"We also made a little meditation on the beautiful lesson of Saint Bernard, wherein he speaks of the force and power of the love of God in a soul, and how the possession of this love enables a soul not to feel further the weight of any cross, which rather becomes a great pleasure and delight. Oh, happy the soul that lives in the true love of Christ! Detach yourselves from all persons and all things, and you will have a foretaste of the Paradise of true, solid and Heavenly love."

~ St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

The feast of St. Bernard was August 20th, during the Mother Cabrini Pilgrimage. So there's a
connection between St. Bernard and St. Cabrini,
and now I'm going to make a connection between St. Bernard and Ireland! :)

Mellifont Abbey, County Louth, Ireland

Saint Malachy, Archbishop of Armagh, visited the great St. Bernard in Clairvaux, France. He became a Cistercian himself, and left some of his companions with St. Bernard to be trained. Those monks came back to Ireland and started Mellifont Abbey in 1142 A.D. (Oh, the history in Europe!! I haven't made it to Clairvaux yet, but I have visited Mellifont.) The first abbot here was St. Christian O'Connarchy.

St. Malachy often prayed that he might have the privilege of dying at Clairvaux. He wanted to retire from his episcopal duties and become a cloistered monk, but God kept him busy in Ireland. In 1151, he visited St. Bernard again, became ill, and died in the saint's arms. His prayer had been answered, though not quite as he had thought. St. Bernard swapped clothes with St. Malachy, so that he could keep and treasure the habit of his dear and admirable friend. St. Malachy is buried at Clairvaux.