come to me”, was written by Liam Lawton. Hundreds of pilgrims, including the President of Ireland Mary McAleese, the Lord Mayor of Dublin Vincent Jackson, and the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin; travelled to Rome for the canonization; R.T.E.televised the event live. A Thanksgiving Mass was held in Mount Argus hours after the canonisation with a church packed to the seams and over 1000 more outside the church or in a marquee to where the mass was transmitted. People rejoiced all over Ireland.

Ireland has a new saint whose remains and shrine are here in Dublin. His body is buried in the church. Mount Argus is the only church in Ireland to hold the body of a canonised saint. He is a saint for the poor, a saint for the sick, a saint for the sinner, a saint for immigrants and emigrants, a saint for everyone – Saint Charles of Mount Argus.

Fr. Frank Keevins CP