Saint Patrick, The Apostle of Ireland, was born at what is now
Kilpatrick, near
Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul,
Downpatrick,
Ireland, 17 March, 493. At the time of his birth it was known at Briton and ruled by Rome. His parents were Calphurnius and
Conchessa. The language of the time was latin and his given name was Patricus. His father belonged to a Roman family of high
rank and
held the office of
decurio
in Briton. Conchessa was
a near relative of the great patron of Gaul,
St. Martin of Tours. Kilpatrick still retains many
memorials of Saint Patrick, and
frequent pilgrimages continued far into the Middle Ages to
perpetuate
there the fame of his sanctity and
miracles
In his sixteenth year,
Patrick was carried off into captivity by Irish marauders
and
was sold as a slave to a chieftan named Milchu in Dalriada,
a territory of the present county of Antrim in Ireland, where
for six years he tended his master's flocks in the valley of the
Braid and on the slopes of Slemish, near the modern town of Ballymena.
He relates in his "Confessio" that during his captivity while
tending the flocks he prayed many times in the day: "the love of God", he
added, "and His fear increased in me more and more, and the
faith grew in me, and the spirit was roused, so that, in a single
day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers, and in the night
nearly the same, so that whilst in the woods and on the mountain, even
before the dawn, I was roused to prayer and felt no hurt from it,
whether there was snow or ice or rain; nor was there any
slothfulness in me, such as I see now, because the spirit was then fervent
within me."
In the ways of a benign Providence the six years of
Patrick's
captivity became a remote preparation for his future
apostolate. He
acquired a perfect knowledge of the Celtic tongue in which
he
would one day announce the glad tidings of Redemption, and,
as his
master Milchu was a druidical high priest, he became
familiar with
all the details of
Druidism from whose bondage he was destined to
liberate the Irish race.
Admonished by an angel he, after six years,
fled from his cruel master and bent his steps towards the
west. He
relates in his "Confessio" that he had to travel about 200
miles;
and his journey was probably towards Killala Bay and
onwards thence
to Westport. He found a ship ready to set sail and after
some
rebuffs was allowed on board. In a few days he was among
his
friends once more in Briton, but now his heart was set on
devoting
himself to the service of God in the sacred ministry. We
meet with
him at St. Martin's monastery at Tours, and again at the
island sanctuary of Lérins which was just then
acquiring widespread
renown for learning and piety; and wherever lessons of
heroic
perfection in the exercise of Christian life could be
acquired,
thither the fervent Patrick was sure to bend his steps. No
sooner had
St. Germain entered on his great mission at Auxerre than
Patrick put
himself under his guidance, and it was at that great
bishop's hands
that Ireland's future apostle was a few years later
promoted to the
priesthood. It is the tradition in the territory of the
Morini that
Patrick under St. Germain's guidance for some years was
engaged in
missionary work among them. When Germain commissioned by
the
Holy See
proceeded to Briton to combat the erroneous teachings of
Pelagius, he chose Patrick to be one
of his missionary companions and
thus it was his privilege to be associated with the
representative of
Rome in the triumphs that ensued over
heresy and Paganism, and in
the many remarkable events of the expedition, such as the
miraculous
calming of the tempest at sea, the visit to the relics at
St. Alban's
shrine, and the Alleluia victory. Amid all these scenes,
however, Patrick's thoughts turned towards Ireland, and
from time to
time he was favoured with visions of the children from
Focluth, by
the Western sea, who cried to him: "O holy youth, come back
to Erin,
and walk once more amongst us."
It was probably in the summer months of the year 433, that
Patrick and
his companions landed at the mouth of the Vantry River
close by
Wicklow Head. The Druids were at once in arms against him.
But
Patrick was not disheartened. The intrepid missionary
resolved to
search out a more friendly territory in which to enter on
his
mission. First of all, however, he would proceed towards
Dalriada,
where he had been a slave, to pay the price of ransom to
his former
master, and in exchange for the servitude and cruelty
endured at his
hands to impart to him the blessings and freedom of God's
children.
