Difference between revisions of "Saint Patrick" - New World Encyclopedia

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'''Saint Patrick''' (386–March 17, 461 Downpatrick,Ireland), was a [[missionary]] and is the [[patron saint]] of [[Ireland]]. He is also the patron saint of excluded people, [[engineer]]s, and [[Nigeria]].  Nigeria was [[evangelized]] primarily by Irish [[missionaries]] and [[priest]]s from Saint Patrick's Missionary Society known as the Kiltegan Missionaries.
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'''Saint Patrick''' (fifth century C.E.) was a Christian missionary involved in the evangelization of [[Ireland]]. Born in [[Britain]] but captured as a youth by Irish warriors, it is said that Patrick was called by [[God]] to escape from his slavery. He fled to mainland [[Europe]] where he studied at a [[monastery]] to become a [[missionary]]. Eventually consecrated as a bishop, he returned to Ireland to spread the [[gospel]] to the people.
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Many legends are told about St. Patrick's activities in Ireland including a story that he used the three-leaf shamrock to teach the masses about the [[Trinity|Holy Trinity]]. It is also said that he banished all serpents from the island. Today, St. Patrick is celebrated as Ireland's patron saint.
  
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Saint Patrick is sometimes referred to as "Maewyn Succat." Some believe that this was his birth name. He is also known as Patricius and Patrizio.
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==History==
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==Early Life==
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===Birth and Early Life===
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The exact location of St. Patrick's birthplace is uncertain. His own writing, ''Confessio'' identifies his birthplace as the town of ''vico banavem'' in Taburnia. However, the location of this town has never been identified. Many think that St. Patrick was born somewhere along the west coast of [[Scotland]]. Suggested sites for his birthplace include Dumbarton, Furness, Somerset, and Kilpatrick.<ref> North-West Evening Mail, [http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=262271 Furness Dig May Have Found St Patrick’s Birthplace] Retrieved May 16, 2007. </ref>
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[[Image:Slemish mountain County Antrim.jpg|right|thumb|Slemish, mountain in County Antrim where St Patrick is reputed to have shepherded as a slave]]
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Patrick was born during the fifth century when Britain was undergoing turmoil following the withdrawal of Roman troops due to the collapse of Roman central authority. Having been under the Roman cloak for over 350 years, the Romano-British had to begin looking after themselves. Populations were on the move and the recently converted British Christians were being colonized by pagan Anglo-Saxons. At this time, Patrick was swept away by Irish marauders when he was only 16 years old. Along with thousands of other people, Patrick was sold as a slave. He was sold to an especially cruel master who was a [[Druid]] priest by the name of Milchu. Patrick's captivity lasted for six years. Although it was harsh, his time as a slave in Ireland allowed him to master the Celtic culture and language. It was on the hillsides and woodlands near Ballymena, where Patrick tended sheep, that he formed a profound relationship with God. Patrick stated "The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was roused, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain.”<ref> Catholic Online, [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89 St. Patrick.] Retrieved May 16, 2007. </ref>
  
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He was thought to have been born somewhere along the west coast of [[Britain]] in the little [[village]] of ''Bannavem'' of Taburnia, named ''vico banavem taburniae'' in his ''Confessio''. This town has never been identified with certainty as his birthplace. Kilpatrick, Scotland, is thought to be his birthplace according the the catholic annuls.  Some of the other suggested sites include Dumbarton, Furness[http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=262271] and Somerset.
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It is said that one day an [[Angels|angel]] appeared to Patrick in a dream and admonished him, telling him to leave the Druid’s place of servitude. In obedience, he escaped, traveling approximately two hundred miles on foot. When he reached Westport, a city along the coast, he boarded a ship and sailed on the Irish Sea back to Britain. Although he was back in his homeland, his heart was in service to God. His zeal for a religious life led him to Auxerre, France. There Patrick studied under [[St. Germaine]] of Auxerre for 18 years and was eventually appointed into the [[priesthood]]. St. Germaine recommended the new priest to Pope Celestine who gave St. Patrick his name "Patecius" or "Patritius." It later became "Pater Civium" (the father of his people).
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===Patrick's return to Ireland===
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St. Patrick longed to return to Ireland. This desire became a reality when St. Germaine asked him to go to Erin, (another name for Ireland) as a missionary.
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Around the year 432 C.E., St. Patrick and his companions arrived in hostile Irish territory at the mouth of Vantry River. Patrick visited Ballymena where he had been a slave. He sent word to his former master, Milchu, that in payment for his cruelty and the years of Patrick’s servitude, he was to receive blessing and freedom as God's child. However, when Milchu learned of the Irish apostles coming, he was afraid and committed suicide.
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===Mission===
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His first converted patron was St. Dichu, a Druid priest, who raised his sword to kill St. Patrick, was paralyzed and unable to strike. This experience created in Dichu respect and loyalty toward Patrick, and he made a gift of a large ''sabhall'' (barn) for a church sanctuary. This first sanctuary became, in later years, St. Patrick’s chosen retreat. A monastery and church were erected there, and there Patrick died; the site, Saul County Down, retains the name ''Sabhall'' (pronounced "Sowel").
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The [[Episcopal See]] at Armagh was organized by St. Patrick. The choice of Armagh may have been determined by the presence of a powerful king. There St. Patrick had a school and presumably a small ''familia'' in residence. From this base he made his missionary journeys. He established the churches into territorial sees, as was common in both the east and west. He encouraged the Irish to dedicate themselves to God by becoming monks and nuns, although it took many centuries before the monastery was the principal unit of the Irish Church.  
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St. Patrick’s chief concerns were the raising of native clergy and abolishing Paganism, idolatry, and sun worship. He made no distinction of classes in his preaching and was himself ready for imprisonment or death. He was the first writer to condemn all forms of slavery.
 
