Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-03-18
THE APOSTLE OF IRELAND
Father DuGgan's Lecture on St Pat-
 rick Listened to by Many.


 spacious and beautiful interior of St Patrfcks church, the Rev T. S. DUE gan, editor of the Catholic Transcript, of Hartford, delivered a lecture last night on ''The Apostle of Ireland" Father Duggan is a clear, forcible speaker, very fluent and possesses fine delivery. AS he knew his subject we'll and had a happy faculty of im- pressing his opinions and his remarks upon his listeners, his lecture proved decidedly interesting. entertaining and instructive. ,-
 In his introductory remarks Father / Duggan referred to the fruits of St Patrtek's work, stating that it showed that the work of Ireland's patron saint was of divine origin, that his was heavenly mission. Father Duggan spoke of the work of St Patrick and St Francis Xavier, stating that the latter may have converted and baptized hum dredsl of people more than the former but the fruit of the latter's work was finer and more enduring.
 "The love of St Patrick lives to-day in the hearts of the Irish people as
 
 said Father Dslggan. "Go to Ireland and what will you find? Not a nation that has apostasiSed and forgotten it's God but one which has played a glor- dous part in spreading the gospel of s Jesus Christ and the highest ideals of the Christian life. In view of the con- ditions of tfe present day were az jus- tified In saying that Patrick was one of the greatest of the apostles His work has triumphed over centuries of battle and hloodshed. of famine and ""@ro"''- ton, of prosperi y ard poverty, becauA the hand Of Goa was in it."
 ''Was Patrick divinely chosen to evangilize Ireland? No person who is, familiar with the work accomplished by him wiM deny that; he was called upon by God to undertake that great mission, to spread the light of Catholic truth among the pagan tribes of Ire land. As we sec St Patrick's work triumphant among those who had formerly despised such wisdon of his are We not Justified in saying that the finger of God, nay, the hand of God was connected with his work. Accord ing to the laws of nature Patricks work should have vanished after his death. but his work has remained and has triumphed over centuries of battle and bloodshed and shall remain until time passes into eternty.
 'sNo prophet came to announce the coming of St Patrick. no messenger ycame from God to tell him of his great mission but nevertheless his call was divine.
 "Lke manyS great saints, Patrick was tried in the school of diversity but while he watched his fiocks In the silence of the forest God prepared him for the work he was to do. He gave him the grace to sec that bis captors were of a noble race. that their pagan j ism was not the degrading immortality of Greco and Rome. and that there was in them the possibility of high spiritual development. He saw that in their worship they stood erect and proud and that the grand and impress S sive things of nature were their idols, ! the bright sun, the quiet moon, and the majestic silence of the mystic oak. I The ocean that dashed his island prison on every side and the sun rising from dts bosom to light the golden worlds I of the west filled him with awe at the greatness Of the handiwork of the Almighty"
 Father Duggan referred to Patrick 8 boyhood days as shepherd in cap & tivity, and of his piety and devotion at # that time. He quoted Patrick as saying later in fife that when in cap tivity he prayed 100 times in the day and 100 tines at night, and never grew tired Tn snow, rain, in hadl, in cold he suffered no inconvenience for the spirit of God was fervent in his soul He then told of his escape from cap fTyffr 1R hf innpv oy>1.o escape was brought about through di vine intercession. The Lord led him truly and strongly to the sanctuary and the apostle of Ireland entering mon hstery at Tours where he had us an # Instructor St Martin. Of his later study under the tutelage of another saint the humane St Germaine. He was thus well prepared for the divine mis. sion which he was about to undertake Father Duggan told about St Patrick being driven away when he first land cd dn Ireland to place upon the people that yoke which they have borne with honor through fifteen centuries of op
 pression and will continue to bear un
 til time passes into eternity
 Of the saints visit to Tara, the homo of the surpeme king of the. islant of the building of the pastoral fire fthus defying the command of the kins that no fires should be lighted, of tb, kings anger. of his trip with his adds and chieftains to Patrick's abode tt
 punish the person who had thus ruth
 aessly defied his law, of the king'
 meeting with the apostle. of the king'' change Of heart when he saw Patrick the changing of his anger into softnes land gentleness toward the strange and of his Invitation to visit the kini
 at Tara. The night was the mos
 memorable in Ireland'shistory Wh,
 can doubt that God fntervened to cain
 the wrath and the anger of savag
 Druid king on that memorable night the speaker asked. ''It was the
 aurora of divine grace which suffuse, Patrick's face, which caused the king
 heart to melt into softness and friend
 ship and caused his return to Tara"
 The speaker briefly told of Patrick
 visit to the kings palace, Of his abl 4 NuH successful dafanSp of the tenet