He rested for some days at the islands off the Skerries
coast, one of
which still retains the name of Inis-Patrick, and he
probably
visited the adjoining mainland, which in olden times was
known as
Holm Patrick. Tradition fondly points out the impression
of St.
Patrick's foot upon the hard rock -- off the main shore, at
the
entrance to Skerries harbour. Continuing his course
northwards he
halted at the mouth of the River Boyne. A number of the
natives
there gathered around him and heard with joy in their own
sweet
tongue the glad tidings of Redemption. There too he
performed his
first miracle on Irish soil. Leaving one of his
companions to continue the work of instruction so
auspiciously begun,
he hastened forward to Strangford Loughand there quitting
his boat
continued his journey over land towards Slemish. He had
not proceeded far when a chieftain, named Dichu, appeared
on the
scene to prevent his further advance. He drew his sword to
smite the
saint, but his arm became rigid as a statue and continued
so until he
declared himself obedient to Patrick. Overcome by the
saint's
meekness and miracles, Dichu asked for instruction and made
a gift of
a large
sabhall
(barn), in which the sacred mysteries were
offered up. This was the first sanctuary dedicated by St.
Patrick
in Erin. It became in later years a chosen retreat of the
saint. A
monestary and church were erected there, and the hallowed
site
retains the name Sabhall (pronounced Saul) to the present
day.
Continuing his journey towards Slemish, the saint was
struck with
horror on seeing at a distance the fort of his old master
Milchu
enveloped in flames. The fame of Patrick's marvelous
power of miracles
preceeded him. Milchu, in a fit of frenzy, gathered his
treasures into his mansion and setting it on fire, cast
himself into
the flames. An ancient record adds: "His pride could not
endure the
thought of being vanquished by his former slave".
Returning to
Saul, St. Patrick learned from Dichu that the chieftains of
Erin had
been summoned to celebrate a special feast at Tara by
Leoghaire, who
was the Ard-Righ, that is, the Supreme Monarch of Ireland.
This was
an opportunity which Patrick would not forego; he would
present himself before the assembly, to strike a decisive
blow
against the Druidism that held the nation captive, and to
secure
freedom for the glad tidings of Redemption of which he was
the
herald. As he journeyed on he rested for some days at the
house of a
chieftain named Secsnen, who with his household joyfully
embraced the
Faith. The youthful Benen, or Benignus, son of the chief,
was in a
special way captivated by the Gospel doctrines and the
meekness of
Patrick. Whilst the saint slumbered he would gather
sweet-scented
flowers and scatter them over his bosom, and when Patrick
was setting
out, continuing his journey towards Tara, Benen clung to his
feet declaring that nothing would sever him from him.
"Allow him to
have his way", said St. Patrick to the chieftain, "he shall
be heir
to my sacred mission." Thenceforth Benen was the
inseparable companion of the saint, and the prophecy was
fulfilled,
for Benen is named among the "comhards" or successors of
St. Patrick
in Armagh. It was on 26 March, Easter Sunday, in 433, that
the
eventful assembly was to meet at Tara, and the decree went
forth
that from the preceeding day the fires throughout the
kingdom should
be extinguished until the signal blaze was kindled at the
royal
mansion. The chiefs and Brehons came in full numbers and
the
druids too would muster all their strength to bid defiance
to the
herald of good tidings and to secure thehold of their
superstition
on the Celtic race, for their demoniac oracles had
announces that
the messenger of Christ had come to Erin. St. Patrick
arrived at the
hill of Slane, at the opposite extremity of the valley from
Tara, on
Easter Eve, in that year the feast of the Annunciation, and
on the
summit of the hill kindled the Paschal fire. The druids at
once
raised their voice. "O King", (they said) "live for ever;
this fire,
which has been lighted in defiance of the royal edict, will
blaze for
ever in this land unless it be this very night
extinguished." By
order of the king and the agency of the druids, repeated
attempts
were made to extinguish the blessed fire and to punish with
death the
intruder who had disobeyed the royal command. But the fire
was
not extinguished and Patrick shielded by the Divine power
came
unscathed from their snares and assaults. On Easter Day the
missionary band having at their head the youth Benignus
bearing aloft
a copy of the Gospels, and followed by St. Patrick who with
mitre
and crozier was arrayed in full episcopal attire, proceeded
in
processional order to Tara. The druids and magicians put
forth all
their strength and employed all their incantations to
maintain their
sway over the Irish race, but the prayer and faith of
Patrick
achieved a glorious triumph. The druids by their
incantations
overspread the hill and surrounding plain with a cloud of
worse then
Egyptian darkness. Patrick defied them to remove that
cloud, and
when all their efforts were made in vain, at his prayer the
sun sent
forth its rays and the brightest sunshine lit up the scene.