   
 
   
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Patrick's parents were Calphurnius and Conchessa of high Roman-Christian descent.  They had held the office of decerio in Britain or Gaul. His Grandfather was a catholic priest. Britain at this time (407-410) was undergoing turmoil following the withdrawal of Roman troops and Roman central authority. Having been under the Roman cloak for over 350 years, the Romano-British were having to look after themselves. Populations were on the move on the European continent, and the recently converted British Christians were being colonised by pagan [[Anglo-Saxons]]. One can imagine the chaos in Britain during this time. So it was when Patrick was only sixteen years old he was swept away by Irish marauders along with "thousands" of other people. They were sold as slaves.  Patrick was sold to an especially cruel master who was a [[druid]] priest by the name of Milchu. His captivity lasted for six years and though harsh, it availed Patrick the mastery of the Celtic culture and language. It was there, on the hillsides and woodlands near Ballymena or Slemish, where Patrick tended sheep, that he  formed a profound relationship with God. Patrick stated "The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was roused, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain."[http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89]
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St. Patrick frequently wrote that he expected to be violently killed or enslaved again. His ''Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus'' protesting British slave trading and the stance he took against the slaughter of Irish Christians by Coroticus's Welshmen put his life in danger. This is the first identified literature of the British or Celtic Catholic Church.<ref> St. Patrick, [http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/p02.html A Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus.] Retrieved May 16, 2007. </ref>
  
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One day an angel appeared to him in a dream and admonished him, telling him to leave the druids place of servitude. In obedience to the admonition, he escaped, travelling for about 200 miles by foot, until he reached Westport, a city along the coast. There he boarded a ship and sailed on the Irish Sea back to Britain. Although he was back with friends, his heart was in service to God. His religious life led him to Auxerre, France, where he was later appointed by St. Germaine into the Priesthood. Patrick studied under St. Germaine for 18 years. The Saint recommended him to Pope Celestine. Celestine gave him his name Patecius, Patritius. It later became Pater Civium (the father of his people).
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Patrick was not the first Christian missionary to evangelize Ireland; Men such as Secundus and Palladius were active there before him. However, tradition accredits St. Patrick as having the most impact. St. Patrick's missionary work was concentrated mostly in the provinces of Ulster and Connaught, which had little familiarity with Christianity. St. Patrick traveled extensively throughout the country preaching, teaching, building churches, opening schools and monasteries, and converting chiefs and Bards. He is said to have consecrated 350 Bishops. It is also alleged that his preaching was supported by miracles.
  
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==Patrick's return to Ireland==
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===Death: a contentious date===
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Patrick died in 493 C.E. according to the latest reconstruction of the old Irish annals. Prior to the 1940s it was believed without doubt that he died in 461 and thus had lived in the first half of the fifth century. However, a lecture entitled ''The Two Patricks,'' published in 1942 by T. F. O'Rahilly, caused enormous controversy by proposing that there had been two "Patricks:" Palladius and Patrick. O’Rahilly claimed that what we now know of St. Patrick was actually, in part, a conscious effort to meld the two [[hagiography|hagiographic]] personalities into one. Decades of contention have ended with most historians asserting that St. Patrick was indeed most likely to have been active in the mid to late fifth-century.
  
