St.

Patrick
tt=23
Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387 died
at Saul, Do!npatrick, Ireland, "7 #arch, $%3& Some sources say $'( or $'"& ))Ed.
*e had for his parents +alphurnius and +onchessa& ,he former belon-ed to a .oman
family of hi-h rank and held the office of decurio in /aul or 0ritain& +onchessa !as a
near relati1e of the -reat patron of /aul, St& #artin of ,ours& Kilpatrick still retains many
memorials of Saint 2atrick, and fre3uent pil-rima-es continued far into the #iddle A-es
to perpetuate there the fame of his sanctity and miracles&
In his si4teenth year, 2atrick !as carried off into capti1ity by Irish marauders and !as
sold as a sla1e to a chieftan named #ilchu in Dalriada, a territory of the present county of
Antrim in Ireland, !here for si4 years he tended his master5s flocks in the 1alley of the
0raid and on the slopes of Slemish, near the modern to!n of 0allymena& *e relates in his
6+onfessio6 that durin- his capti1ity !hile tendin- the flocks he prayed many times in
the day7 6the lo1e of /od6, he added,
and *is fear increased in me more and more, and the faith -re! in me, and the spirit !as
roused, so that, in a sin-le day, I ha1e said as many as a hundred prayers, and in the ni-ht
nearly the same, so that !hilst in the !oods and on the mountain, e1en before the da!n, I
!as roused to prayer and felt no hurt from it, !hether there !as sno! or ice or rain nor
!as there any slothfulness in me, such as I see no!, because the spirit !as then fer1ent
!ithin me&
In the !ays of a beni-n 2ro1idence the si4 years of 2atrick5s capti1ity became a remote
preparation for his future apostolate& *e ac3uired a perfect kno!led-e of the +eltic
ton-ue in !hich he !ould one day announce the -lad tidin-s of .edemption, and, as his
master #ilchu !as a druidical hi-h priest, he became familiar !ith all the details of
Druidism from !hose bonda-e he !as destined to liberate the Irish race&
Admonished by an an-el he after si4 years fled from his cruel master and bent his steps
to!ards the !est& *e relates in his 6+onfessio6 that he had to tra1el about 2(( miles and
his 8ourney !as probably to!ards Killala 0ay and on!ards thence to 9estport& *e found
a ship ready to set sail and after some rebuffs !as allo!ed on board& In a fe! days he !as
amon- his friends once more in 0ritain, but no! his heart !as set on de1otin- himself to
the ser1ice of /od in the sacred ministry& 9e meet !ith him at St& #artin5s monastery at
,ours, and a-ain at the island sanctuary of :;rins !hich !as 8ust then ac3uirin-
!idespread reno!n for learnin- and piety and !here1er lessons of heroic perfection in
the e4ercise of +hristian life could be ac3uired, thither the fer1ent 2atrick !as sure to
bend his steps& <o sooner had St& /ermain entered on his -reat mission at Au4erre than
2atrick put himself under his -uidance, and it !as at that -reat bishop5s hands that
Ireland5s future apostle !as a fe! years later promoted to the priesthood& It is the tradition
in the territory of the #orini that 2atrick under St& /ermain5s -uidance for some years
!as en-a-ed in missionary !ork amon- them& 9hen /ermain commissioned by the *oly
See proceeded to 0ritain to combat the erroneous teachin-s of 2ela-ius, he chose 2atrick
to be one of his missionary companions and thus it !as his pri1ile-e to be associated !ith
the representati1e of .ome in the triumphs that ensued o1er heresy and 2a-anism, and in
the many remarkable e1ents of the e4pedition, such as the miraculous calmin- of the
tempest at sea, the 1isit to the relics at St& Alban5s shrine, and the Alleluia 1ictory& Amid
all these scenes, ho!e1er, 2atrick5s thou-hts turned to!ards Ireland, and from time to
time he !as fa1oured !ith 1isions of the children from =ocluth, by the 9estern sea, !ho
cried to him7 6> holy youth, come back to ?rin, and !alk once more amon-st us&6
2ope St& +elestine I, !ho rendered immortal ser1ice to the +hurch by the o1erthro! of
the 2ela-ian and <estorian heresies, and by the imperishable !reath of honour decreed to
the 0lessed @ir-in in the /eneral +ouncil of ?phesus, cro!ned his pontificate by an act
of the most far)reachin- conse3uences for the spread of +hristianity and ci1iliAation,
!hen he entrusted St& 2atrick !ith the mission of -atherin- the Irish race into the one fold
of +hrist& 2alladius had already recei1ed that commission, but terrified by the fierce
opposition of a 9icklo! chieftain had abandoned the sacred enterprise& It !as St&
/ermain, 0ishop of Au4erre, !ho commended 2atrick to the pope& ,he !riter of St&
/ermain5s :ife in the ninth century, *eric of Au4erre, thus attests this important fact7
6Since the -lory of the father shines in the trainin- of the children, of the many sons in
+hrist !hom St& /ermain is belie1ed to ha1e had as disciples in reli-ion, let it suffice to
make mention here, 1ery briefly, of one most famous, 2atrick, the special Apostle of the
Irish nation, as the record of his !ork pro1es& Sub8ect to that most holy discipleship for
"8 years, he drank in no little kno!led-e in *oly Scripture from the stream of so -reat a
!ell)sprin-& /ermain sent him, accompanied by Se-etius, his priest, to +elestine, 2ope of
.ome, appro1ed of by !hose 8ud-ement, supported by !hose authority, and stren-thened
by !hose blessin-, he !ent on his !ay to Ireland&6 It !as only shortly before his death
