Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-17

ODAY, the I,5l9th anniversary
of his birth, finds dear old st.
Pat" at last cleared Of the
mythical cobwebs which have
for so many centuries obscured
his real identity.
Fragmentary documental evidence
concerning three Patricks who labored
long and heroically to Christianize the
Emerald Isle and who furnish rather
contradictory dates, are responsible Tor
the misunderstanding. For centuries
the activities Of these three missionaries
have been credited to single Patrick,
namely. the patron saint OF Ireland
And even he at times has been declared
to be dear old myth"
But now his personality has fought
its way through all the incredulity and,
in true Irish style, has won the day
st. Patrick's day-to be forever unols-
puted.
st. Patrick's valuable cohorts In the
battle to extract himself from the
mythical realm have been certain
scholars who hied themselves to Erin
and to ancient crumbling manuscripts
there. They discovered that certain
other true missionaries, who were also
blessed with the name OF Patrick. have
been the cause Of all the saints troubles.
One of these, DR.. p. G. Smith, recently
published an enlightening sketch OF the
three St. Patricks In Catholic maya
zine.
with strangely similar careers, de-
clares DR.. Smith, 1t is but natural that
a single personality has come down
through the centuries and, with dates
sometimes entirely at variance, 1t Is no
small wonder that an army of doubters
has arisen to shout myth" at the popu-
lar saint
Patrick Palladius, who Is now called
Patrick I, was Of Greek origin and was
supposed to have been born in the
south of France. In 430 AID. he was
consecrated by Pope Celestine and sent
to the Scots, who believed in Christ, as:
their first bishop (an honor hitherto
accredited to st. Patrick. SO say the,
chronicles of st. Prosper of Aquitaine,
the name of Scots" being that gen.
orally given by outsiders to the people
Of Ireland and the Irish colonistS IN
Scotland and Wales. He received the
title of patricius of primate, and Ia
bored long and earnestly in the new
ecclesiastical province.
After lone and perilous voyage past
the bleak country of the Moghaidh, on
the coast of Scotland, he reached the
country of the Picts, now Kincardine-
shire, in the north of Scotland. Here,
with missionary zeal still burning, he
founded the Church of Fordum, where
he died and was buried and where his
memory is locally preserved in the
Paddy church fair" In 1894 his bones
were disinterred and placed in silver
shrine, the folk believing that he was
the true and only St. Patrick.
~
born in South Wales about 372
AID, of prominent family. whose
heads once ruled in AngleaSea and
whose ancestor, Brittle Maen. gave to
the country the title Britain"
Patrick Maen attended the celebrated
college, Cor Tewdws in Cover, said to
be founded In 1868 by Theodosius. father
Of the emperor of that name. While he
was student here. according to the
Chronicles of Sigebert," a band of
pirates from Ireland made a descent
upon South Wales and carried of Pat
rick and other students and sold them
for slaves. After four years of bondage,
| it Is related, Patrick had a celestial Wis
itor who told him OF certain house to
which he must go. Here he was again
sold for 30 pieces Of silver to some
mariners, who took him with them on a
voyage-a voyage destined to see him
released through the good Offices of a
Christian fellow voyager.
Patrick landed in France, and all
along the French coast to Bordeaux,
and at Tours, are to be found memorials
! of that visit. In the little village of st.
| Patrick, an hours ride from Tours, a
handsome church, eloquent with time,
still stands; while a mile distant, in the
| forest, st. Patricks white thorn is said
| to blossom In MidWinter.
Here, after eight years in the mon
! astery of the barefoot hermit monks
known as 1.-The People of God" Patrick
was ordained a priest and later sent
to preach the Gospel and bring the
pagan Druids within the Christian fold
Today Mount Croagh Patrick remains as
a witness of his 40 days retreat and
fast, and Is one of the chief places Of
church pilgrimages in the British
islands.
Patrick Succath. today identified as
the missionary canonized as ST. Patrick,
and endeared to the world as the patron
saint of Ireland, was born in 4l0 AID.
In that year Rome was sacked by the
Goths and civilization was at q low ebb
In Britain.
! 1t is easy to see how patAk succath