Again
by demoniac power the Arch-Druid Lochru, like Simon Magus
of old, was
lifted up high in the air, but when Patrick knelt in prayer
the druid
from his flight was dashed to pieces upon a rock. Thus was
the final
blow given to paganism in the presence of all the assembled
chieftains. It was, indeed, a momentous day for the Irish
race.
Twice Patrick pleaded for the Faith before Leoghaire. The
king had
given orders that no sign of respect was to be extended to
the
strangers, but at the first meeting the youthful Erc, a
royal page,
arose to show him reverence; and at the second, when all the
chieftains were assembled, the chief-bard Dubhtach showed
the
same honour to the saint. Both these heroic men became
fervent
disciples of the Faith and bright ornaments of the Irish
Church. It
was on this second solemn occasion that St. Patrick is said
to have
plucked a shamrock from the sward, to explain by its triple
leaf and
single stem, in some rough way, to the assembled
chieftains, the
great doctrine of the Trinity. On that bright Easter Day,
the triumph of religion at Tara was complete. The Ard-Righ
granted
permission to Patrick to preach the Faith throughout the
length and
breadth of Erin, and the druidical prophecy like the words
of Balaam
of old would be fulfilled: the sacred fire now kindled by
the
saint would never be extinguished.
The beautiful prayer of St.
Patrick, popularly known as
"St. Patrick's Breast-Plate"
, is
supposed to have been composed by him in preparation for
this victory
over Paganism. The following is a literal translation from
the old
Irish text:
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue
of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the
Unity
The Creator of the Universe.
I bind to myself
today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His
Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The
virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His
coming on the Judgement Day.
I bind to myself today
The
virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In
the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of
Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of
Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy
Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I bind to myself
today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The
brightness of the moon,
The splendour of fire,
The flashing of
lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The
stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.
I bind to
myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold
me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over
me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me
speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before
me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure
me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of
vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who
meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or
with many.
I invoke today all these virtues
Against every
hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my
soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the
black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of
heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of
women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds
the soul of man.
Christ, protect me today
Against every
poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against
death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.
Christ
with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within
me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right,
Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort,
Christ in the chariot
seat,
Christ in the poop,
Christ in the heart of everyone who
thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to
me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that
hears me.
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an
invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the
Unity
The Creator of the Universe.
St. Patrick
remained during Easter week at Slane and Tara, unfolding to
those
around him the lessons of Divine truth. Meanwhile the
national games
were being celebrated a few miles distant at Tailten (now
Telltown)
in connection with the royal feast. St. Patrick proceeding
thither
solemnly administered
baptism
to Conall, brother of the Ard-Righ
Leoghaire, on Wednesday, 5 April. Benen and others had
already been
privately gathered into the fold of Christ, but this was
the first
public administering of baptism, recognized by royal edict,
and hence
in the ancient Irish Kalendars to the fifth of April is
assigned
"the beginning of the Baptism of Erin". This first
Christian royal
chieftain made a gift to Patrick of a site for a church
which to the
present day retains the name of Donagh-Patrick. The
blessing of
heaven was with Conall's family.