that +elestine -a1e this mission to Ireland5s apostle and on that occasion besto!ed on him
many relics and other spiritual -ifts, and -a1e him the name 62atercius6 or 62atritius6, not
as an honorary title, but as a foreshado!in- of the fruitfulness and merit of his apostolate
!hereby he became pater civium Bthe father of his peopleC& 2atrick on his return 8ourney
from .ome recei1ed at I1rea the tidin-s of the death of 2alladius, and turnin- aside to the
nei-hborin- city of ,urin recei1ed episcopal consecration at the hands of its -reat bishop,
St& #a4imus, and thence hastened on to Au4erre to make under the -uidance of St&
/ermain due preparations for the Irish mission&
It !as probably in the summer months of the year $33, that 2atrick and his companions
landed at the mouth of the @antry .i1er close by 9icklo! *ead& ,he Druids !ere at
once in arms a-ainst him& 0ut 2atrick !as not disheartened& ,he intrepid missionary
resol1ed to search out a more friendly territory in !hich to enter on his mission& =irst of
all, ho!e1er, he !ould proceed to!ards Dalriada, !here he had been a sla1e, to pay the
price of ransom to his former master, and in e4chan-e for the ser1itude and cruelty
endured at his hands to impart to him the blessin-s and freedom of /od5s children& *e
rested for some days at the islands off the Skerries coast, one of !hich still retains the
name of Inis)2atrick, and he probably 1isited the ad8oinin- mainland, !hich in olden
times !as kno!n as *olm 2atrick& ,radition fondly points out the impression of St&
2atrick5s foot upon the hard rock )) off the main shore, at the entrance to Skerries
harbour& +ontinuin- his course north!ards he halted at the mouth of the .i1er 0oyne& A
number of the nati1es there -athered around him and heard !ith 8oy in their o!n s!eet
ton-ue the -lad tidin-s of .edemption& ,here too he performed his first miracle on Irish
soil to confirm the honour due to the 0lessed @ir-in, and the Di1ine birth of our Sa1iour&
:ea1in- one of his companions to continue the !ork of instruction so auspiciously be-un,
he hastened for!ard to Stran-ford :ou-hand there 3uittin- his boat continued his 8ourney
o1er land to!ards Slemish& *e had not proceeded far !hen a chieftain, named Dichu,
appeared on the scene to pre1ent his further ad1ance& *e dre! his s!ord to smite the
saint, but his arm became ri-id as a statue and continued so until he declared himself
obedient to 2atrick& >1ercome by the saint5s meekness and miracles, Dichu asked for
instruction and made a -ift of a lar-e sabhall BbarnC, in !hich the sacred mysteries !ere
offered up& ,his !as the first sanctuary dedicated by St& 2atrick in ?rin& It became in later
years a chosen retreat of the saint& A monastery and church !ere erected there, and the
hallo!ed site retains the name Sabhall Bpronounced SaulC to the present day& +ontinuin-
his 8ourney to!ards Slemish, the saint !as struck !ith horror on seein- at a distance the
fort of his old master #ilchu en1eloped in flames& ,he fame of 2atrick5s mar1elous
po!er of miracles preceeded him& #ilchu, in a fit of frenAy, -athered his treasures into
his mansion and settin- it on fire, cast himself into the flames& An ancient record adds7
6*is pride could not endure the thou-ht of bein- 1an3uished by his former sla1e6&
.eturnin- to Saul, St& 2atrick learned from Dichu that the chieftains of ?rin had been
summoned to celebrate a special feast at ,ara by :eo-haire, !ho !as the Ard).i-h, that
is, the Supreme #onarch of Ireland& ,his !as an opportunity !hich 2atrick !ould not
fore-o he !ould present himself before the assembly, to strike a decisi1e blo! a-ainst
the Druidism that held the nation capti1e, and to secure freedom for the -lad tidin-s of
.edemption of !hich he !as the herald& As he 8ourneyed on he rested for some days at
the house of a chieftain named Secsnen, !ho !ith his household 8oyfully embraced the
=aith& ,he youthful 0enen, or 0eni-nus, son of the chief, !as in a special !ay capti1ated
by the /ospel doctrines and the meekness of 2atrick& 9hilst the saint slumbered he
!ould -ather s!eet)scented flo!ers and scatter them o1er his bosom, and !hen 2atrick
!as settin- out, continuin- his 8ourney to!ards ,ara, 0enen clun- to his feet declarin-
that nothin- !ould se1er him from him& 6Allo! him to ha1e his !ay6, said St& 2atrick to
the chieftain, 6he shall be heir to my sacred mission&6 ,henceforth 0enen !as the
inseparable companion of the saint, and the prophecy !as fulfilled, for 0enen is named
amon- the 6comhards6 or sucessors of St& 2atrick in Arma-h&
It !as on 2' #arch, ?aster Sunday, in $33, that the e1entful assembly !as to meet at
,ara, and the decree !ent forth that from the preceedin- day the fires throu-hout the
kin-dom should be e4tin-uished until the si-nal blaAe !as kindled at the royal mansion&
,he chiefs and 0rehons came in full numbers and the druids too !ould muster all their
stren-th to bid defiance to the herald of -ood tidin-s and to secure the hold of their
superstition on the +eltic race, for their demoniac oracles had announced that the
messen-er of +hrist had come to ?rin& St& 2atrick arri1ed at the hill of Slane, at the
opposite e4tremity of the 1alley from ,ara, on ?aster ?1e, in that year the feast of the
Annunciation, and on the summit of the hill kindled the 2aschal fire& ,he druids at once
