Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick (5th century C.E.) was a Christian missionary and is the patron saint of Ireland. He is also the patron saint of excluded people, engineers, and Nigeria. Nigeria was evangelized primarily by Irish missionaries and priests from Saint Patrick's Missionary Society known as the Kiltegan Missionaries.

Saint Patrick is sometimes referred to as "Maewyn Succat" (meaning: "—Add meaning here-") Some believe that this was his birth name. He is also known as Patricius and Patrizio.

Early Life

In his writing Confessio, Saint Patrick claims to have been born somewhere along the west coast of Britain in the little village of Bannavem of Taburnia. 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[1] and Somerset.

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,(early to mid 5th century), 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, 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]

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).

Patrick's return to Ireland

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.

It was in the summer months that 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 cruelity and the years of Patricks servitude, he was to receive 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.

Mission

His first converted patron was Saint Dichu. Dichu was a druidian priest who was said to have raised his sword to kill the missionary Patrick, when his arm became stiff and unable to strike. This experience created in Dichu respect and loyalty toward 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").

Patrick wrote that he expected, on a daily basis, to be violently killed or enslaved again, probably because he took a strong stance against the prevading forces. 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

Patrick set up his Episcopal see at Armagh and organized the church into territorial sees, as elsewhere in the West and East. 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. Patrick encouraged the Irish to dedicate themselves to God by becoming monks and nuns. However,it took many centuries before the monastery was the principal unit of the Irish Church.

Patrick was not the first Christian missionary to Ireland, as men such as Secundus and Palladius were active there before him. There seems to be little contact with the Palladian Christians of the southeast and Patricks missionaries. 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

"Whence is it that in Ireland, those who never had the knowledge of a God, but worshipped even filthy idols,"[3] 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 stone idol overlayed in gold, surrounded by twelve brass idols representing the sun, moon, and stars. People at that time 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.

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 a symbol representing something else. [4]; One suggestion is that snakes referred to the serpent symbolism of the Druids 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."

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).

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.

The Breast-Plate Prayer is thought to have been written by Patrick to mark the end of paganism in Ireland. It was written at a time when The Arc Righ of Erin had granted Patrick permission to go and to spread the Faith throughout Ireland.

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 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 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.

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

"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 under the year 553 would certainly seem to place Patrick's death in 493, or at least in the early years of that decade.

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. [5] For this reason, St. Patrick was never formally canonized by the Pope.

The Cult of St. Patrick

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 of the Church. 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".

Orthodox Church

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[6].

References
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Add his Confessio and Epistola here.

Confession of Saint Patrick, translated by John Skinner (Image 1998) (Provide full details for reference plus ISBN#)
How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill (Anchor 1996) (Provide full details for reference plus ISBN#)

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