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Patrick longed to return to Ireland. This desire became reality when St. Germaine asked him to go on to Erin, (another name for Ireland) as a missionary.
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The compiler of the Annals of Ulster stated that in the year 553 C.E.:
  
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In the summer of 433 Patrick and his companions arrived at the mouth of Vantry River in hostile Irish territory.  Patrick visited Ballymena where he had been a slave. He sent word to his former master, Milchu, that in payment for his servitude and cruelity  he was to receive the Blessing and freedom as God's child. However, when Milchu learned of the Irish aposltes coming, he was afraid and set himself and his mansion aflame.
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<blockquote>I have found this in the Book of Cuanu: The relics of Patrick were placed sixty years after his death in a shrine by Colum Cille. Three splendid halidoms were found in the burial-place: his goblet, the Angel's Gospel, and the Bell of the Testament. This is how the angel distributed the halidoms: the goblet to Dún, the Bell of the Testament to Ard Macha, and the Angel's Gospel to Colum Cille himself. The reason it is called the Angel's Gospel is that Colum Cille received it from the hand of the angel.</blockquote>
  
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==Mission==
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The placement of this event in the year 553 C.E. would certainly seem to place St. Patrick's death in 493 C.E., or at least in the early years of that decade.  
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His first converted patron was  Saint Dichu. Dichu was a druidian priest who raised his sword to kill the missionary Patrick. His arm became stiff and unable to strike. After this experience, Dichu respected and followed Patrick. He made a gift of a large ''sabhall''(barn) for a church sanctuary.  This first sanctuary dedicated by St Patrick became, in later years, his chosen retreat. A monastery and church were erected there, and there Patrick died; the site, [[Saul County Down]], retains the name ''Sabhall'' (pronounced "Sowel").
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Patrick wrote that he expected on a daily basis, to be violently killed or enslaved again due to his stong fight against the unjust. His Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus protested British slave trading. He also protested the slaughter of Irish Christians by Coroticus's Welshmen. This is the first identified literature of the British or Celtic Catholic Church.[5]. Patrick gathered many followers, including Saint Benignus, who would become his successor. His chief concerns were the raising up of native clergy, and abolishing Paganism, idolatry, and Sun-worship. He made no distinction of classes in his preaching and was himself ready for imprisonment or death. He was the first writer to condemn all forms of slavery
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For most of Christianity's first one thousand years, [[Canonization|canonizations]] were done on the diocesan or regional level. Relatively soon after very holy people died, the local Church affirmed that they could be liturgically celebrated as saints.<ref> St. Anthony Messenger, [http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Mar2001/Wiseman.asp#F4 Was St. Patrick Canonized?] Retrieved May 16, 2007. </ref>
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For this reason, St. Patrick was never formally canonized by the [[Pope]].
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Patrick set up his Episcopal see at Armagh and organized the church into territorial sees, as elsewhere in the West and East. While Patrick encouraged the Irish to become monks and nuns, it is not certain that he was a monk himself. It is even less likely that in his time the monastery became the principal unit of the Irish Church, although it was in later periods.  The choice of Armagh may have been determined by the presence of a powerful king. There Patrick had a school and presumably a small ''familia'' in residence; from this base he made his missionary journeys.  
 
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Patrick was not the first Christian missionary to Ireland, as men such as Secundus and Palladius were active there before him. Although there seems to be little contact with the Pallaian Christians. Tradition accords Patrick with the most impact. His missions seem to have been concentrated in the provinces of Ulster and Connaught, whom had never before experienced Christianity. Patrick established the Church throughout Ireland on lasting foundations. He travelled throughout the country preaching, teaching, building churches, opening schools and monasteries,and converting chiefs and Bards.He is said to have consecrated 350 Bishops. Everywhere he went his preaching was supported with miracles. Patrick was noted for his meekness and humility. Benen the son of Secsnen, a druid chieftan, so loved Patrick that while he slept he showered him with sweet scented flowers. Many of his convertees wanted to give gifts to him, but he always returned them. He instead wore a [[hair shirt]] and made the hard rock his bed. He simply wanted to bring the truth and  blessings of God to the Irish people by teaching and defending Christianity. One famous story is told of the annual vernal fire lit by the High King of Ireland at Tara. All the fires were to be  extinguished so they could be renewed from the sacred fire from Tara. Patrick lit a rival, miraculously inextinguishable ''Christian'' bonfire on the hill of Slane, at the opposite end of the valley. This season was associated with [[Easter]] by chroniclers who followed Patrick's own account in his ''Confessio.'
 
