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?
Ol? A'I'ION
ON
-SAINT PATRICK."
i>i;i,i\ Kin 1) i!V
KMV. I ATIIKK lU KKK, (). T.,
Previous to his departure from the United States for Rome.
HALIFAX. N. S.:
OTOOLE & KEMP. PRINTER.S. 45 GRANVILLE ST.
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ST. PATRICK.
- f«r.'»'ft^»*< nit- ■<f-nfV-'; 'A)] si
Let IIS now praliie men uCrtMiown, and our fathers ill tlieirgeoenitiont; . . . thooe
lueu of mercy, whose K^^V dcodH have not failed; good things continue with their seed.
Their posterity are a holy inheritance; and their seed hath stood in the covenants; and
their children for their salies remain forever; their seed and thtir glory shall not be
forsalcen. Let the people shew their wisdom, and the Church declare their praiso.—
KCCLES. 44.
We are assembled to obey the command of God expressed in
my text. One of the great duties of God's Church, to which she
has ever been niost faithful , is the celebration of her saints.
From end to end of the year the Church's saint's are the theme
of her daily thanksgiving and praise. They are heroes, and
therefore she honors them just as the world celebrates its own
heroes, records their great deeds, and builds up monuments to
perpetuate their names and their glory. The saints were the
living and most faithful representatives of Christ our Lord, of
his virtues, his love, his actions, his power, so that he lived in
them, and wrought in them, and through them, the redemption
of men ; therefore the Church honors, not so much the saint,
as Christ our Lord, in the saint ; for, in truth, the wisdom of
saintliness which she celebrates, wherever it is found, is nothing
else, as decribed to us in Scripture, than a "vapor of the power
of God, and a certain pure emanation of the glory of the
Almighty God ; . . . the brightness of eternal light, and
the unspotted mirror of God's majesty, and the image of His
goodness ; . . . and through nations she conveyeth herself
into holy souls, she maketh the friends of God and prophets.'
Nor does the Church's honor of the saints derogate from that
of God, as some say ; otherwise the Lord, who is jealous of His
H-60> 9i}
/
(Ilvliic pouM.T ;ui''i gl'-rv, \voal(t never c.ominand us to praise tlv
saints as h*; does in the; worcls oC my text, a.ml in many otlier
parts f>f' th«! Holy Scriptures: "Praise ye the Lord in his
saints," * (jod is \vond«n*ful in his saints,' ete., etc. Nay, so
Par from lessening our praise and love for God, the saints ar«
the very clumnel throuL^h whicii praise is most acceptably o;iven
to Him, and if the Scriptures command us to praise the Lord
in :ill His works, how much more in His saints — the master-
pieces of natiu'e ami grace ! Let no one, therefore, suppose
riiat we an; assembled to-day to dislumor God by honoring his
saint: let iio one imujifine that we are come together to bless
nnd praise other than our (ukI Himself, * the father of lights,'
"^ for every best and every perfi^ct gift ' which He has given us
r.hroii*;)i our u^'at Apostle, St. Patrick. He was * a man of
renown,' for his work and his name are known and celebrated
by all men : * and oiu* tather in his gencmtion,' tor he ' begat
us to (iod i»y the Gospel.' He was, moreover, *a man of
mtircy," i'ow when he might have lived for himself and the
« tiijoyuient of Ids own ease, he chose rather to sacrifice himseli',
;rnd to make his life cheap and of no account in his sight, and
tins througli the self-same mercy which brought the Lord Jesus
Christ forth from the bosom of the Father, namely, mercy for n
people who were perishing. His ' godly deeds have not failed,'
for the Ijord crowned his Iab(>rs with blessings of abundance.
*• Good things continue with his seed," for the faith which he
planted still flourishes in the land.
• Ills POSTERITY ARE A HOLV INHERITANCE,'
ft>r tlu3 sc-ene of his labors, famous for holiness, obtained among
the nations the singular title of '* the Island of Saints,^' ** And
his seed hath stood in the covenants,' for it is w^ell known and
acknowledged that no power, however great, has been able to
move them from the taith once delivered to the saints. * Hi^
children for his sakt; remain forever,' for he blessed them, as we
read, that they should never depart from the fold of the * one
Shepherd' iuto which he had gathered them, and his prayer in
3
;;ivoii
h»*aven luis verified for loOO years his proplietie hlo.i.^ir.g on
<,'jtrth. Mis seed and his glory sliall not lit; 'br.saken, for ' tliey
,ire the children of saints, and lt)ok for that Jife which (}od will
-ive to those tliat never clianjie their faith from llini.' Seein;;.