St. Columba
is reckoned among his
descendants, and many of the kings of Ireland until the
eleventh
century were of his race. St. Patrick left some of his
companions
to carry on the work of evangelization in Meath, thus so
auspiciously
begun. He would himself visit the other territories. Some
of the
chieftains who had come to Tara were from Focluth, in the
neighbourhood of Killala, in Connaught, and as it was the
children
of Focluth who in vision had summoned him to return to
Ireland, he
resolved to accompany those chieftains on their return,
that thus the
district of Focluth would be among the first to receive the
glad
tidings of Redemption. It affords a convincing proof of the
difficulties that St. Patrick had to overcome, that though
full
liberty to preach the Faith throughout Erin was granted by
the
monarch of Leoghaire, nevertheless, in order to procure a
safe
conduct through the intervening territories whilst
proceeding towards
Connaught he had to pay the price of fifteen slaves. On his
way thither, passing through Granard he learned that at
Magh-Slecht,
not far distant, a vast concourse was engaged in offering
worship to
the chief idol Crom-Cruach. It was a huge pillar-stone,
covered with
slabs of gold and silver, with a circle of twelve minor
idols around
it. He proceeded thither, and whith his crosier smote the
chief idol
that crumbled to dust; the others fell to the ground. At
Killala he
found the whole people of the territory assembled. At his
preaching,
the king and his six sons, with 12,000 of the people,
became docile
to the Faith. He spent seven years visiting every district
of
Connaught, organizing parishes, forming dioceses, and
instructing the
chieftains and people. One the occasion of his first visit
to
Rathcrogan, the royal seat of the kings of Connaught,
situated near
Tulsk, in the County of Roscommon, a remarkable incident
occurred,
recorded in many of the authentic narratives of the saint's
life.
Close by the clear fountain of Clebach, not far from the
royal abode,
Patrick and his venerable companions had pitched their
tents and at
early dawn were chanting the praises of the Most High, when
the two
daughters of the Irish monarch -- Ethne, the fair, and
Fedelm, the
ruddy -- came thither, as was their wont, to bathe.
Astonished at
the vision that presented itself to them, the royal maidens
cried
out: "Who are ye, and whence do ye come? Are ye phantoms,
or
fairies, or friendly mortals?" St. Patrick said to them:
"It were
better you would adore and worship the one true God, whom
we announce
to you, than that you would satisfy your curiosity by such
vain questions." And then Eithne broke forth into the
questions:
"Who is God?"
"And where is God?"
"Where
is His dwelling?"
"Has He sons and daughters?"
"Is He rich in
silver and gold?"
"Is He everlasting? is He beautiful?"
"Are
His daughters dear and lovely to the men of this world?"
"Is He
on the heavens or on earth?"
"In the sea, in rivers, in
mountains, in valleys?"
"Make Him known to us. How is He to be
seen?"
"How is He to be loved? How is He to be found?"
"Is it
in youth or is it in old age that He may be found?"
But St. Patrick, filled with the
Holy Ghost, made answer:
"God, whom we announce to you, is the Ruler of
all things."
"The God of heaven and earth, of the sea and the
rivers."
"The God of the sun, and the moon, and all the
stars."
"The God of the high mountains and of the lowlying
valleys."
"The God who is above heaven, and in heaven, and under
heaven."
"His dwelling is in heaven and earth, and the sea, and
all therein."
"He gives breath to all."
"He gives life to
all."
"He is over all."
"He upholds all."
"He gives light
to the sun."
"He imparts splendour to the moon."
"He has made
wells in the dry land, and islands in the ocean."
"He has
appointed the stars to serve the greater lights."
"His Son is
co-eternal and co-equal with Himself."
"The Son is not younger
than the Father."
"And the Father is not older than the
Son."
"And the Holy Ghost proceeds from them."
"The Father and
the Son and the Holy Ghost are undivided."
"But I desire by Faith
to unite you to the Heavenly King, as you are daughters of
an
earthly king."
