Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-03-02
WHY ST. PATRICK SUCCEEDED,



The following is from Charles de Kav's
illustrated article on Christian Ireland in
the March Century, sit is an old error TO
count St. Patrick among the enissaries.
missionaries, or nuncios from the see of st.
Peter. His conversion of ireland was an
independent act which NAV be compared
with similar independent conversions of
the Bulgarians and other nations to the
orthodox or Eastern Churh by St. Cyril
and st. Methodius four hundred years la
ter. The terms Of his confession of faith
and his letter to Welsh brigand who car
rled of his converts into slavery. two au-
thenhc documents, forbid any other view.
Rome was indeed in the field to convert
Ireland, but failed because the situation
was not understood. A few years before
the arrival of St. Patrick { A. d. 430l the
then Pope, Celestinus l., sent Bishop Pala-
dius. Though these is no record Of harm
done to him by the pagans, but, on the
contrary, he was permitted to build
churches and leave pastors, yet his recep-
| ton was so chilling that he left. He never
reached Rome, death overtaking him in
Pictland, what is now Scotland, North
Britain having received that appellation
since his day when overrun and conquered
by Kettle return wave out of Scotia or
ireland.
at has been suggested that Patrick
never existed, and that his legend was
founded on these meager achievements of
Paladius; but the hypothesis has too many
documentary, historical and legendary evil
dences against it. There was every reason
for the want of success of bishop coming
from Rome where orthodoxy had been dis
carded for more enterprising and ambi-
tious form of Christianity. Paladius must
have found the upper classes free thinkers,
addicted to Druidical and other heather
vices, to human sacrifices and the black
art, to polgamy certainly, and more than
probably to occasional acts of canniballsm,
such as drinking human blood and tearing
the human heart with the teeth. Such
things have often co-existed with high
grade of civilization. That Paladius was
permitted to build churches shows two i'm
portant things that the upper classes
were eontemptuous of the new religion;
the other, that Christians were present in
Ireland. But they must have been humble
folk and of the orthodox eastern sect The
record of Paladius and his mission reported
by the -Four Masters has internal evidence
OF genuineness in its trait of moderation.
The churches are wooden. We know that
architecture in Ireland was late in affect
ing stone as material; bat if this record
had been forged after the twelfth century,
natural vanity would surely have made out
the material to be stone.
The success of St. Patrick where Rome
had failed could hardly have been palat-
able. The hatred and contempt felt by the
Italian ecclesiastics came out in St. Je-
rome's reference to Celestius the Pelegian
as an eater of Irish porridge, Scoticis putt
bus pregYagatus gorged with his Irish
mush and by other remarks in the po-
lemics of the day. Two years later another
missionary, not accredited from Rome-an
lrish-Scot by residence if not Scot by
birth, a student of Gaul, and man who
distinctly denied that he was learned-ar-
rived in Ireland and did what Paladius
could not do; so that to-day the Irish
Catholics in all parts of the world turn out
In professions once year to honor his
memory.
How came it that Particus succeeded
where Paladius failed? Primarily because
he had nothing to do with Rome or Italy.
This preserved him from the active jeal-
ousy of the upper classes, the Kings, Chiefs
and Druids, who had good reason to per-
ceive that Rome, having retired her
armies from Britain, was now irving to
extend her sway by religion. 1t also con-
ciliated the Christians scattered along the
borders Of the island, who must have re-
sented the pretensions of the Roman
Bishops with as much vigor as did the
orthodox of the East. But there was
another reason for Patrick's success. He
addressed himself to the temporal and
intellectual leaders, the Chiefs, Druids and
Files or poets, because he was a man of
genius. and saw that only in that way
could a community existing on the clan
system be converted"