raised their 1oice& 6> Kin-6, Bthey saidC 6li1e for e1er this fire, !hich has been li-hted in
defiance of the royal edict, !ill blaAe for e1er in this land unless it be this 1ery ni-ht
e4tin-uished&6 0y order of the kin- and the a-ency of the druids, repeated attempts !ere
made to e4tin-uish the blessed fire and to punish !ith death the intruder !ho had
disobeyed the royal command& 0ut the fire !as not e4tin-uished and 2atrick shielded by
the Di1ine po!er came unscathed from their snares and assaults& >n ?aster Day the
missionary band ha1in- at their head the youth 0eni-nus bearin- aloft a copy of the
/ospels, and follo!ed by St& 2atrick !ho !ith mitre and croAier !as arrayed in full
episcopal attire, proceeded in processional order to ,ara& ,he druids and ma-icians put
forth all their stren-th and employed all their incantations to maintain their s!ay o1er the
Irish race, but the prayer and faith of 2atrick achie1ed a -lorious triumph& ,he druids by
their incantations o1erspread the hill and surroundin- plain !ith a cloud of !orse than
?-yptian darkness& 2atrick defied them to remo1e that cloud, and !hen all their efforts
!ere made in 1ain, at his prayer the sun sent forth its rays and the bri-htest sunshine lit
up the scene& A-ain by demoniac po!er the Arch)Druid :ochru, like Simon #a-us of
old, !as lifted up hi-h in the air, but !hen 2atrick knelt in prayer the druid from his fli-ht
!as dashed to pieces upon a rock&
,hus !as the final blo! -i1en to pa-anism in the presence of all the assembled
chieftains& It !as, indeed, a momentous day for the Irish race& ,!ice 2atrick pleaded for
the =aith before :eo-haire& ,he kin- had -i1en orders that no si-n of respect !as to be
e4tended to the stran-ers, but at the first meetin- the youthful ?rc, a royal pa-e, arose to
sho! him re1erence and at the second, !hen all the chieftains !ere assembled, the chief)
bard Dubhtach sho!ed the same honour to the saint& 0oth these heroic men became
fer1ent disciples of the =aith and bri-ht ornaments of the Irish +hurch& It !as on this
second solemn occasion that St& 2atrick is said to ha1e plucked a shamrock from the
s!ard, to e4plain by its triple leaf and sin-le stem, in some rou-h !ay, to the assembled
chieftains, the -reat doctrine of the 0lessed ,rinity& >n that bri-ht ?aster Day, the
triumph of reli-ion at ,ara !as complete& ,he Ard).i-h -ranted permission to 2atrick to
preach the =aith throu-hout the len-th and breadth of ?rin, and the druidical prophecy
like the !ords of 0alaam of old !ould be fulfilled7 the sacred fire no! kindled by the
saint !ould ne1er be e4tin-uished&
,he beautiful prayer of St& 2atrick, popularly kno!n as 6St& 2atrick5s 0reast)2late6, is
supposed to ha1e been composed by him in preparation for this 1ictory o1er 2a-anism&
,he follo!in- is a literal translation from the old Irish te4t7
I bind to myself today
,he stron- 1irtue of the In1ocation of the ,rinity7
I belie1e the ,rinity in the Dnity
,he +reator of the Dni1erse&
I bind to myself today
,he 1irtue of the Incarnation of +hrist !ith *is 0aptism,
,he 1irtue of *is crucifi4ion !ith *is burial,
,he 1irtue of *is .esurrection !ith *is Ascension,
,he 1irtue of *is comin- on the Eud-ement Day&
I bind to myself today
,he 1irtue of the lo1e of seraphim,
In the obedience of an-els,
In the hope of resurrection unto re!ard,
In prayers of 2atriarchs,
In predictions of 2rophets,
In preachin- of Apostles,
In faith of +onfessors,
In purity of holy @ir-ins,
In deeds of ri-hteous men&
I bind to myself today
,he po!er of *ea1en,
,he li-ht of the sun,
,he bri-htness of the moon,
,he splendour of fire,
,he flashin- of li-htnin-,
,he s!iftness of !ind,
,he depth of sea,
,he stability of earth,
,he compactness of rocks&
I bind to myself today
/od5s 2o!er to -uide me,
/od5s #i-ht to uphold me,
/od5s 9isdom to teach me,
/od5s ?ye to !atch o1er me,
/od5s ?ar to hear me,
/od5s 9ord to -i1e me speech,
/od5s *and to -uide me,
/od5s 9ay to lie before me,
/od5s Shield to shelter me,
/od5s *ost to secure me,
A-ainst the snares of demons,
A-ainst the seductions of 1ices,
A-ainst the lusts of nature,
A-ainst e1eryone !ho meditates in8ury to me,
9hether far or near,
9hether fe! or !ith many&
I in1oke today all these 1irtues
A-ainst e1ery hostile merciless po!er
9hich may assail my body and my soul,
A-ainst the incantations of false prophets,
A-ainst the black la!s of heathenism,
A-ainst the false la!s of heresy,
A-ainst the deceits of idolatry,
A-ainst the spells of !omen, and smiths, and druids,
A-ainst e1ery kno!led-e that binds the soul of man&
+hrist, protect me today
A-ainst e1ery poison, a-ainst burnin-,
A-ainst dro!nin-, a-ainst death)!ound,
,hat I may recei1e abundant re!ard&
+hrist !ith me, +hrist before me,
+hrist behind me, +hrist !ithin me,
+hrist beneath me, +hrist abo1e me,
+hrist at my ri-ht, +hrist at my left,
+hrist in the fort,
+hrist in the chariot seat,
+hrist in the poop FdeckG,
+hrist in the heart of e1eryone !ho thinks of me,
+hrist in the mouth of e1eryone !ho speaks to me,
+hrist in e1ery eye that sees me,
+hrist in e1ery ear that hears me&
I bind to myself today
,he stron- 1irtue of an in1ocation of the ,rinity,
I belie1e the ,rinity in the Dnity
,he +reator of the Dni1erse&
St& 2atrick remained durin- ?aster !eek at Slane and ,ara, unfoldin- to those around him
the lessons of Di1ine truth& #ean!hile the national -ames !ere bein- celebrated a fe!
