OriginalPrayer...Old Irish Blessing.....St Joseph........Back to Start Page..
Any theories exist as to the origins of St.Patrick but the only certain fact is that through his almost single-handed efforts, Druid Celtic Ireland became, Catholic, Celtic Ireland.
It is thought he belonged to a Romanised Christian community in the west of Britain, the neighbouring island. Historians have argued about whether his home place was on the Welsh or Scottish coasts.
In the fourth century the kidnapping and taking of slaves by invading Irish raiders was common place, and Patrick became a victim of one of these raids, and was taken back to Ireland probably on a primitive sailing boat.
At the age of only about 16 this young man who was to become St Patrick, was auctioned off at an Irish slave market to a rich druid, from Co.Antrim, and put to work as a herdsman or shepherd.
During his six years of captivity he learned to speak Irish and also became very familiar with druid ceremonys and customs, knowledge later to prove very valuable in his quest to convert the Irish Celtic chiefs and their subjects.
During all this time as a slave he held on to his Christian beliefs, and is reputed to have prayed as much as 100 times in every 24 hours.
He eventually made his escape and returned home to Britain some time later legend says he had a vision or dream telling him to return to Ireland and spread the Christian message to its people.
Before he returned it is believed he studied for the priesthood in monasteries in France and elsewhere and, was eventually ordained with the name Patrick by the Bishop of Auxerre, St Germanus.
Patrick returned to ireland in the year 432 or there-abouts, and began his mission. There were already Christian missionaries in Ireland, like St Declan of Ardmore, but they seemed to have concentrated in a localised area like County Waterford.
St. Patrick was different because he attempted the task of converting the whole of Ireland, and he started by first converting the powerful and the rich. One of his more powerful converts was St.Brigid, a druid princess, who after becoming a Christian , built a monastic house, and founded an order of monks and nuns in Kildare. She was later to become Ireland's first woman Patron Saint.
St. Patrick travelled widely over the years, encountering battles of both the physical and spiritual sort, and was sometimes in great personal danger, but he prayed to God and sustained by his beliefs, he continued to preach, convince, baptise and confirm all those he met.
St.Patrick founded many churches, and dedicated many old pagan sites and ancient druid healing wells to Christ, and so well loved was he and St. Brigid that for many generations Irish parents would only choose these names for their children.
It is arguable if there were snakes in Ireland in his time, but later Christian tradition associated these despised reptiles with what they termed pagan worship, and St. Patrick will always be remembered as the saint who banished them from these shores.
Legend says
also that he used the shamrock plant to try to explain the
concept of the Blessed Trinity, or three persons in one God to
the pagans.
Many Catholics in Europe and beyond, probably owe their ancestors conversion in the middle ages, to the efforts of an Irish missionary, who was following on in the traditon of our Patron Saint,Patrick.
Its seems ironic that so many parades through our Irish streets on his feast day, March 17th. now seem to honour snakes and demons rather than the Christianity St.Pat gave us.
Most of the floats containing snakes and dragons, in the street processions these days, might look more at home in China or in a Hindu or Buddhist Temple.
The mountain named after the saint,Croagh Patrick, in County Mayo, is a place which for centuries before his time, was a place of Druid human sacrifice.
On the summit of this mountain, where St.Patrick is said to have fasted and prayed for several weeks, and where he claims that he encountered many spiritual attacks from demons is still today a place of pilgrimage.
Each year on a special day in July, many thousands of pilgrims climb this holy mountain bare foot, as a penance for their sins, but throughout most of the summer months a steady stream of people can be observed daily making their way up the difficult route to the summit.
Whether he would start a fresh campaign to Christianise the Irish if he returned to these shores today is quite likely, but it would probably be big fat 'Celtic Tigers.' rather than snakes he would concentrate on banning this time around!
St. Patrick, the first Bishop of Armagh, is reputed to have died on March 17th. in the year of Our Lord 461 AD.
Prayer...Old Irish blessing. Original Prayer....St Joseph....
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