Gilpin observer., 1919-03-13

thrown with them into prison. but by
the goodness Of God was miraculously
delivered in the night. After this he
himself preached with great constancy
and fervor. and made a great harvest
in the vineyard Of the Lord; he convert
ed in a short time and baptized four
hundred persons. But the Emperor JUL
ian the Apostate. being incensed against
him because he boldly proclaimed the
glory of Christ. of Whom he was en-
vious. caused him to be arrested, and
had him beheaded A. D. $780,
ages. Ireland not only could boast Of
possessing Christians at home, but sent
forth jealous missionaries to foreign
lands. who cheerfully shed their blood
for the cause of Christ. This rich red
seed Of martyrs blood that she planted
then may well be considered an import
ant factor in the production of the rich
harvest that st.. Patrick reaped In after
years. II was so in Rome. Why not
in Ireland?
To any well-informed reader of early
Irish history. therefore. there can be no
doubt that Christianity had gained
foothold in many parts of Ireland long
before st. Patrick began his missionary
work in that country. This fact was
recognized in Rome by the Church au-
thorities there and by st. Patrick him
self. as the records of history clearly
show.
The year preceding that which saw st.
Patrick invested in Rome by Pope Gel
estine with plenary Jurisdiction for the
Irish mission. another Bishop named
Palladius had received similar authority
from the same Pope. and was sent to
Ireland to continue and complete the
work being carried on there by Declan.
Ailbe. Kieran and Ibar. The mission of
Palladius, for various reasons that do
not concern us here. though not COM
plete failure, was not crowned with sat
isfactory results. What is of import
ance to our present purpose is that the
historian, st. Prosper of Aquitaine. re-
cords in his chronicle under the date Of
4s1 A. D.: "Palladius is consecrated this
year by Pope Celestine and sent as
Bishop to the Scots believing in Christ"
In reference to this matter, the same
or words Of substantially equivalent
meaning, are used by Venerable Bede
in his ecclesiastical history, while the
historian Colgan writes that there never
was an instance Of the Roman Church
sending a solemn mission to any coun-
try in which the Christian religion was
totally unknown.
We have already related the meeting
that took pMce between Patrick and
Kieran in Italy when the latter was re-
turning to Ireland. The former. there
fore. could not have been unaware that
many Christians were then to be found
in that country. Naturally. too. Pat
rick, who firmly believed in his own di-
vine call to the Irish mission. must have
sought with eager interest for infor-
nation regarding the success of the lab
or of his predecessors in that spiritual
the accounts that reached him may be
reasonably inferred from the fact that
on his arrival in Ireland he did not
think 1t necessary to begin his work in
the territories that formed the spiritual
charge Of Declan, Ailbe. Kieran and
Ibar. He knew that their doctrine was
strictly orthodox and in no essential
different from his own; he knew that
they were fully equipped mentally to
teach and explain that doctrine clearly
and intelligently to their hearers: he
fled in their daily conduct. were virtu-
Gus and edifying. and, therefore. well
calculated to have powerful influence
for coed on all with whom they came
in contact. Patrick was. therefore. quite
content to leave the people OF southern
Ireland to the priestly ministrations Of
those sanity leaders. and turn his at
tention to these parts Of the country
where the light Of faith had not yet
| penetrated. Hence. Ulster and Con-
naught enjoyed the exclusive services of
st. Patrick for seventeen long years.
and It was not until the end OF that
time that he found an opportunity to
visit his co-laborers In the south.
| The meeting took place In the palace
| OF King Aorgus In the city OF Cashel,
was manifested to the claim Of st. Pat
rick that he was invested with supreme