SAINT PATRICK
by Mike McCormack

Each year around March 17, the name of St. Patrick appears in every major publication in the civilized world - sometimes with honor and sometimes with scorn - often due to the conduct of those who celebrate his memory at affairs which bear his name. Of the many things written about this holy man, some are true, some misleading, and some false. St. Patrick was Italian; St. Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland; St. Patrick was the first to bring Christianity to Ireland - all of these statements are false! In an effort to clarify these falsehoods, read on for some history and the truth.

Some claim St. Patrick to be Italian because he was born in Roman occupied territory, and his name was Patricius. Sadly, the mists of time have clouded the exact location of his birth, but what is concluded from available evidence is that he was born somewhere in Wales around 386 AD given the name of Succat, a Celtic name meaning victorious. Although Wales was part of the Roman Empire at that time, it was a Celtic country and its people were one race with the people of Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, Cornwall, and the Isle of Man.

As for the legend of the snakes, although a popular tale, it is geologically known that there never were any in Ireland to begin with. His connection with that legend stems from the Viking misinterpretation of his name. Paud in the old norse language meant a toad, and when the Vikings heard of a Saint called Paud-rig, who had lived in Ireland before their coming, they concluded it meant toad-expeller. That was only the beginning, because the legend was reinforced by the Church's representation of the Devil in the form of a serpent, and Patrick driving the Devil out of Ireland in that form. The fact that there were no snakes led to the question, "what happened to them," and the answer was easily found in St Patrick's traditional statue. However, Patrick is more revered for what he brought to Ireland, than what he drove away.

Succat, or Patrick as we would come to know him, had by now made his way to Ireland at the tender age of 16, and Ireland's High King was Niall of the Nine Hostages. Irish warriors raided the coast of Wales, and among the hostages taken as slaves was the youth, Patrick. According to tradition, he was taken to Mt. Slemish, Co. Antrim, where he was forced to tend the flocks of local Druid or Chieftain. After six years, Patrick escaped and fled to Wexford, found passage, and eventually returned to his family. There he received his vocation for missionary work in Ireland in three separate dreams - the most notable was one in which the voice of the Irish called, "Holy youth, come again and walk among us."

Patrick was ordained a Deacon about 418 AD and consecrated Bishop in 432 AD receiving the name Patricius . That same year, Patrick was assigned to replace Palladius as head of the first Irish Christian mission, who was martyred that same year. Patrick showed considerable courage accepting what could have amounted to a death sentence. Working to his advantage was the fact that he knew Irish customs and language from his years in captivity, and the fact that he was a Celt. Patrick never condemned the Irish as idolatrous pagans, but appealed to their pride. He addressed them on their own terms, explained their traditions in terms of Christianity, and was eventually accepted as one of their own. He converted key people among the nobility, and recruited a native clergy.

He began his missionary work in Ulster, built his first Church at Saul, two miles from Downpatrick, and from there journeyed across the land. Patrick's own writings, and the writings of his contemporaries, show him to have been a missionary of extraordinary zeal, energy, and courage, careless of his own safety in his fervor to `spread the nets for God'. In his own writings, he mentions this `divine impatience' as well as describing himself as one of the Irish. For 29 years, Patrick labored among his beloved Irish, converting and baptizing them by the thousands until his death on March 17, 461 AD. Tradition establishes that he was buried at Downpatrick where he shares the same grave with Saints Bridget and Columcille. He was recognized as a saint in the 17th century by the extension of his feast day to the universal Church calendar.

Let us then celebrate Saint Patrick's memory with joy, remember his love for the Irish, and be thankful for the tremendous gift of faith that he bestowed upon us. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

ST. VALENTINE'S IRISH CONNECTION
by Mike McCormack

February 14 is Valentine's Day - a day honored worldwide by lovers, who use the occasion to send messages of undying affection to their sweethearts. Its also a day known to postmen (though not as eagerly awaited) who are burdened with carrying those messages on hundreds of thousands of cards decorated with hearts and flowers. Though the red heart has become the traditional symbol of Valentine's Day, there may be reason to also consider the Shamrock, for there is an Irish connection.

The exchange of affectionate messages has been a custom since Roman times, and cards have been used since the 16th century. Although the name of St. Valentine (a third century Christian martyr beheaded in Rome about 269 AD) has become attached to this ritual, little is known about the man. What is known, however, is that St. Valentine's feast day on the Church calendar happens to coincide with the old pagan celebrations of spring, perhaps explaining why the amorous rites associated with that celebration have become attached to his name. The Irish connection with St. Valentine is much more recent.

In the year 1836, Pope Gregory XVI sent a gift to the Carmelite Church on Whitefriar Street, Dublin, in recognition of the work of the church's former prior, Father John Spratt, who was widely recognized as a very holy man. The gift was a relic of a Christian martyr: a small gold-bound casket containing the earthly remains of St. Valentine. The relic had been exhumed from the cemetary of St. Hyppolytus on the Tiburtine Way, placed in a special casket, and brought to Dublin where it was enshrined in the little Church with great ceremony.

Each year, on February 14, the casket containing the Saint's mortal remains is carried in solemn procession to the high altar of the Carmelite Church for a special Young People's Mass. This little known Dublin church also sells Valentine's Day cards, and those that can be purchased there can truly be said to be the genuine article!