miles distant at ,ailten Bno! ,ellto!nC in connection !ith the royal feast& St& 2atrick
proceedin- thither solemnly administered baptism to +onall, brother of the Ard).i-h
:eo-haire, on 9ednesday, H April& 0enen and others had already been pri1ately -athered
into the fold of +hrist, but this !as the first public administerin- of baptism, reco-niAed
by royal edict, and hence in the ancient Irish Kalendars to the fifth of April is assi-ned
6the be-innin- of the 0aptism of ?rin6& ,his first +hristian royal chieftain made a -ift to
2atrick of a site for a church !hich to the present day retains the name of Dona-h)
2atrick& ,he blessin- of hea1en !as !ith +onall5s family& St& +olumba is reckoned
amon- his descendants, and many of the kin-s of Ireland until the ele1enth century !ere
of his race& St& 2atrick left some of his companions to carry on the !ork of e1an-eliAation
in #eath, thus so auspiciously be-un& *e !ould himself 1isit the other territories& Some
of the chieftains !ho had come to ,ara !ere from =ocluth, in the nei-hbourhood of
Killala, in +onnau-ht, and as it !as the children of =ocluth !ho in 1ision had summoned
him to return to Ireland, he resol1ed to accompany those chieftains on their return, that
thus the district of =ocluth !ould be amon- the first to recei1e the -lad tidin-s of
.edemption& It affords a con1incin- proof of the difficulties that St& 2atrick had to
o1ercome, that thou-h full liberty to preach the =aith throu-hout ?rin !as -ranted by the
monarch of :eo-haire, ne1ertheless, in order to procure a safe conduct throu-h the
inter1enin- territories !hilst proceedin- to!ards +onnau-ht he had to pay the price of
fifteen sla1es& >n his !ay thither, passin- throu-h /ranard he learned that at #a-h)
Slecht, not far distant, a 1ast concourse !as en-a-ed in offerin- !orship to the chief idol
+rom)+ruach& It !as a hu-e pillar)stone, co1ered !ith slabs of -old and sil1er, !ith a
circle of t!el1e minor idols around it& *e proceeded thither, and !ith his crosier smote
the chief idol that crumbled to dust the others fell to the -round& At Killala he found the
!hole people of the territory assembled& At his preachin-, the kin- and his si4 sons, !ith
"2,((( of the people, became docile to the =aith& *e spent se1en years 1isitin- e1ery
district of +onnau-ht, or-aniAin- parishes, formin- dioceses, and instructin- the
chieftains and people&
>n the occasion of his first 1isit to .athcro-an, the royal seat of the kin-s of +onnau-ht,
situated near ,ulsk, in the +ounty of .oscommon, a remarkable incident occurred,
recorded in many of the authentic narrati1es of the saint5s life& +lose by the clear fountain
of +lebach, not far from the royal abode, 2atrick and his 1enerable companions had
pitched their tents and at early da!n !ere chantin- the praises of the #ost *i-h, !hen
the t!o dau-hters of the Irish monarch )) ?thne, the fair, and =edelm, the ruddy )) came
thither, as !as their !ont, to bathe& Astonished at the 1ision that presented itself to them,
the royal maidens cried out7 69ho are ye, and !hence do ye comeI Are ye phantoms, or
fairies, or friendly mortalsI6 St& 2atrick said to them7 6It !ere better you !ould adore and
!orship the one true /od, !hom !e announce to you, than that you !ould satisfy your
curiosity by such 1ain 3uestions&6 And then ?thne broke forth into the 3uestions7
69ho is /odI6
6And !here is /odI6
69here is *is d!ellin-I6
6*as *e sons and dau-htersI6
6Is *e rich in sil1er and -oldI6
6Is *e e1erlastin-I is *e beautifulI6
6Are *is dau-hters dear and lo1ely to the men of this !orldI6
6Is *e on the hea1ens or on earthI6
6In the sea, in ri1ers, in mountains, in 1alleysI6
6#ake *im kno!n to us& *o! is *e to be seenI6
6*o! is *e to be lo1edI *o! is *e to be foundI6
6Is it in youth or is it in old a-e that *e may be foundI6
0ut St& 2atrick, filled !ith the *oly /host, made ans!er7
6/od, !hom !e announce to you, is the .uler of all thin-s&6
6,he /od of hea1en and earth, of the sea and the ri1ers&6
6,he /od of the sun, and the moon, and all the stars&6
6,he /od of the hi-h mountains and of the lo!)lyin- 1alleys&6
6,he /od !ho is abo1e hea1en, and in hea1en, and under hea1en&6
6*is d!ellin- is in hea1en and earth, and the sea, and all therein&6
6*e -i1es breath to all&6
6*e -i1es life to all&6
6*e is o1er all&6
6*e upholds all&6
6*e -i1es li-ht to the sun&6
6*e imparts splendour to the moon&6
6*e has made !ells in the dry land, and islands in the ocean&6
6*e has appointed the stars to ser1e the -reater li-hts&6
6*is Son is co)eternal and co)e3ual !ith *imself&6
6,he Son is not youn-er than the =ather&6
6And the =ather is not older than the Son&6
6And the *oly /host proceeds from them&6
6,he =ather and the Son and the *oly /host are undi1ided&6
60ut I desire by =aith to unite you to the *ea1enly Kin-, as you are dau-hters of an
earthly kin-&6
,he maidens, as if !ith one 1oice and one heart, said7 6,each us most carefully ho! !e
may belie1e in the *ea1enly Kin- sho! us ho! !e may behold *im face to face, and
!e !ill do !hatsoe1er you shall say to us&6
And !hen he had instructed them he said to them7 6Do you belie1e that by baptism you
