Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1908-03-14
APOSTLE
OF Erin Will BE HOnOred Tues
day BY the Loyal
Irish.
A Few More Facts About st.
Patrick and His LIES
Work.
Was Figure i'm History and
Left Impress on the
World.
SPENT SIXTY YEARS ON MISSION

Next Tuesday will be st. Patrick S
day, and wherever there are Irish
the day will be celebrated in some
way. Wherever it is possible Cath
Ollie Irish men and women and their
children will attend mass. Possibly
those who have to work during the
day will go to hear his panegyric
preached during the evening at one
of the Catholic churches. Others may
attend a social celebration, but all
will wear the green
Here in America we find people
of every creed wearing the sham
rock, or some other design on St.
Patrick's day There are some peo-
pie who regard st. Patrick as a myth.
One learned CD principal of a GER
tain Kentucky high school invited
an intelligent Irish resident of the
same town to address his pupils on
St Patrick's day and relate to them
the legend of st. Patrick. No, F"
said the Irishman, 81 will not relate
the legend, but / will relate what
history shows l will tell the boys
and girls the truth" He did it, too.
Homer and Virgil wrote centuries
before st. Patrick was born, yet they
are not regarded as myths. ST. Pat
rick has not only left the world his
writings, but he has put an indelible
impress on his people that time will
never efface.
st. Patrick was born in Gaul, near
what is now Boulogne-sur-mer,
France. in the year 373, A. ID. His
father. Calphurnias. was a nobleman
and the son of Potitius, a Prince of
the church as well as of the State.
81. Patrick's mother was Conch essa,
daughter of another noble family,
and a woman noted for her piety.
She was a sister of st. Martin of
Tours
1t is only natural to believe that
young Patrick, or "Succat" as he was
originally christened was given
every advantage.
In those days the Irish tribes were
marauders and dealt in slaves. One
of these bands visited the villa in
which St Patrick and his parents
dwelt killed the parents and carried
off Patrick and several other young
men as slaves. Patrick was then
sixteen years old. He was taken to
ireland and forced to herd swine
Passing over his six years of cap
tivity. one finds that he has escaped
and returned to France.
His six years among the pagans
had left a lasting impression on him.
He loved the people and their good
traits. but longed to see them accept
the truths of Christianity. This he
endeavored to make his life's work.
He began to prepare himself for the
task at once and his piety and fervor
attracted the attention of the older
and more experienced doctors of the
church.
He was sent on several successful
missions and aided st. Germanus in
stamping out the Pelagion heresy in
Briton. He was appointed Bishop by
st. Celestine, then the Pope of Rome,
and was consecrated at Turin when a
little over forty years old. Many
years he devoted to the study of re-
ligion and the science before he set
out for his apostolic mission to Ire
land.
Suffice It to say that he was fifty
nine years old when he landed on the
coast of Ireland and began to preach
the gospel, in the name OF the
Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost,
using the shamrocks that he plucked
from the ground to illustrate his
teachings of the triune God.
st. Patrick met with success every
where, and strange to relate, Ireland
is the only country that did not shed
the blood of at least some Of those
Christians who went to evangelize 1t.
From his fifty-ninth to his one
hundred and twentieth year st.