Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-03-19
THE WEEKLY HERALD
.THURsDAY. MARCH lI. $50.


/
to be an interesting account Of
this eminent Catholic Saint and
Christian Apostle, from extracts
taken from Haverty's and Mac
, GeOghegan's histories Of Ireland.
St. Patrick was preceded In Ire.
land by several christian laborers,
among the most prominent were
St. Mausuetns, the first bishop Of
Toul, in Lorraine, and St. Seduli-
us, or ShieI, the author Of some Of
the most beautiful church hymns.
The fact that Celestius, the
chief disciple Of the heresiarch
Pelagius, was a Scot or freshman,
shows that christianity was known
in this island before St. Patrick.
St. Palladius preceded st. Pat.
rick In Ireland and his apostolic
mission is placed about the year
43l Of the Christian era.
As soon as the death ofSt. Palla.
dius was known at Rome, Pope St.
Celestine appointed Patrick, who
was at that time in Rome, his sue.
cessOr, as Bishop Of Ireland. This
Pope deid shortly after and his
successor Pope st. Sixtus Ill,
confirmed the mission Of St.
Patrick.
Various opinions are entertain
ed concerning the country which
gave birth to St. Patrick. Matthew
Of Westminster, says he is a ma
tive Of Ireland: Sigebert de Gem.
blours, and tho Scotch writers,
call him a Scot. But it is known
that in the style Of martyrOlogists,
the day Of q saints death is con.
sidered to be that Of his birth, and
that Ireland alone was known as
Scotia in the time of st. Patrick,
According to the most general
opinion and the most probable
one, he was a native Of Great
Britain.
He was born in a village which
be himself calls in his confession,
Banaven, in the territory of Taber'
mia, in the northern extremity Of
Britain, and according to Probus,
not far from the Western sea
JOcelin says that the dwelling
place of Patrick's father was
Empthor, on the coast Of the Irish
sea. These Typographical de
scriptions have made Usher fN
the birthplace Of st. Patrick a
Kirk Patrick, or Kill Patrick, 81
called from his name, between Al
ciud, now DunbartOn, and Glas
gov. The error Of those who 81,
he was born in Scotland arise
from their not sufficiently dis
covering the periods of the differ
ent changes Of the frontiers o
Britain and Scotland. The gen
eral opinion is that St. PatricI
was born in 373 and died in 49,
thus living l2O years. His fathe
was Colphurnius, a deacon, son Q
Potit, a priest, who had taken oil
ders after the death Of their wives
Conchessa, his mother, was siste
OF rather niece, of st. Martir
of Tours. Patrick was in his sly
teenth year when brought a car
tive into Ireland and sold like
second Joseph.
As to his capture some say
was taken prisoner by pirat'
when on "a visit to to the parents
his mother ConChessa, Others ST
that the Romans having abando
cd Britain it BECAME the pre-
OF the Scots, who carried Patrit
a captive to Ireland.
This was in $3.50 and at the tin
OF the expedition Of Mall. In t
seventh year of his captivity
was warned in o dream to prcpa
TO return. He made his esca
and after twenty eight days
privation and suffering reach
Tabernia, his native country, A.
396. The authors of his life mt
ton his having tasted duri
twenty days and having perform
several miracles to procure 81
~sistence for his fellow travelc
At this time he was about tweI
three years of age, and at t
time he received from st. Mar
of Tours the clerical tonsure
monastic habit. St. Patrich sp'
,ou.a t;ma at Tours. and in Z