The maidens, as if with one voice and one
heart, said: "Teach us most carefully how we may believe in
the
Heavenly King; show us how we may behold Him
face to face, and we
will do whatsoever you shall say to us."
And when he had
instructed tham he said to them: "Do you believe that by
baptism you
put off the sin inherited from the first parents."
They answered:
"We believe."
"Do you believe in penance after sin?"
"We
believe."
"Do you believe in life after death?" Do you believe in
resurrection on the Day of Judgement?"
"We believe."
"Do you
believe in the unity of the Church?"
"We believe."
Then they
were baptized, and were clothed in white garments. And they
besought that they might behold the face of Christ. And
the saint
said to them: "You cannot see the face of Christ unless you
taste
death, and unless you receive the
Sacrifice." They answered: "Give
us the Sacrifice, so that we may be able to behold our
Spouse." And
the ancient narrative adds: "when they received the
Eucharist of God,
they slept in death, and they were placed upon a couch,
arrayed in
their white baptismal robes."
In 440 St. Patrick entered on the
special work of the conversion of Ulster. Under the
following year,
the ancient annalists relate a wonderful spread of the Faith
throughout the province. In 444 a site for a church was
granted at
Armagh by Daire, the chieftain of the district. It was in
a valley
at the foot of a hill, but the saint was not content. He
had
special designs in his heart for that district, and at
length the
chieftain told him to select in his territory any site he
would
deemmost suitable for his religious purpose. St. Patrick
chose that
beautiful hill on which the old cathedral of Armagh stands.
As he
was marking out the church with his companions, they came
upon a doe
and fawn, and the saint's companions would kill them for
food; but
St. Patrick would not allow them to do so, and, taking the
fawn upon
his shoulders, and followed by the doe, he proceeded to a
neighbouring hill, and laid down the fawn, and announced
that there,
in future times, great glory would be given to the Most
High. It was
precisely upon that hill thus fixed by St. Patrick that, a
few years
ago, there was solemnly dedicated the new and beautiful
Catholic cathedral of Armagh. A representative of the Holy
See
presided on the occasion, and hundreds of priests and
bishops were
gathered there; and, indeed, it might truly be said, the
whole
Irish race on that occasion offered up that glorious
cathedral to
the Most High as tribute to their united faith and piety,
and their
never-failing love of God.
From Ulster St. Patrick
probably proceeded to Meath to consolidate the organization
of the
communities there, and thence he continued his course
through
Leinster. Two of the saint's most distinguished companions,
St. Auxilius and St. Iserninus, had the rich valley of the
Liffey
assigned to them. The former's name is still retained in
the church
which he founded at Killossy, while the latter is
honoroured as the
first Bishop of Kilcullen. As usual, St. Patrick's primary
care was
to gather the ruling chieftains into the fold. At Naas,
the royal
residence in those days, he baptised two sons of the King of
Leinster. Memorials of the saint still abound in the
district ---
the ruins of the ancient church which he founded, his holy
well, and
the hallowed sites in which the power of God was shown
forth in
miracles. At Sletty, in the immediate neighborhood of
Carlow,
St. Fiacc,
son of the chief Brehon, Dubthach, was installed as bishop,
and for a considerable time that see continued to be the
chief centre
of religion for all Leinster. St. Patrick proceeded
through Gowran
into Ossory; here he erected a church under the invocation
of St.
Martin, near the present city of Kilkenny, and enriched it
with many
precious relics which he had brought from Rome. It was in
Leinster,
on the borders of the present counties of Kildare and
Queen's,
that Odhran, St. Patrick's charioteer, attained the
martyr's crown.
The chieftain of that district honoured the demon-idol,
Crom Cruach,
with special worship, and, on hearing of that idol being
cast down,
vowed to avenge the insult by the death of our apostle.
Passing
through the territory, Odhran overheard the plot that was
being
organized for the murder of St. Patrick, and as they were
setting out
in the chariot to continue their journey, asked the saint,
as a
favour, to take thereins, and to allow himself, for the
day, to hold
the place of honour and rest. This was granted,and
scarcely had
they set out when a well-directed thrust of a lance pierced
the
heart of the devoted charioteer, who thus, by changing
places, saved
St. Patrick's life, and won for himself the martyr's crown.
