The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-03-16
Lite ano mork Of st. Natrick
Patron Saint Of IRELAND
BY
Patron Saint Of IRELAND

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
was in Britain. On this point Mr..
Bury is inclined to hold with the for
mer He believes that the future
Saint spent some time in monastery
on the island Of Lerins, now Honorat,
after which he returned to his home
in Scotland.
Determines on His Mission.
While at his home in Britain Pat
rick became convinced of his mis-
sion. In dream he thought he be-
held messenger lately returned from
Ireland with bundle of letters one
of which he gave to Patrick. Writ
| ing of it in his Confessions he says:
| And he gave ne one of these, and 1
read the beginning of the letter which
contained the voice of the Irish And
as read the beginning of it, fancied
that heard the voice of the folk who
were near the wood of Fochlad nigh
to the western sea. And this was
the cry: we pray the holy youth to
come and again walk amongst us as
| before I was pierced to the heart
and could read no more. Thereupon
I awoke.;' From thence forward Pat
| rick's mission was determined. The
land Of his servitude was to be the
| vineyard of his ecclesiastical labors.
| Having decided on his mission his
next step was to go to Gaul to pre-
| pare for the priesthood. He spent
! some time in st. Martins monastery
at Tours after which he went to
| Auxierre where he was ordained by
! st. Germainc. Anxious as he was to
respond to the call of the children of
Fochlad, he was not permitted ito en-
ter Immediately on his mission.
| Whether it was through failure to
win support or because he had some
other purpose in view, fourteen years
passed after st. Patrick's ordination
before he set out for Ireland.
PalIadus and Patrick.
Regarding the beginning of st. Pat
rick's mission in Ireland, the records
are such as to give rise to two con-
lectures the acceptance Of either of
which, however, does not cast any
doubt on the Saints purpose or the
genuineness of his authority. Accord
ing to some, the name of the bishop
whom Pope Celestine consecrated and
commissioned to go into Ireland about
431 or 432 was Palladius. Others
again, among :hem being the we'll
known Celtic philologist, Professor
thinner, say that Palladius and Pat
rick are identical. At any rate Pat
| rick arrived in Ireland about 432 or
433 for the purpose of preaching the
| had lived as slave. This much is
| certain, for those who hold that Pat
rick and Palladius are different per-
sons grant that the mission of Pal
ladius could not have extended over
more than year.
| St. Patrick's First Convert.
The place of st. Patrick's landing is
said to be at Wicklow Head near the
mouth of the Vantry river in County
Wicklow. A legend has it that a
swineherd who saw Patrick and his
companions advancing across the
country, thinking they were robbers,
reported them as such to his master,
Dichu, who prepared to Stay them. But
when Dichu met Patrick he became so
impressed that he gladly extended
hospitality to the party and became
the Saints first convert. Patrick soon
proceeded to the home of Milliucc, his
former master, in order that he might
bring the light of the Gospel to him.
But Milliucc in his PRIDE rather than
run the risk of being converted by
one who had served him as slave,
gathered his goods together and burn
ed himself and all of his belongings.
Arouses Wrath Of Loigaire.
| Patrick was familiar with the Ian
guage and customs of the Irish from
his previous experience amcng them.
He was we'll aware, therefore, that in
order to get land on which to build
churches he would have to gain the
good will of the kings. With this end
in view he resolved to celebrate the
first Easter after his arrival in Ire
land on the hill of Slane which rises
above the left bank of the river Boyne
about dozen miles from the bay. The
High King, Loigaire. with the as
sembled mobiles was holding a solemn
! festival at his royal residence on the
hill of Tara ten or twelve miles away.
J According to the pagan rites all fires
were to be quenched on Easter eve
and not to be lighted until the High
King had gone through the solemn