The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-18
IRELAND TRUE AND LOYAL.
Rev. Father Judge Speaks Eloquent
" at st. Losenh's.

~ at st. Joseph's.
The feature Of the days observance
at st. Joseph's church was a lecture by
Rev. Father T. E. Judge, of st. Paul
seminary, on St. Patrick.
He followed the course of the true
faith from the march of the Israelites
from Egypt guided by a cloud Of
smoke by day and a pillar Of fire by
night; from the time that Moses was
the patriarch Of the twelve tribes; and
from that unity through the ages to the
unity Of the Catholic church. Said FIR.
Judge:
-, THE Catholic church, of whch the Jewish
thGccracy was but the type, most strihngly
exhibits in its marvellous combination of
unity with catholicity this Vestigium
Sahctissimae Trnitatis. Today the gaze of
the civilized world is fixed not on the Univer-
sal church but on that part Of it with which
we are most closely united by the ties of the
Consequently Of Faith because it begot us
children Of God by the gospel. Men see bril-:
liantly reflected there, as in a mirror the
majesty and splendor of Christs Spouse and
so enhancing beautiful is the sight that from
the lips even Of our enemies, as from Ba-
!aam s. the language of praise and admiration
eXtorteo. Today we celebrate the Feast
or our National Apostle st. Patrick who
IS In MANY respects one of the most remark
able saints of he'7whoIe calendar. When he
landed in Ireland he found it almost univer-
sally Pagan; he left it universally Christian.
Before quitting the earth. to receive the crown
OF justice in reward for HIS apostolic labors
he prayed TO God, the giver of all good gifts
that his spiritual children might not depart
from the fold of the One Shepherd and
for nigh fifteen hundred years his prayer has
been eftcaciOus. The memory of our saint
appeals to every tender feeling of the Irish
heart Hence whatever line of cleavage may
divide our countrymen they unite with one
accord in celebrating the feast of ST. Patrick
And since there is no quarter of the habit
able globe to which destiny has not driven
them, girdle of Irish national love and Joy
encircles the earth today.
Since my scope is to unfold the character
of our saint in the glorious work which he
accomplished among the Irish race it will
not be necessary to dwell in detail on his life,
already we'll known to you. But there is
one event which must be emphasized at the
outset, because 1t stamped, as it were, the
seal of orthodoxy and apostolicity upon the
ancient church of Ireland and that Is ST.
Patrick's visit to Rome to receive his COM
mission to preach the faith to the Irish peo-
pie. He had previously lived and moved in
company of illustrious bishops like St. Ger
manus, of AuXerre, and his kinsman, st.
Martin, of Tours, distinuished alike for their
learning and their isanctity Whatever coun-
try had the honor of giving him birth we
know that he certainly spent years in France
and during that time received the sacraments,
including the priestly character, with power
to offer the adorable sacrifice and absolve
from sin from the hands of French eccle-
siastcs. But he knew that no French bishop
had been appointed vicar Of Christ and sue
cessoT of st. Peter and that the church Of
France had not been constituted the mother
of all the churches. He came to Rome the
fountain and source Of all spiritual jurisdic-
ton. the great heart of the church. which
circulates it's life blood to it's most distant
members; the new Jerusalem which opened
wide its portals to the nations when the bar
riers Of race that previously existed disap-
peared in obedience to the Christian law OF
love- and there was no longer any distinction
between Jew and Gentle between Greek and
barbarian. 1t was in 49, few months
after the council of Ephesus, In which Pope
st. Celestine had condemned the heresy of
Nestorius, proclaiming as an eternal dogma
of Catholic faith the sublime dignity of the
blessed Virgin as mother of God. From this
Pope st. Patrick received his commission to
preach to people who have ever since he'd
her name in greatest veneration; whose most
cherished devotion has been the devotion Of
the holy rosary, and whose women, pre-emi-
nent for their purity, are the brightest re-
hection of Mary's characteristic virtues on
earth. The church in Ireland is, therefore,
Roman in its origin, and one of the most
solemn precepts imposed on his spiritual
children by st. Patrick is that which crowns
many an Irish harp: AS you are Christians
be you also children of Rome"
st. Patrick set out at once to accomplish
his mission He did not tremble at the fear
of martyrdom. He was not ignorant of the
pride of the Celtic chieftains, who might ex-
pose their lives in defense OF ancient tradi-
tions; nor forgetful Of the hatred
Egion must waken in the hearts Of the Dru-
ids. When st. Augustine, the apostle OF
England, heard on his journey OF the fierce
ness Of the Britons. he tainted and he would
have shrunk as from an impossible expedi-
ton, but for the urgent and reiterated ap-
peals Of Pope St Gregory. Is there nobler
example OF Christian heroism than St Pat
rick promulgating the Christian law on the
hill of Tara, the Mount Sinai of Ireland to
the king and his ,icouFtfers, his bards, his
Druids and his sages? As see him in spirit
standing in the presence OF all the majesty
dignity and culture OF my ancient land there
rises up before my imagination the figure !
of the apostle whom he so closely resembles
by his lively faith and heroic fortitude-the
Apostle of the Gentiles confronting Pagan
ism in the citadel OF its power and preaching
the gospel of Jesus Christ TO the followers
the Areopagus Off Athens. Like st. Paul
too, he spoke notldn vain words Of human |
wisdom nor had he recourse to any of the |
arts of the rhetoricfan. He explained in |
simple language the sublime doctrine Of the |
most holy trinity, Of all the mysteries Of |
our holy faith, the most inaccessible to rea- |
son. and when their minds reeoiled from ac- |
cepting it, he appealed with true pnilosophic |
instinct to that Celtic, Imagination. which |
never yet failed TO recognize a thing of |
through the illumination of the Holy Shirt |
conviction soon followed The conversion of |
Ireland to the faith is the most singular fact |
in the history Of the church Like Adam |
created in perfect manhood, the Irish church |
was left by its founder In full maturity No /
other nation has maintained through good /
report and evil report such answering loyalty /
to the holy see, for nigh fifteen hundred |
the breath of heresys on schism. In no other /
country has the faith been planted without /
the splitting of one drop OF martyrs blood
The Irish student Of the history of his native /
land must love to linger over its first three |
centuries. There is no period to compare /
with them In our future the most ardent |
Celtic tenperament cannot hone for any mora
brilliant development The national genius, |