put off the sin inherited from the first parents&6
,hey ans!ered7 69e belie1e&6
6Do you belie1e in penance after sinI6
69e belie1e&6
6Do you belie1e in life after deathI6 Do you belie1e in resurrection on the Day of
Eud-ementI6
69e belie1e&6
6Do you belie1e in the unity of the +hurchI6
69e belie1e&6
,hen they !ere baptiAed, and !ere clothed in !hite -arments& And they besou-ht that
they mi-ht behold the face of +hrist& And the saint said to them7 6Jou cannot see the face
of +hrist unless you taste death, and unless you recei1e the Sacrifice&6 ,hey ans!ered7
6/i1e us the Sacrifice, so that !e may be able to behold our Spouse&6 And the ancient
narrati1e adds7 6!hen they recei1ed the ?ucharist of /od, they slept in death, and they
!ere placed upon a couch, arrayed in their !hite baptismal robes&6
In $$( St& 2atrick entered on the special !ork of the con1ersion of Dlster& Dnder the
follo!in- year, the ancient annalists relate a !onderful spread of the =aith throu-hout the
pro1ince& In $$$ a site for a church !as -ranted at Arma-h by Daire, the chieftain of the
district& It !as in a 1alley at the foot of a hill, but the saint !as not content& *e had
special desi-ns in his heart for that district, and at len-th the chieftain told him to select in
his territory any site he !ould deem most suitable for his reli-ious purpose& St& 2atrick
chose that beautiful hill on !hich the old cathedral of Arma-h stands& As he !as markin-
out the church !ith his companions, they came upon a doe and fa!n, and the saint5s
companions !ould kill them for food but St& 2atrick !ould not allo! them to do so, and,
takin- the fa!n upon his shoulders, and follo!ed by the doe, he proceeded to a
nei-hbourin- hill, and laid do!n the fa!n, and announced that there, in future times,
-reat -lory !ould be -i1en to the #ost *i-h& It !as precisely upon that hill thus fi4ed by
St& 2atrick that, a fe! years a-o, there !as solemnly dedicated the ne! and beautiful
+atholic cathedral of Arma-h& A representati1e of the *oly See presided on the occasion,
and hundreds of priests and bishops !ere -athered there and, indeed, it mi-ht truly be
said, the !hole Irish race on that occasion offered up that -lorious cathedral to the #ost
*i-h as tribute to their united faith and piety, and their ne1er)failin- lo1e of /od&
=rom Dlster St& 2atrick probably proceeded to #eath to consolidate the or-aniAation of
the communities there, and thence he continued his course throu-h :einster& ,!o of the
saint5s most distin-uished companions, St& Au4ilius and St& Iserninus, had the rich 1alley
of the :iffey assi-ned to them& ,he former5s name is still retained in the church !hich he
founded at Killossy, !hile the latter is honoured as the first 0ishop of Kilcullen& As
usual, St& 2atrick5s primary care !as to -ather the rulin- chieftains into the fold& At <aas,
the royal residence in those days, he baptised t!o sons of the Kin- of :einster&
#emorials of the saint still abound in the district )) the ruins of the ancient church !hich
he founded, his holy !ell, and the hallo!ed sites in !hich the po!er of /od !as sho!n
forth in miracles& At Sletty, in the immediate nei-hborhood of +arlo!, St& =iacc, son of
the chief 0rehon, Dubthach, !as installed as bishop, and for a considerable time that see
continued to be the chief centre of reli-ion for all :einster& St& 2atrick proceeded throu-h
/o!ran into >ssory here he erected a church under the in1ocation of St& #artin, near the
present city of Kilkenny, and enriched it !ith many precious relics !hich he had brou-ht
from .ome& It !as in :einster, on the borders of the present counties of Kildare and
Kueen5s, that >dhran, St& 2atrick5s charioteer, attained the martyr5s cro!n& ,he chieftain
of that district honoured the demon)idol, +rom +ruach, !ith special !orship, and, on
hearin- of that idol bein- cast do!n, 1o!ed to a1en-e the insult by the death of our
apostle& 2assin- throu-h the territory, >dhran o1erheard the plot that !as bein- or-aniAed
for the murder of St& 2atrick, and as they !ere settin- out in the chariot to continue their
8ourney, asked the saint, as a fa1our, to take thereins, and to allo! himself, for the day, to
hold the place of honour and rest& ,his !as -ranted, and scarcely had they set out !hen a
!ell)directed thrust of a lance pierced the heart of the de1oted charioteer, !ho thus, by
chan-in- places, sa1ed St& 2atrick5s life, and !on for himself the martyr5s cro!n&
St& 2atrick ne4t proceeded to #unster& As usual, his efforts !ere directed to combat error
in the chief centres of authority, kno!in- !ell that, in the paths of con1ersion, the kin-s
and chieftains !ould soon be follo!ed by their sub8ects& At 6+ashel of the Kin-s6 he !as
recei1ed !ith -reat enthusiasm, the chiefs and 0rehons and people !elcomin- him !ith
8oyous acclaim& 9hile en-a-ed in the baptism of the royal prince Aen-us, son of the
Kin- of #unster, the saint, leanin- on his crosier, pierced !ith its sharp point the prince5s
foot& Aen-us bore the pain unmo1ed& 9hen St& 2atrick, at the close of the ceremony, sa!
