St Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland- was born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century, opposing the contrary belief that the Saint being born in Ireland. He remained a part of a Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland, known as the “Apostle of Ireland”, being the primary patron Saint of Ireland- with the other saints being Brigid of Kildare and Columba among him. Interestingly, he is also the patron Saint of Nigeria. Patrick is Venerated as a Saint in the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, The church of Ireland (Part of the Anglican communion),and in the Eastern Orthodox Church- in which he is regarded as equal to the apostles and Enlightener of Ireland. He is also known only from his two short works, the Confessio, which is his spiritual autobiography, and his letter to coroticus, a denunciation of British mistreatment of Irish Christians. Patricks feast day is commemorated on the 17th of March- with both religious traditions such as church services and secular festivities such as parades, known as St Patrick’s day. Its fame and celebration in many countries around the world is a testament to Irelands long history of emigration.
St Patrick’s Parade in Ireland
Patrick was born in Britain of a Romanized family- short after the roman invasion. When he was only 16 years old, Irish raiders tore him from the villa of his father, Calpurnius, a deacon and minor local official ( tax collector), and carried Patrick into slavery in Ireland. After his capture, he spent 6 years in Ireland as a herdsman, during which time he turned with fervor to his Christian faith. Upon dreaming that the ship in which he was to escape was ready, he fled his enslaver and found passage to Britain. There he came near to starvation and suffered a second brief captivity before he was reunited with his family. The best known passage in the Confessio, after his return to Britain, in which one Victoricus delivered him a letter headed “the voice of the Irish”. As Patrick read it, he seemed to hear a certain company of Irish beseeching him to walk once more among them. However, due to the shortcomings of his education- he was reluctant for a long time to respond to the call. Even on the eve of his reembarkation for Ireland, he was beset by doubts of his fitness for the task. Once in the field, however, his hesitations have vanished- with confidence in the Lord, he journeyed far and beyond, baptizing and confirming. In diplomatic fashion he brought gifts to a chieftain here and a lawgiver there but accepted none from any. On at least one occasion, he was cast into chains. On another, he addressed with lyrical pathos, a final farewell to his converts who had been slain or kidnapped by the solider of Coroticus.
Careful to deal fairly with Celtic tribes, he lived in constant danger of martyrdom. The evocation of such incidents of what he called his laborious episcopate was his reply to a charge to his great grief, endorsed by his ecclesiastical superiors in Britain, that he had originally sought office. In fact, he has been recorded to be a humble minded man, pouring forth a continuos paean of thanks to his maker (God), for having chosen him as the instrument whereby multitudes who had worshipped idols and “unclean things” had become people of God. Although the success of Patricks mission is not a full measure of personality, but rather his writings. Since his writings have become better understood, it has become increasingly recognised that they mirror a truth and a simplicity of the rarest quality; not since St Augustine at least. As D.A. Binchy, the most critical of Patrician scholars stated, “the moral and spiritual greatness of the man shines through every stumbling sentence of his Latin”.
Whilst it is still not possible to say when Patrick was born,there still remain a number of indicators that his missionary career occurred within the second half of the 5th century. In his Coroticus letter, his mention of the Franks as still “heathen” indicated that the letter has been written between 451 (the date generally accepted to be of Franks irruption into Gaul as ar as the Somme river), and 496, when they were baptised. Patrick, who speaks of himself as having evangelized heathen Ireland, is not to be confused with Palladius sent by pope celestine I in 431 as “first bishops” to Irish believers.
Towards the end of Patricks life, he retired to Saul (a village in the former country down in Northern Ireland) where he may have written his confessio. It is believed than an angel had implied to him that he was to die at Saul, the site of his first church- despite his wished t die within the ecclesiastical metropolis of Ireland. His last rites were administered by St. Tussach.
Before the end of the 7th century, Patrick had become a legendary figure and the legends have continued to spread. One of these legends includes that he drove the snakes of Ireland into the sea to their destruction- in which is used to explain the countries lack of native snake species. A 12th century hagiography claims that Patrick raised 33 people from the dead, some of which were recorded to be deceased for many years. Moreover, he also reportedly prayed for the provision of food for hungry sailors travelling by land through desolate landscapes, and a herd of swine miraculously appeared. A more popular legend, is that of the shamrock, which has him explain the concept of the holy trinity, 3 persons in one God, to an unbeliever by showing the example of the clover, which is a 3 leaved plant with one stalk. Traditionally, the Irish have worn crosses or shamrocks, the national flower of Ireland, in their lapels on st Patrick’s day.
Patrick is also honored in Ireland through pilgrimage sited, believed to hold strong associations with him. One of these is the annual pilgrimage to the top of croagh Patrick, a mountain in county mayo in western Ireland. The pilgrimage occurs each year on the last Sunday of July, known as reek Sunday because of the mountains nickname, “the reek”. Nonetheless, Patrick spent 40 days and nights fasting on the mountain, after which he banished all snakes, demons, and practioners of magic into a lake at the base of the mountain known as Log na nDeamham (deaths hollow). Thousands of pilgrims scale the 765 meter tall mountain on reek Sunday , many of them beginning their journey before dawn and some accepting the journey in their bare feet. On the route, stations , known as the three Bronze Age cairns, which serve as stopping points where pilgrims can pray. Masses are celebrated throughout the day in a chapel located at the peak.
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