The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-05-01

But, speaking generally. the Church
did not compel them 10 at once aban-
don the Pagan practices, some of
which fingered in the superstitions Of
the peasantry of the present day. That
in the public mind the Saints took the
place OF the Pagan gods is shown by
the story of ST.. Fin Barre driving
upon the waves. In the same way
pillar stones and holy wells remained
undisturbed. They We're simply blessed
with the cross. These circumstances
explained the strong national charac-
ter of the Irish Church.
In Germany, for instance the priests
were for centuries employed in de-
stroying every trace of heathenism.
With the beginning of the seventh
century the Church O, Rome endeav-
ored to enforce rigid uniformity of
practice throughout the Christian
world. With regard to the Celtic
Church, the most glaring difference
related to the date of celebrating Eas-
ter, and for a long time little pro-
gress was made. The British and
Irish Churches were convinced that
they were in the right and the rest
Of Christendom in the wrong. Indeed,
knowing that they We're the better
scholars, they assumed lofty tone
! in this controversy. Conferences We're
| held which came to nothing, and there
was much bitter feeling. It was in
| the South of Ireland that Rome
achieved it's first success In 626 that
party was still in a minority. At a
Synod near Tullamore it was decided
to celebrate Easter at the same time
as everywhere. But second confer
ence was necessary. An embassy was
sent to Rome, and after they We're fin
ally victorious in the South Of Ireland.
tions to Bangor, Armagh, etc, but
these met with no success for nearly
sixty years. Many attempts were made
to work upon Armagh and a proposal
to raise tito a Metropolitan See fin
ally won over the Abbot of Armagh
Then came the successes In North
cumberland. Iona held out, and by its
obstinacy sunk TO the position of a
mere parent monastery. Wales still
o1y - h@ olJ t1,n,.
half century, but the great questions
settled, the Celtic Church gave in to
Rome, and other observances, such as
the peculiar tonsure practiced in ire
land, disappeared.
Amongst the Innovations which fol
lowed was the strict observance Of
Sunday, which has been little noticed
by the church historian. This only
made it's appearance in the ninth CEN
tury. 1t had been rather a day of re-
joicing in commemoration CT the Res
direction; and prayers upon that day
ing. The spread of the new movement
was at first branded as a heresy and
was put down by Councils, but later
the Church gave 1t her half-hearted
support, and finally it's sanction. II
formed the subject of an epistle which
made it's appearance in Ireland about
sS7, and quite apart from any other
interest, was Of great value historic
ally, for it provided date. TO any
passage where the epistle was quoted
or the observance Of Sunday was in
sisted upon, they might safely assign
it to period not earlier than that
mentioned. There had been difference
in ritual and liturgy. These now were
all settled, and they might look upon
the Catholic Church as Romanized
from the ninth century. The lecturer
summarized an interesting sketch OF
Ireland during the great period when
she was seminary Of Christian the,
ology, when her scholars carried
Christianity over the Continent and
| DeChI11e3 inc LedtIlet6 VI WIlOlS udLIpuS
and the councillors Of Kings and En-.
perors.
The whole of Ireland was studded
with monasteries. Forests were gra.
dually cleared, and part Of the &C.
tivity Of the monks was always the
cultivation of farms and fields ant
gardens. They found more than 70t
monasteries enumerated, but in Ire.
land. just as there was no 1mperia
authority, so there was no connection
between the monasteries, which were
Independent, although the affairs o.
the Church were sometimes regulated
by Synods But there was the same
lack Of unity that characterized po'
litical Ireland. There were two grea'
periods Of missions from ireland. The
first from the beginning of the sixth
century to the beginning of the eighth
and the second from about 800. AS tt
the latter, the number OF monks wa,
| enornoous in nroportion To the pon,1la