the blood flo!, and asked him !hy he had been silent, he replied, !ith -enuine heroism,
that he thou-ht it mi-ht be part of the ceremony, a penalty for the 8oyous blessin-s of the
=aith that !ere imparted& ,he saint admired his heroism, and, takin- the chieftain5s
shield, inscribed on it a cross !ith the same point of the croAier, and promised that that
shield !ould be the si-nal of countless spiritual and temporal triumphs&
>ur apostle spent a considerable time in the present +ounty of :imerick& ,he fame of his
miracles and sanctity had -one before him, and the inhabitants of ,homond and northern
#unster, crossin- the Shannon in their frail coracles, hastened to recei1e his instruction&
9hen -i1in- his blessin- to them on the summit of the hill of =innime, lookin- out on the
rich plains before him, he is said to ha1e prophesied the comin- of St& Senanus7 6,o the
-reen island in the 9est, at the mouth of the sea Fi&e&, Inis)+athai-h, no! Scattery Island,
at the mouth of the Shannon, near KilrushG, the lamp of the people of /od !ill come he
!ill be the head of counsel to all this territory&6 At San-ril Bno! Sin-landC, in :imerick,
and also in the district of /erryo!en, the holy !ells of the saint are pointed out, and the
slab of rock, !hich ser1ed for his bed, and the altar on !hich e1ery day he offered up the
*oly Sacrifice& >n the banks of the Suit, and the 0lack!ater, and the :ee, !here1er the
saint preached durin- the se1en years he spent in #unster, a hearty !elcome a!aited
him& ,he ancient :ife attests7 6After 2atrick had founded cells and churches in #unster,
and had ordained persons of e1ery -rade, and healed the sick, and resuscitated the dead,
he bade them fare!ell, and imparted his blessin- to them&6 ,he !ords of this blessin-,
!hich is said to ha1e been -i1en from the hills of ,ipperary, as re-istered in the saint5s
:ife, to !hich I ha1e 8ust referred, are particularly beautiful7
A blessin- on the #unster people ))
#en, youths, and !omen
A blessin- on the land
,hat yields them fruit&
A blessin- on e1ery treasure
,hat shall be produced on their plains,
9ithout any one bein- in !ant of help,
/od5s blessin- be on #unster&
A blessin- on their peaks,
>n their bare fla-stones,
A blessin- on their -lens,
A blessin- on their rid-es&
:ike the sand of the sea under ships,
0e the number in their hearths
>n slopes, on plains,
>n mountains, on hills, a blessin-&
St& 2atrick continued until his death to 1isit and !atch o1er the churches !hich he had
founded in all the pro1inces in Ireland& *e comforted the faithful in their difficulties,
stren-thened them in the =aith and in the practice of 1irtue, and appointed pastors to
continue his !ork amon- them& It is recorded in his :ife that he consecrated no fe!er
than 3H( bishops& *e appointed St& :oman to ,rim, !hich ri1alled Arma-h itself in its
abundant har1est of piety& St& /uasach, son of his former master, #ilchu, became 0ishop
of /ranard, !hile the t!o dau-hters of the same pa-an chieftan founded close by, at
+lonbroney, a con1ent of pious 1ir-ins, and merited the aureola of sanctity& St& #el,
nephe! of our apostle, had the char-e of Arda-h St& #ac+arthem, !ho appears to ha1e
been patricularly lo1ed by St& 2atrick, !as made 0ishop of +lo-her& ,he narrati1e in the
ancient :ife of the saint re-ardin- his 1isit to the district of +ostello, in the +ounty of
#ayo, ser1es to illustrate his manner of dealin- !ith the chieftains& *e found, it says, the
chief, ?rnasc, and his son, :oarn, sittin- under a tree, 6!ith !hom he remained, to-ether
!ith his t!el1e companions, for a !eek, and they recei1ed from him the doctrine of
sal1ation !ith attenti1e ear and mind& #ean!hile he instructed :oarn in the rudiments of
learnin- and piety&6 A church !as erected there, and, in after years, :oarn !as appointed
to its char-e&
,he manifold 1irtues by !hich the early saints !ere distin-uished shone forth in all their
perfection in the life of St& 2atrick& 9hen not en-a-ed in the !ork of the sacred ministry,
his !hole time !as spent in prayer& #any times in the day he armed himself !ith the si-n
of the +ross& *e ne1er rela4ed his penitential e4ercises& +lothed in a rou-h hair)shirt, he
made the hard rock his bed& *is disinterestedness is specially commemorated& +ountless
con1erts of hi-h rank !ould cast their precious ornaments at his feet, but all !ere
restored to them& *e had not come to ?rin in search of material !ealth, but to enrich her
!ith the priceless treasures of the +atholic =aith&
=rom time to time he !ithdre! from the spiritual duties of his apostolate to de1ote
himself !holly to prayer and penance& >ne of his chosen places of solitude and retreat