  
 
==Legends==
 
==Legends==
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"Whence is it that in Ireland, those who never had the knowledge of a God, but worshipped even filthy idols,"[http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/idr/idr20.htm]
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There are many legends associated with the life of St. Patrick, which helped to promote the Roman Catholic faith among the Irish population.  
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In Ireland at the time of Patrick, there were many idols. One such idol was called Crom Crauch in Leitrim. It was said to be the principal idol of the colonies. Crom Crauch was a huge golden idol surrounded by twelve brass idols  representing the sun moon and stars. People at that time would offer their firstlings and other sacrifices to these idols. Patrick was said to have thrown down this idol with the "staff of Jesus",and to cast out demons from the stone idols.
 
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Pious legend also credits Patrick with banishing [[snake]]s from the island. Since post-glacial Ireland never actually had snakes it is certain that "snakes" were a symbol representing something else.  [http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/NewsEvents/irelandsnakes.cfm]; One suggestion is that ''snakes'' referred to the [[serpent]] symbolism of the [[Druid]]s of that time and place. One could find such symbol on coins minted in Gaul (see [[Carnutes]]). It could also have referred to beliefs such as [[Pelagianism]], symbolized as "serpents."
 
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Legend also credits Patrick with teaching the Irish about the concept of the [[Trinity]] by showing them the shamrock, a three-leaved clover.  Through this example, Patrick highlighted the Christian [[dogma]] of 'three divine persons in the one God' (as opposed to the [[Arianism|Arian]] belief that was popular in Patrick's time).
 
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It is said that at the time of St. Patrick, Ireland was a land of many idols. The most famous of these was called Crom Crauch located in Leitrim. This idol was a huge rock, overlaid in gold, surrounded by twelve brass covered stones, representing the sun, moon, and stars. People would offer their firstlings and other sacrifices to this idol. Patrick was said to have thrown down Crom Crauch with the "staff of Jesus,” and to call out its demons.
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Patrick wrote that he expected on a daily basis, to be violently killed or enslaved again.  His ''Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus'' protested British slave trading. He also protested the slaughter of Irish Christians by Coroticus's Welshmen. This is the first identified literature of the British or Celtic [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] Church.[http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick#Letter_to_the_Soldiers_of_Coroticus_.28c.450.3F.29].  Patrick gathered many followers, including Saint Benignus, who would become his successor.  His chief concerns were the raising up of native clergy, and abolishing Paganism, idolatry, and Sun-worship. He made no distinction of classes in his preaching and was himself ready for imprisonment or death. He was the first writer to condemn all forms of slavery.  
 
  
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Patrick wrote a very famous prayer called the [[Breast-Plate Prayer]]. It was to mark the end of paganism in Ireland. The Arc Righ of Erin had granted Patrick permission to go and to spread the faith throughout Ireland.
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Another famous story is told of the annual vernal fire lit by the high king of Ireland at Tara. All the fires were to be extinguished so they could be renewed from the sacred fire from Tara. Patrick lit a rival, miraculously inextinguishable Christian bonfire on the hill of Slane, at the opposite end of the valley.  
 
   
 
   
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In his use of Scripture and eschatological expectations, Patrick was typical of the 5th-century bishop. One of the traits which he retained as an old man was a consciousness of being an unlearned exile, a former slave and fugitive, who learned to trust God completely.
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Pious legend also credits Patrick with banishing [[snake]]s from the island. Since post-glacial Ireland never actually had snakes, it is certain that snakes were used as a symbol.<ref>Jill Locantore, [http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/NewsEvents/irelandsnakes.cfm Why Ireland Has No Snakes] Retrieved May 16, 2007. </ref> One suggestion is that snakes referred to the serpent symbolism of the [[Druid]]s of the time. One could find such a symbol on coins minted in Gaul. The snakes could also have been referring to beliefs such as [[Pelagianism]], which is symbolized by serpents.  
  
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==Death: a contentious date==
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Legend also credits Patrick with teaching the Irish about the concept of the [[Trinity]] by showing them the shamrock, a three-leaved clover. Through this example, Patrick highlighted the Christian [[dogma]] of “three divine persons in the one God” (as opposed to the [[Arian]] belief that was popular in Patrick's time).
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Patrick died in AD 493 according to the latest reconstruction of the old Irish annals. Prior to the 1940s it was believed without doubt that he died in 461 and thus had lived in the first half of the 5th century. A lecture entitled ''"The Two Patricks"'', published in 1942 by T. F. O'Rahilly, caused enormous controversy by proposing that there had been two "Patricks", Palladius and Patrick, and that what we now know of St. Patrick was in fact in part a conscious effort to meld the two into one [[hagiography|hagiographic]] personality. Decades of contention eventually ended with most historians now asserting that Patrick was indeed most likely to have been active in the mid-to-late 5th century.  
 
  
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The compiler of the Annals of Ulster stated that in the year 553:
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==Writings==
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[[Image:Book of Armagh.jpg|thumb|200px|A page of text from the Book of Armagh.]]
  
