Saint Charles of Mount Argus (born John Andrew Houben) was a well known Passionist priest in 19th century Ireland. He was born John Andrew Houben on the 11th December 1821 in the village of Munstergeleen in the south of the Netherlands. He joined the Passionists in 1845 at Ere in Belgium. Ordained in 1850, he was sent to England in 1852 and was never to see the nation of his birth again. In 1857 he was sent to the newly founded Mount Argus monastery in Dublin where he became popular confessor and was renowned as healer. He lived almost the remainder of his life in this retreat and was greatly loved by the Irish people to point that they referred to him, ­ a native of the Netherlands,­ as Father Charles of Mount Argus. He was a particularly pious priest. He was outstanding in exercising obedience, in the practice of poverty, humility and simplicity and to an even greater degree, to devotion to the Passion of the Lord. He spent most of the rest of his life at Mount Argus where he died on the 5th January 1893. His feast is January 5.

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