The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-03-17
World Honors St. Patrick
Many Races of Christian World Indebted to Ire- lands Patron Saint-Irish Missionaries Carried Message to Far-Flung Corner of the World.


 The observance of the Feast of St. Patrick is considered by most people to be distinctive Irish affair. All other races concede to them that right and the Irish seem to have accepted it, but in reality St. Patrick belongs to the whole Christian world. While it is true that his missionary labors were confined entirely to Ireland yet the indirect fruits of his labors there have made him a world figure for his spiritual sons from Ireland have carried the faith into many lands, and at critical period of world history, made, perhaps the greatest con- tribution to Christianity of any other race. The story of St. Patrick's bondage in Ireland in his youth, his escape and prep aration for the ministry has been so often told that it is well known and need not be told again, but it is rather remarkable, that the boy, deprived of his liberty in his most inpressionable years should be- come one of the greatest apostles, organizers and law-given in his- tory. In his solitude he visualized the pagan people among whom he labored, would one day become a bulwark of Christianity and he turned to God for guidance and inspiration, and how his prayers were heard is now well known, for centuries before the coming of St. Patrick Ireland had a highly developed civilization peculiarly her own, in fact that civilization has been the marvel of modern European scholars for they could not find that it had been in any way influenced by any of the older civilizations of Europe or Asia.
 Civilization coupled with their scholarship made them one of the leading races at the dawn of Christianity 50 that when the great saint came to preach the gospel of the true God they read- fly grasped the truths of Chris tianty and in less than a genera tion the whole country was con- verted without bloodshed which is rather unique in world history. The church records the names of many martyrs in various parts of the world, but none in Ireland at the time of her conversion, al- though martyrs were numerous in after years caused by the att tenpts of invaders to make them conform to handmade doctrines.
 About a century after the con- version of Ireland great disaster befe1l Europe. The Roman en- pire, which for years had been de- caying from vice and corruption, finally crumbled and a rather chaotic state followed it's collapse. The barbarians of northern Eu- rope swarmed over 1t and de- stroyed its institutions and there was grave danger of the entire Continent reverting to organism. Then the people of Ireland made not only Europe but the whole world their debtor for they, and they alone saved Christianity and the Christian civilization of Eu- rope, from the sixth to the ninth century, what is known in history as Ireland's golden age. That period gained for her the proud title of Island of Saints and Scholars.
 More than eight hundred and fifty missionaries left Ireland for England, Scotland and the Con- tinent where they preached Christianity and established schools and monaSterles, many of which are still in existence. It is well known to many modern Eu- ropean scholars that the names of many ancient Irish scholars are associated with the foundation of many European institutions of learning. They founded schools in England, Scotland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Scandinavian countries and even in far off Asia Minor. Iona, Lin- desfarne, Salsburg, AiX, Tours, MGrgeilles, st. Gall, Bobbio, all speak Of the great labors of es.rly Irish missionaries While athome in Ireland the great schools Of Ard fe-t, Armagh, Clormacnoise and Lismorc had extracted thousands