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*''"I have found this in the Book of Cuanu: The relics of Patrick were placed sixty years after his death in a shrine by Colum Cille. Three splendid halidoms were found in the burial-place: his goblet, the Angel's Gospel, and the Bell of the Testament. This is how the angel distributed the halidoms: the goblet to Dún, the Bell of the Testament to Ard Macha, and the Angel's Gospel to Colum Cille himself. The reason it is called the Angel's Gospel is that Colum Cille received it from the hand of the angel."''
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The major writings of St. Patrick's life are his "Confessio," ''(Confessions),'' his ''Epistola ad Coroticum,'' ''(A Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus)'' and his ''Fáed Fíada,'' ''(Breast-Plate Prayer),'' which was thought to have been written to mark the end of Paganism in Ireland.  
  
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The placement of this event under the year 553 would certainly seem to place Patrick's death in 493, or at least in the early years of that decade.  
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Additionally, a ninth century Irish manuscript known as the ''Book of Armagh'' (Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS 52) is thought to have belonged to St. Patrick and, at least in part, to be a product of his hand. The manuscript is also known as the ''Canon of Patrick'' and contains important early texts relating to St. Patrick. These include two ''Lives'' of St. Patrick, one by Muirchu Maccu Machteni and one by Tirechan. Both texts were originally written in the seventhth century. The manuscript also includes other miscellaneous works about St. Patrick including the ''Liber Angueli'' ''(Book of the Angel),'' in which St. Patrick is given the premarital rights of Armagh by an [[Angels|angel]].  
  
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It is believed that March 17 was his death date (according to the ''Encyclopedia Britannica'') and it is the date popularly associated with him as his feast, known as [[St. Patrick's Day]].
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The people of medieval Ireland placed a great value on this manuscript. It was one of the symbols of the office for the [[Archbishop]] of Armagh.
  
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For most of Christianity�s first 1,000 years, canonizations were done on the diocesan or regional level. Relatively soon after very holy people died, the local Church affirmed that they could be liturgically celebrated as saints. [http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Mar2001/Wiseman.asp#F4]
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==Other Accolades==
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For this reason, St. Patrick was never formally canonized by the Pope.
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The [[Orthodox Church]], especially Orthodox Christians living in the British Isles and North America, revere St. Patrick. There have even been icons dedicated to him.<ref> Matthew Garrett, [http://www.comeandseeicons.com/p/mdg01.htm Orthodox Icon of St. Patrick.] Retrieved May 16, 2007. </ref>
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Today St. Patrick is recognized as the patron saint of [[Ireland]] along with St. Brigid and St. Columba. He is also considered to be the patron saint of excluded people. His feast day is March 17th.
  
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==The cult of Patrick==
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St. Patrick is also credited with fostering the development of arts and crafts and introducing the knowledge of the use of lime as mortar in Ireland. He is responsible for the initial construction of clay churches in Ireland in the fifth century. Another of St. Patrick's achievements was teaching the Irish to build arches of lime mortar instead of dry masonry. These beginnings of ceramic work developed into organized crafts, and that is how St. Patrick became a patron saint of engineers.<ref>Alfred University, [http://herrick.alfred.edu/special/archives/traditions/st_pat_history.html History of St. Pat’s Day.] Retrieved May 16, 2007. </ref>
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Two of Patrick's biographers, Muirchú and Tírechán, are believed to have contributed to the cult of Patrick. They overemphasized Patrick's associations with the church of Armagh to make it the center. They wrote ''Life and Times of Patrick'' and ''Memoir of Patrick'' in the late seventh century. Instead of a humble, pious missionary as portrayed in his "Confessio", they created him as an ancient super hero. He was depicted  as fearsome and able to turn men into animals and put curses on people. The cult put Patrick in a place where he was worshipped. Even today in Ireland people use the salutation, "May God, Mary and Patrick bless you".
 
  
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==Orthodox Church==
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St. Patrick is also known as the Patron Saint of [[Nigeria]]. Nigeria was evangelized primarily by Irish missionaries and [[priest]]s from [[Saint Patrick's Missionary Society]] known as the [[Kiltegan Missionaries]].
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The [[Orthodox Church]], especially English speaking orthodox Christians living in the British Isles as well as in North America, also venerate St. Patrick.  There have even been icons dedicated to him[http://www.comeandseeicons.com/sgp07.htm].  All pre-schismatic saints, whether of East or West, are venerated equally.
 