!as the island of :ou-h Der-, !hich, to our o!n day, has continued to be a fa1ourite
resort of pil-rims, and it is kno!n as St& 2atrick5s 2ur-atory& Another theatre of his
miraculous po!er and piety and penitential austerities in the !est of Ireland merits
particular attention& In the far !est of +onnau-ht there is a ran-e of tall mountains,
!hich, arrayed in ru--ed ma8esty, bid defiance to the !a1es and storms of the Atlantic&
At the head of this ran-e arises a stately cone in solitary -randeur, about $((( feet in
hei-ht, facin- +le! 0ay, and castin- its shado! o1er the ad8oinin- districts of
A-ha-o!er and 9estport& ,his mountain !as kno!n in pa-an times as the ?a-le
#ountain, but e1er since Ireland !as enli-htened !ith the li-ht of =aith it is kno!n as
+roa-h 2atrick, i&e& St& 2atrick5s mountain, and is honoured as the *oly *ill, the #ount
Sinai, of Ireland&
St& 2atrick, in obedience to his -uardian an-el, made this mountain his hallo!ed place of
retreat& In imitation of the -reat Ee!ish le-islator on Sinai, he spent forty days on its
summit in fastin- and prayer, and other penitential e4ercises& *is only shelter from the
fury of the elements, the !ind and rain, the hail and sno!, !as a ca1e, or recess, in the
solid rock and the fla-stone on !hich he rested his !eary limbs at ni-ht is still pointed
out& ,he !hole purpose of his prayer !as to obtain special blessin-s and mercy for the
Irish race, !hom he e1an-eliAed& ,he demons that made Ireland their battlefield mustered
all their stren-th to tempt the saint and disturb him in his solitude, and turn him a!ay, if
possible, from his pious purpose& ,hey -athered around the hill in the form of 1ast flocks
of hideous birds of prey& So dense !ere their ranks that they seemed to co1er the !hole
mountain, like a cloud, and they so filled the air that 2atrick could see neither sky nor
earth nor ocean& St& 2atrick besou-ht /od to scatter the demons, but for a time it !ould
seem as if his prayers and tears !ere in 1ain& At len-th he ran- his s!eet)soundin- bell,
symbol of his preachin- of the Di1ine truths& Its sound !as heard all o1er the 1alleys and
hills of ?rin, e1ery!here brin-in- peace and 8oy& ,he flocks of demons be-an to scatter&
*e flun- his bell amon- them they took to precipitate fli-ht, and cast themsel1es into the
ocean& So complete !as the saint5s 1ictory o1er them that, as the ancient narrati1e adds,
6for se1en years no e1il thin- !as to be found in Ireland&6
,he saint, ho!e1er, !ould not, as yet, descend from the mountain& *e had 1an3uished
the demons, but he !ould no! !restle !ith /od *imself, like Eacob of old, to secure the
spiritual interests of his people& ,he an-el had announced to him that, to re!ard his
fidelity in prayer and penance, as many of his people !ould be -athered into hea1en as
!ould co1er the land and sea as far as his 1ision could reach& =ar more ample, ho!e1er,
!ere the aspirations of the saint, and he resol1ed to perse1ere in fastin- and prayer until
the fullest measure of his petition !as -ranted& A-ain and a-ain the an-el came to
comfort him, announcin- ne! concessions but all these !ould not suffice& *e !ould not
relin3uish his post on the mountain, or rela4 his penance, until all !ere -ranted& At len-th
the messa-e came that his prayers !ere heard7
many souls !ould be free from the pains of pur-atory throu-h his intercession
!hoe1er in the spirit of penance !ould recite his hymn before death !ould attain
the hea1enly re!ard
barbarian hordes !ould ne1er obtain s!ay in his +hurch
se1en years before the Eud-ement Day, the sea !ould spread o1er Ireland to sa1e
its people from the temptations and terrors of the Antichrist and
-reatest blessin- of all, 2atrick himself should be deputed to 8ud-e the !hole Irish
race on the last day&
Such !ere the e4traordinary fa1ors !hich St& 2atrick, !ith his !restlin- !ith the #ost
*i-h, his unceasin- prayers, his uncon3uerable lo1e of hea1enly thin-s, and his
unremittin- penitential deeds, obtained for the people !hom he e1an-eliAed&
It is sometimes supposed that St& 2atrick5s apostolate in Ireland !as an unbroken series of
peaceful triumphs, and yet it !as 3uite the re1erse& <o storm of persecution !as, indeed
stirred up to assail the infant +hurch, but the saint himself !as sub8ected to fre3uent trials
at the hands of the druids and of other enemies of the =aith& *e tells us in his 6+onfessio6
that no fe!er than t!el1e times he and his companions !ere seiAed and carried off as
capti1es, and on one occasion in particular he !as loaded !ith chains, and his death !as