St. Patrick next proceeded to Munster. As usual, his
efforts were
directed to combat error in the chief centres of authority,
knowing
well that, in the paths of conversion, the kings and
chieftains would
soon be followed by their subjects. At "Cashel of the
Kings" he was
received with great enthusiasm, the chiefs and Brehons and
people
welcoming him with joyous acclaim. While engaged in the
baptism of
the royal prince Aengus, son of the King of Munster, the
saint,
leaning on his crosier, peirced with its sharp point the
prince's
foot. Aengus bore the pain unmoved. When St. Patrick, at
the close
of the ceremony, saw the blood flow, and asked him why he
had been
silent, he replied, with genuine heroism, that he thought
it might
be part of the ceremony, a penalty for the joyous blessings
of the
Faith that were imparted. The saint admired his heroism,
and, taking
the chieftain's shield, inscribed on it a cross with the
same point
of the crozier, and promised that that shield would be the
signal of
countless spiritual and temporal triumphs. Our apostle
spent a
considerable time in the present County of Limerick. The
fame of
his miracles and sanctity had gone before him, and the
inhabitants of
Thomond and northern Munster, crossing the Shannon in their
frail
coracles, hastened to receive his instruction. When giving
his blessing to them on the summit of the hill of Finnime,
looking
out on the rich plains before him, he is said to have
prophesied the
coming of St. Senanus: "To the green island in the West, at
the mouth
of the sea [i.e., Inis-Cathaigh, now Scattery Island, at
the mouth
of the Shannon, near Kilrush], the lamp of the people of
God will
come; he will be the head of counsel to all this
territory." At
Sangril (now Singland), in Limerick, and also in the
district of
Gerryowen, the holy wells of the saint are pointed out, and
the slab
of rock, which served for his bed, and the altar on which
every day
he offered up the Holy Sacrifice. On the banks of the
Suit, and
the Blackwater, and the Lee, wherever the saint preached
during the
seven years he spent in Munster, a hearty welcome awaited
him. The
ancient Life attests: "After Patrick had founded cells and
churches
in Munster, and had ordained persons of every grade, and
healed the
sick, and resuscitated the dead, he bade them farewell, and
imparted
his blessing to them." The words of this blessing, which
is said to
have been given from the hills of Tipperary, as registered
in
the saint's Life, to which I have just referred, are
particularly
beautiful:
A blessing on the Munster people --
Men, youths, and women;
A blessing on the land
That yields them fruit.
A blessing on every treasure
That shall be produced on their plains,
Without any
one being in want of help,
God's blessing be on Munster.
A blessing on their peaks,
On their bare flagstones,
A blessing on their glens,
A blessing on their
ridges.
Like the sand of the sea under ships,
Be
the number in their hearths;
On slopes, on plains,
On mountains, on hills, a blessing.
Patrick's ministry covered a period of 60 years. He
founded 365 churches, and a school arose beside each
church. The
schools were frequently called monasteries. The monasteries
of
St. Patrick's day were nothing like the Roman Catholic
monasteries of later years. They were not isolated from the
world
- no vows were taken and
the clergy were always allowed to marry. The monasteries
were
associations of studious men, who occupied their time in
transcribing the Scriptures, in cultivating such sciences
as were
then known, and instructing the young. They were colleges
in which the youth were trained for the work of the home
ministry
and the labors of the foreign mission-field.
St. Patrick
continued until his death to visit and watch over the
churches which
he had foundedin all the provinces in Ireland. He
comforted the
faithful in their difficulties, strengthened them in the
Faith and in
the practice of virtue, and appointed pastors to continue
his work
among them. It is recorded in his Life that he
consecrated no fewer
than 350 bishops. He appointed St. Loman to Trim, which
rivalled
Armaugh itself in its abundant harvest of piety. St.