  
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==See also==
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==Notes==
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* [[Cathedral of Saint Patrick]]
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<references/>
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* [[Saint Patrick Parish]]
 
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* [[St. Patrick's Purgatory]]
 
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* [[List of people on stamps of Ireland]]
 
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* [[St. Patrick's Day]]
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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{{wikiquote}}
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*Bieler, L. ed. ''Works of Saint Patrick, St. Secundus: Hymn on St. Patrick.'' Paulist Press, 1978.
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*Bury, J. B. ''The Life of St. Patrick and his Place in History.'' Dover Publications, 1998. ISBN 0486400379
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*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm NewAdvent.org: St. Patrick]
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*Cahill, Thomas. ''How the Irish Saved Civilization.'' ISBN 0385418493 Anchor, 1996.
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*[http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89 Catholic.org: St. Patrick]
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*Freeman, P. ''St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography.'' Simon & Schuster, 2004. ISBN 0743256328
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*[http://www.saintpatrickcentre.com/patrick/index.asp Saint Patrick Centre: Saint Patrick's Legacy]
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*Hanson, R. P. C. ''Saint Patrick: His Origins and Career.'' Oxford, 1997.  
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*[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761553439/Patrick_Saint.html MSN Encarta: Saint Patrick]
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*Moran, Patrick Francis. "St. Patrick," ''Catholic Encyclopedia Volume XI.'' Robert Appleton Company, 1911.
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*[http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/stpatricksday/index.jsp?page=patrick HistoryChannel.com: Who Was St. Patrick?]
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*Skinner, John. ''Confession of Saint Patrick.'' New York: Image, 1998. ISBN 0385491638
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*[http://www.irishabroad.com/stpatrick/life/ IrishAbroad.com: Life and History of St. Patrick]
 
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*[http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Patrick/default.asp AmericanCatholic.org: The Real St. Patrick and Celtic Spirituality]
 
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*[http://www.slate.com/id/2138185/nav/tap1/ Slate.com: St. Patrick Revealed]
 
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*[http://www.orthodoxcentral.com/saints/saintpatrick.htm Saint Patrick in Orthodoxy]
 
  
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===Further reading===
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==External Sources==
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*''Confession of Saint Patrick'', translated by John Skinner (Image 1998)
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All links retrieved December 22, 2022.
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*''How the Irish Saved Civilization'' by Thomas Cahill (Anchor 1996)
 
  
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[[Category:5th century births|Patrick]]
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* NewAdvent, [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm St. Patrick]  
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[[Category:493 deaths|Patrick]]
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* Catholic Online, [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89 St. Patrick]  
  
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[[Category:History of Ireland|Patrick]]
 
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[[Category:Irish saints|Patrick]]
 
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Latest revision as of 00:49, 23 December 2022

Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick (fifth century C.E.) was a Christian missionary involved in the evangelization of Ireland. Born in Britain but captured as a youth by Irish warriors, it is said that Patrick was called by God to escape from his slavery. He fled to mainland Europe where he studied at a monastery to become a missionary. Eventually consecrated as a bishop, he returned to Ireland to spread the gospel to the people.

Many legends are told about St. Patrick's activities in Ireland including a story that he used the three-leaf shamrock to teach the masses about the Holy Trinity. It is also said that he banished all serpents from the island. Today, St. Patrick is celebrated as Ireland's patron saint.

History

Birth and Early Life

The exact location of St. Patrick's birthplace is uncertain. His own writing, Confessio identifies his birthplace as the town of vico banavem in Taburnia. However, the location of this town has never been identified. Many think that St. Patrick was born somewhere along the west coast of Scotland. Suggested sites for his birthplace include Dumbarton, Furness, Somerset, and Kilpatrick.[1]

Slemish, mountain in County Antrim where St Patrick is reputed to have shepherded as a slave

Patrick was born during the fifth century when Britain was undergoing turmoil following the withdrawal of Roman troops due to the collapse of Roman central authority. Having been under the Roman cloak for over 350 years, the Romano-British had to begin looking after themselves. Populations were on the move and the recently converted British Christians were being colonized by pagan Anglo-Saxons. At this time, Patrick was swept away by Irish marauders when he was only 16 years old. Along with thousands of other people, Patrick was sold as a slave. He was sold to an especially cruel master who was a Druid priest by the name of Milchu. Patrick's captivity lasted for six years. Although it was harsh, his time as a slave in Ireland allowed him to master the Celtic culture and language. It was on the hillsides and woodlands near Ballymena, where Patrick tended sheep, that he formed a profound relationship with God. Patrick stated "The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was roused, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain.”[2]

It is said that one day an angel appeared to Patrick in a dream and admonished him, telling him to leave the Druid’s place of servitude. In obedience, he escaped, traveling approximately two hundred miles on foot. When he reached Westport, a city along the coast, he boarded a ship and sailed on the Irish Sea back to Britain. Although he was back in his homeland, his heart was in service to God. His zeal for a religious life led him to Auxerre, France. There Patrick studied under St. Germaine of Auxerre for 18 years and was eventually appointed into the priesthood. St. Germaine recommended the new priest to Pope Celestine who gave St. Patrick his name "Patecius" or "Patritius." It later became "Pater Civium" (the father of his people).