decreed& 0ut from all these trials and sufferin-s he !as liberated by a beni-n 2ro1idence&
It is on account of the many hardships !hich he endured for the =aith that, in some of the
ancient #artyrolo-ies, he is honoured as a martyr&
St& 2atrick, ha1in- no! completed his triumph o1er 2a-anism, and -athered Ireland into
the fold of +hrist, prepared for the summons to his re!ard& St& 0ri-id came to him !ith
her chosen 1ir-ins, brin-in- the shroud in !hich he !ould be enshrined& It is recorded
that !hen St& 2atrick and St& 0ri-id !ere united in their last prayer, a special 1ision !as
sho!n to him& *e sa! the !hole of Ireland lit up !ith the bri-htest rays of Di1ine =aith&
,his continued for centuries, and then clouds -athered around the de1oted island, and,
little by little, the reli-ious -lory faded a!ay, until, in the course of centuries, it !as only
in the remotest 1alleys that some -limmer of its li-ht remained& St& 2atrick prayed that the
li-ht !ould ne1er be e4tin-uished, and, as he prayed, the an-el came to him and said7
6=ear not7 your apostolate shall ne1er cease&6 As he thus prayed, the -limmerin- li-ht
-re! in bri-htness, and ceased not until once more all the hills and 1alleys of Ireland
!ere lit up in their pristine splendour, and then the an-el announced to St& 2atrick7 6Such
shall be the abidin- splendour of Di1ine truth in Ireland&6
At Saul BSabhallC, St& 2atrick recei1ed the summons to his re!ard on "7 #arch, $%3 FSee
note abo1e )) Ed.G& St& ,assach administered the last sacraments to him& *is remains !ere
!rapped in the shroud !o1en by St& 0ri-id5s o!n hands& ,he bishops and cler-y and
faithful people from all parts cro!ded around his remains to pay due honour to the =ather
of their =aith& Some of the ancient :i1es record that for se1eral days the li-ht of hea1en
shone around his bier& *is remains !ere interred at the chieftan5s Dun or =ort t!o miles
from Saul, !here in after times arose the cathedral of Do!n&
Writings of St. Patrick
,he 6+onfessio6 and the 6?pistola ad +oroticum6 are reco-niAed by all modern critical
!riters as of un3uestionable -enuineness& ,he best edition, !ith te4t, translation, and
critical notes, is by .e1& Dr& 9hite for the .oyal Irish Academy, in "%(H& ,he 3$ canons
of a synod held before the year $'( by St& 2atrick, Au4ilius, and Isserninus, thou-h
re8ected by ,odd and *addan, ha1e been placed by 2rofessor 0ury beyond the reach of
contro1ersy& Another series of 3" ecclesiastical canons entitled 6Synodus secunda
2atritii6, thou-h un3uestionably of Irish ori-in and datin- before the close of the se1enth
century, is -enerally considered to be of a later date than St& 2atrick& ,!o tracts Bin 2&:&,
:IIIC, entitled 6De abusionibus saeculi6, and 6De ,ribus habitaculis6, !ere composed by
St& 2atrick in Irish and translated into :atin at a later period& 2assa-es from them are
assi-ned to St& 2atrick in the 6+ollectio *ibernensis +anonum6, !hich is of
un3uestionable authority and dates from the year 7(( B9asserschleben, 2nd ed&, "88HC&
,his 6+ollectio *ibernensis6 also assi-ns to St& 2atrick the famous synodical decree7 6Si
3uae 3uaestiones in hac insula oriantur, ad Sedem Apostolicam referantur&6 BIf any
difficulties arise in this island, let them be referred to the Apostolic SeeC& ,he beautiful
prayer, kno!n as 6=aeth =iada6, or the 6:orica of St& 2atrick6 BSt& 2atrick5s 0reast)2lateC,
first edited by 2etrie in his 6*istory of ,ara6, is no! uni1ersally accepted as -enuine& ,he
6Dicta Sancti 2atritii6, or brief sayin-s of the saint, preser1ed in the 60ook of Arma-h6,
are accurately edited by =r& *o-an, S&E&, in 6Documenta de S& 2atritio6 B0russels, "88$C&
,he old Irish te4t of 6,he .ule of 2atrick6 has been edited by >5Keeffe, and a translation
by Archbishop *ealy in the appendi4 to his :ife of St& 2atrick BDublin, "%(HC& It is a tract
of 1enerable anti3uity, and embodies the teachin- of the saint&
Sources
,he Trias thaumaturga B-ol&, :ou1ain, "'$7C of of the =ranciscan +>:/A< is the most
completecollection of the ancient Lives of the saint& ,he Kemare Life of Saint Patrick
B+DSA+K, Dublin, "8'%C presents from the pen of *?<<?SSJ the translation of the
Irish ,ripartite :ife, !ith copious notes& 9*I,:?J S,>K?S, in the .olls Series
B:ondon, "887C, has -i1en the te4tand translation of the Vita Tripartita, to-ether !ith
many ori-inal documents from the Book ofAmragh and other sources& ,he most
note!orthy !orks of later years are S*?A.#A<, Loca Patriciana BDublin, "87%C
,>DD, St. Patrick, Apostle of reland BDublin, "8'$C 0D.J, Life of St. Patrick
B:ondon, "%(HC *?A:J, The Life and !ritings of St. Patrick BDublin, "%(HC&
http7LL!!!&ne!ad1ent&or-LcathenL""HH$a&htm