Guasach, son of
his former master, Milchu, became Bishop of Granard, while
the two
daughters of the same pagan chieftan founded close by, at
Clonbroney,
a convent of pious virgins, and merited the aureola of
sanctity. St.
Mel, nephew of our apostle, had the charge of Ardagh; St.
MacCarthem, who appears to have been patricularly loved by
St.
Patrick, was made Bishop of Clogher. The narrative in the
ancient
Life of the saint regarding his visit to the district of
Costello,
in the County of Mayo, serves to illustrate his manner of
dealing
with the chieftains. He found, it says,the chief, Ernasc,
and his
son, Loarn, sitting under a tree, "with whom he remained,
together with his twelve companions, for a week, and they
received
from him the doctrine of salvation with attentive ear and
mind.
Meanwhile he instructed Loarn in the rudiments of learning
and piety." A church was erected there, and, in after
years, Loarn
was appointed to its charge.
The manifold virtues by which the
early saints were distinguished shone forth in all their
perfection
in the life of St. Patrick. When not engaged in the work
of the
sacred ministry, his whole time was spent in prayer. Many
times in
the day he armed himself with the sign of the Cross. He
never
relaxed his penetential exercises. Clothed in a rough
hair-shirt,
he made the hard rock his bed. His disinterestedness is
specially
commemorated. Countless coverts of high rank would cast
their
precious ornaments at his feet, but all were restored to
them. He
had not come to Erin in search of material wealth, but to
enrich her
with the priceless treasures of the Catholic Faith. From
time to
time he withdrew from the spiritual duties of his apostolate
to devote himself wholly to prayer and penance. One of his
chosen
places of solitude and retreat was the island of Lough
Derg, which,
to our own day, has continued to be a favourite resort of
pilgrims,
and it is known as
St. Patrick's Purgatory. Another theatre of his
miraculous power and piety and penetential austerities in
the west
of Ireland merits particular attention. In the far west of
Connaught
there is a range of tall mountains, which, arrayed in rugged
majesty, bid defiance to the waves and storms of the
Atlantic. At
the head of this range arises a stately cone in solitary
grandeur,
about 4000 feet in height, facing Crew Bay, and casting its
shadow
over the adjoining districts of Aghagower and Westport.
This
mountain was known in pagan times as the Eagle Mountain,
but ever
since Ireland was enlightened with the light of Faith it is
known
as
Croagh Patrick, or St. Patrick's mountain, and is honoured
as
the Holy Hill, the Mount Sinai, of Ireland. St. Patrick, in
obedience to his guardian angel, made this mountain his
hallowed
place of retreat. In imitation of the great Jewish
legislator on
Sinai, he spent forty days on its summit in fasting and
prayer, and
other penetential exercises. His only shelter from the
fury of
the elements, the wind and rain, the hail and snow, was a
cave, or
recess, in the solid rock; and the flagstone on which he
rested his
weary limbs at night is still pointed out. The whole
purpose ofhis
prayer was to obtain special blessings and mercy for the
Irish race,
whom he evangelized. The demons that made Ireland their
battlefield
mustered all their strength to tempt the saint and disturb
him in his
solitude, and turn him away, if possible, from his pious
purpose.
They gathered around the hill in the form of vast flocks of
hideous
birds of prey. So dense were their ranks that they seemed
to cover
the whole mountain, like a cloud, and they so filled the air
that Patrick could see neither sky nor earth nor ocean.
St. Patrick
besought God to scatter the demons, but for a time it would
seem as
if his prayers and tears were in vain. At length he rang
his
sweet-sounding bell, symbol of his preaching of the Divine
truths.
Its sound was heard all over the valleys and hills of Erin,
everywhere bringing peace and joy. The flocks of demons
began to
scatter, He flung his bell among them; they took to
precipitate
flight, and cast themselves into the ocean. So complete
was the
saint's victory over them that, as the ancient narrative
adds, "for
seven years no evil thing was to be found in Ireland." The
saint,
however, would not, as yet, descend from the mountain. He
had
vanquished the demons, but he would now wrestle with God
Himself,
like Jacob of old, to secure the spiritual interests of his
people.