Patrick's return to Ireland

St. Patrick longed to return to Ireland. This desire became a reality when St. Germaine asked him to go to Erin, (another name for Ireland) as a missionary.

Around the year 432 C.E., St. Patrick and his companions arrived in hostile Irish territory at the mouth of Vantry River. Patrick visited Ballymena where he had been a slave. He sent word to his former master, Milchu, that in payment for his cruelty and the years of Patrick’s servitude, he was to receive blessing and freedom as God's child. However, when Milchu learned of the Irish apostles coming, he was afraid and committed suicide.

Mission

His first converted patron was St. Dichu, a Druid priest, who raised his sword to kill St. Patrick, was paralyzed and unable to strike. This experience created in Dichu respect and loyalty toward Patrick, and he made a gift of a large sabhall (barn) for a church sanctuary. This first sanctuary became, in later years, St. Patrick’s chosen retreat. A monastery and church were erected there, and there Patrick died; the site, Saul County Down, retains the name Sabhall (pronounced "Sowel").

The Episcopal See at Armagh was organized by St. Patrick. The choice of Armagh may have been determined by the presence of a powerful king. There St. Patrick had a school and presumably a small familia in residence. From this base he made his missionary journeys. He established the churches into territorial sees, as was common in both the east and west. He encouraged the Irish to dedicate themselves to God by becoming monks and nuns, although it took many centuries before the monastery was the principal unit of the Irish Church.

St. Patrick’s chief concerns were the raising of native clergy and abolishing Paganism, idolatry, and sun worship. He made no distinction of classes in his preaching and was himself ready for imprisonment or death. He was the first writer to condemn all forms of slavery.

St. Patrick frequently wrote that he expected to be violently killed or enslaved again. His Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus protesting British slave trading and the stance he took against the slaughter of Irish Christians by Coroticus's Welshmen put his life in danger. This is the first identified literature of the British or Celtic Catholic Church.[3]

Patrick was not the first Christian missionary to evangelize Ireland; Men such as Secundus and Palladius were active there before him. However, tradition accredits St. Patrick as having the most impact. St. Patrick's missionary work was concentrated mostly in the provinces of Ulster and Connaught, which had little familiarity with Christianity. St. Patrick traveled extensively throughout the country preaching, teaching, building churches, opening schools and monasteries, and converting chiefs and Bards. He is said to have consecrated 350 Bishops. It is also alleged that his preaching was supported by miracles.

Death: a contentious date

Patrick died in 493 C.E. according to the latest reconstruction of the old Irish annals. Prior to the 1940s it was believed without doubt that he died in 461 and thus had lived in the first half of the fifth century. However, a lecture entitled The Two Patricks, published in 1942 by T. F. O'Rahilly, caused enormous controversy by proposing that there had been two "Patricks:" Palladius and Patrick. O’Rahilly claimed that what we now know of St. Patrick was actually, in part, a conscious effort to meld the two hagiographic personalities into one. Decades of contention have ended with most historians asserting that St. Patrick was indeed most likely to have been active in the mid to late fifth-century.

The compiler of the Annals of Ulster stated that in the year 553 C.E.:

I have found this in the Book of Cuanu: The relics of Patrick were placed sixty years after his death in a shrine by Colum Cille. Three splendid halidoms were found in the burial-place: his goblet, the Angel's Gospel, and the Bell of the Testament. This is how the angel distributed the halidoms: the goblet to Dún, the Bell of the Testament to Ard Macha, and the Angel's Gospel to Colum Cille himself. The reason it is called the Angel's Gospel is that Colum Cille received it from the hand of the angel.

The placement of this event in the year 553 C.E. would certainly seem to place St. Patrick's death in 493 C.E., or at least in the early years of that decade.

For most of Christianity's first one thousand years, canonizations were done on the diocesan or regional level. Relatively soon after very holy people died, the local Church affirmed that they could be liturgically celebrated as saints.[4] For this reason, St. Patrick was never formally canonized by the Pope.

Legends

There are many legends associated with the life of St. Patrick, which helped to promote the Roman Catholic faith among the Irish population.

It is said that at the time of St. Patrick, Ireland was a land of many idols. The most famous of these was called Crom Crauch located in Leitrim. This idol was a huge rock, overlaid in gold, surrounded by twelve brass covered stones, representing the sun, moon, and stars. People would offer their firstlings and other sacrifices to this idol. Patrick was said to have thrown down Crom Crauch with the "staff of Jesus,” and to call out its demons.

Another famous story is told of the annual vernal fire lit by the high king of Ireland at Tara. All the fires were to be extinguished so they could be renewed from the sacred fire from Tara. Patrick lit a rival, miraculously inextinguishable Christian bonfire on the hill of Slane, at the opposite end of the valley.

Pious legend also credits Patrick with banishing snakes from the island. Since post-glacial Ireland never actually had snakes, it is certain that snakes were used as a symbol.[5] One suggestion is that snakes referred to the serpent symbolism of the Druids of the time. One could find such a symbol on coins minted in Gaul. The snakes could also have been referring to beliefs such as Pelagianism, which is symbolized by serpents.

Legend also credits Patrick with teaching the Irish about the concept of the Trinity by showing them the shamrock, a three-leaved clover. Through this example, Patrick highlighted the Christian dogma of “three divine persons in the one God” (as opposed to the Arian belief that was popular in Patrick's time).

Writings

A page of text from the Book of Armagh.

The major writings of St. Patrick's life are his "Confessio," (Confessions), his Epistola ad Coroticum, (A Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus) and his Fáed Fíada, (Breast-Plate Prayer), which was thought to have been written to mark the end of Paganism in Ireland.

Additionally, a ninth century Irish manuscript known as the Book of Armagh (Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS 52) is thought to have belonged to St. Patrick and, at least in part, to be a product of his hand. The manuscript is also known as the Canon of Patrick and contains important early texts relating to St. Patrick. These include two Lives of St. Patrick, one by Muirchu Maccu Machteni and one by Tirechan. Both texts were originally written in the seventhth century. The manuscript also includes other miscellaneous works about St. Patrick including the Liber Angueli (Book of the Angel), in which St. Patrick is given the premarital rights of Armagh by an angel.

The people of medieval Ireland placed a great value on this manuscript. It was one of the symbols of the office for the Archbishop of Armagh.

Other Accolades

The Orthodox Church, especially Orthodox Christians living in the British Isles and North America, revere St. Patrick. There have even been icons dedicated to him.[6]

Today St. Patrick is recognized as the patron saint of Ireland along with St. Brigid and St. Columba. He is also considered to be the patron saint of excluded people. His feast day is March 17th.

St. Patrick is also credited with fostering the development of arts and crafts and introducing the knowledge of the use of lime as mortar in Ireland. He is responsible for the initial construction of clay churches in Ireland in the fifth century. Another of St. Patrick's achievements was teaching the Irish to build arches of lime mortar instead of dry masonry. These beginnings of ceramic work developed into organized crafts, and that is how St. Patrick became a patron saint of engineers.[7]

St. Patrick is also known as the Patron Saint of Nigeria. Nigeria was evangelized primarily by Irish missionaries and priests from Saint Patrick's Missionary Society known as the Kiltegan Missionaries.

Notes

  1. ↑ North-West Evening Mail, Furness Dig May Have Found St Patrick’s Birthplace Retrieved May 16, 2007.
  2. ↑ Catholic Online, St. Patrick. Retrieved May 16, 2007.
  3. ↑ St. Patrick, A Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus. Retrieved May 16, 2007.
  4. ↑ St. Anthony Messenger, Was St. Patrick Canonized? Retrieved May 16, 2007.
  5. ↑ Jill Locantore, Why Ireland Has No Snakes Retrieved May 16, 2007.
  6. ↑ Matthew Garrett, Orthodox Icon of St. Patrick. Retrieved May 16, 2007.
  7. ↑ Alfred University, History of St. Pat’s Day. Retrieved May 16, 2007.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Bieler, L. ed. Works of Saint Patrick, St. Secundus: Hymn on St. Patrick. Paulist Press, 1978.
  • Bury, J. B. The Life of St. Patrick and his Place in History. Dover Publications, 1998. ISBN 0486400379
  • Cahill, Thomas. How the Irish Saved Civilization. ISBN 0385418493 Anchor, 1996.
  • Freeman, P. St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography. Simon & Schuster, 2004. ISBN 0743256328
  • Hanson, R. P. C. Saint Patrick: His Origins and Career. Oxford, 1997.
  • Moran, Patrick Francis. "St. Patrick," Catholic Encyclopedia Volume XI. Robert Appleton Company, 1911.
  • Skinner, John. Confession of Saint Patrick. New York: Image, 1998. ISBN 0385491638

External Sources

All links retrieved December 22, 2022.


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