The angel had announced to him that, to reward his fidelity
in
prayer and penance, as many of his people would be gathered
into
heaven as would cover the land and sea as far as his vision
could
reach. Far more ample, however, were the aspirations of
the saint,
and he resolved to persevere in fasting and prayer until
the fullest
measure of his petition was granted. Again and again the
angel came
to comfort him, announcing new concessions; but all these
would
notsuffice. He would not relinquish his post on the
mountain, or
relax his penance, until all were granted. At length the
message
came that his prayers were heard:
-
many souls would be
free from the pains of purgatory through his intercession;
-
whoever in the spirit of penance would recite his hymn
before
death would attain the heavenly reward;
-
barbarian hordes would
never obtain sway in his Church;
-
seven years before the Judgement
Day, the sea would spread over Ireland to save its people
from the
temptations and terrors of the
antichrist; and
-
greatest blessing
of all, Patrick himself should be deputed to judge the
whole Irish
race on the last day.
Such were the extraordinary favors which
St. Patrick, with his wrestling with the Most High, his
unceasing
prayers, his unconquerable love of heavenly things, and his
unremitting penetential deeds, obtained for the people whom
he
evangelized.
It is sometimes supposed that St. Patrick's
apostolate in Ireland was an unbroken series of peaceful
triumphs,
and yet it was quite the reverse. No storm of persecution
was,
indeed stirred up to assail the infant Church, but the
saint himself
was subjected to frequent trials at the hands of the druids
and of
other enemies of the Faith. He tells us in his "Confessio"
that no
fewer than twelve times he and his companions were seized
and carried
off as captives, and on one occasion in particular he was
loaded with
chains, and his death was decreed. But from all these
trials
and sufferings he was liberated by a benign Providence. It
is on
account of the many hardships which he endured for the
Faith that, in
some of the ancient Martyrologies, he is honoured as a
martyr. St.
Patrick, having now completed his triumph over Paganism, and
gathered Ireland into the fold of Christ, prepared for the
summons to
his reward. St. Brigid came to him with her chosen
virgins, bringing
the shroud in which he would be enshrined. It is recorded
that when
St. Patrick and St. Brigid were united in their last
prayer, a
special vision was shown to him. He saw the whole of
Ireland lit up
with the brightest rays of Divine Faith. This continued
for centuries, and then clouds gathered around the devoted
island,
and, little by little, the religious glory faded away,
until, in the
course of centuries, it was only in the remotest valleys
that
some glimmer of its light remained. St. Patrick prayed
that the
light would never be extinguished, and, as he prayed, the
angel came
to him and said: "Fear not: your apostolate shall never
cease." As
he thus prayed, the glimmering light grew in brightness,
and ceased
not until once more all the hills and valleys of Ireland
were lit up
in their pristine splendour, and then the angel announced
to St.
Patrick: "Such shall be the abiding splendour of Divine
truth in
Ireland." At Saul (Sabhall), St. Patrick received the
summons to his
reward on 17 March, 493. St. Tassach administered the last
sacraments to him. His remains were wrapped in the shroud
woven by
St. Brigid's own hands. The bishops and clergy and
faithful people
from all parts crowded around his remains to pay due honour
to the
Father of their Faith. Some of the ancient Lives record
that for
several days the light of heaven shone around his bier.
His
remains were interred at the chieftan's Dun or Fort two
miles from
Saul, where in after times arose the cathedral of Down.
The
Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland
by
the Four Masters states that by the year 438 Christianity
had
made such progress in Ireland that the laws were changed to
agree
with the Gospel. That means that in 6 years a 60 year old
man was able to so
change the country that even the laws were amended. St.
Patrick
had no printing press, no finances, few helpers and Ireland
had
no Roman roads to travel on. Even the 12 apostles with all
their
miracles never accomplished a feat like that.