tlierefore tluit all the conditions of the Insj>ired Word have
been so strikingly fulfilled in our saint, is it wonderful that we
should also desire to fulfil the rest of the command, * Let tlie
people shew forth his wisdom, and the Church declare his
praise ?' I propose, therefore, for your consideration — first, tlu-
character of the saint himself; secondly, the work of his Apo>-
tleship ; and thirdly, the merciful providence of Almighty God
toward the Irish Church and the Irish people. The li-vht of
Christianity had burned for more thati four liiindred vi'uv^
before its rays penetrated to Ireland. For the tirsi; thrc-
hundred years of the Churcli's existence the naend torcii
was hidden in tlie catacombs and cavo« of the earth, or. it
even seen by men, it was only when hold aloft f(»ra jnuinont
in the hands of a dying martyr. Yet the flames were
><preading, and a great part of Asia, Armenia, Kgypt, Sjuiin,
Italy, and Gaul had already lighted their lamps before tlini
memorial rear 312, when the Church's lij^ht, sudden] \
shooting up, appeared in the heavens, and a Ivoniaii Kni-
peror was conveiled by its brightness. Then did the spouse
of Christ walk forth from the earth, arrayed in all the ' beaut v
of holiness,' and her ' light arose unto the people who were
seated in darkness and in the shadow of death. The Chris-
tian faith was publicly preached, the nations wore converted
churches and monasteries were everywhere built, and God
seemed to smile upon the earth with the blos^^ings of Chris-
tian faith and Tloman civilizatioti. A brief interval of re-
pose it was; and God, in His mercy, permitted the Church
just to lay hold of society, and establish lierself amongst
men, that she might be able to save the world, whejj, in a
few years, the Northern barbarians should have swojit awny
every vestige of the power, glory and civilization of luicient
Rome. It was during this interval, between the long-con-
tinued war of persecution and the first fall of Rome, that a
young Christian was taken prisoner on the northern shorew
of Gaul, and carried, with many others, by his captors, into
Ireland.
* •! -■ i 1 - f '* ' J % i. I : - . ■ .1 1 : I • ' I I T I > . ' ' ' * ' I 4 f i t -
\ THIS YOUNG MAN WAS ST. PATRICK.
.•1 ,\ • / " -^ "•" . .1,. »,i...
He was ot noble birth, born of Christian parents, reared
up with tenderest care, and snrrounded from his earliest in-
fancy, with all that could make life desirable and happy.
Now he is torn away from parents and friends, no eye to
look upon him with pity, no heart to feel for the greatness
of his misery; and in his sixteenth year, just as life was
opening and spreading out all its sweets before him, he is
sold as a slave, and sent to tend cattle upon the dreary
mountains of the far north of Ireland, in hunger and thirst,
in cold and nakedness, and there for long years did he live,
forgotton and despised, and with no other support than the
Christian faith and hope within him. These, however,
failed him not; and so at length he was enabled to escaiK'
from his captivity and return to his native land. Oh, how
sweet to his eyes and ears must have been the sights and
sounds of his childhood ! how dear the embraces, how pre-
cious the joy of his aged mother when she clasped to her
'him that was dead, but came to life again!' Surely he
will remain with her now, nor never expose her to the risk
of losing again joys all the dearer because they had once
been lost. Not so, my brethren. Patrick is no longer an
ordinary man — one of us. A new desire has entered into
his soul and taken possession of his life. A passion has
sprung up within him for which he must live and devote his
future. This desire, this passion, is to preach the Christian
faith in Ireland, and to bring the nation forth 'from dark-
ness into the admirable light' of God. In the days of bis
exile, even when a slave on the mountain-side, he heard,
like the prophet, a voice within him, and it said, ' Behold. I
TT
have or'vvn my words in tliy moutli. Lo, I have set thee
this day over the nations and over kingdomt*, to root up and
pull down, and to waste and destroy, and to build and to
plant. Gird up the loins and arise, and speak to tkem all
that I command thee.' And when he was restored to his
country and to those who loved him, the satne voice spoke
again, for he heard in a dream the voice of iiuiny persons
from a wood near the western sea, crying out us witli one
voice, 'We entreat thee, O holy youth, to come and walk
still among us.' 'It was the voice of the Frish,' says the
saint in his Confessions, *and I was greatly atiectcd in my
heart.' And so he arose, and once more leaving father and
mother, houses and lands, went forth to prepare himself for
his great mission. Having completed his long years of
preparatory study, he turned his face to Itome, to the foun-
tain-head of Christianity, the source of all jurisdiction and
Divine mission in the Church, the great heart whence the
life-blood of faith and sound doctrine flows even tohermost
distant members, the new Jerusalem and Sion of God, of
which it was written of old, 'from Sion shall the law go
forth, and the "Word of the Lord from Jerusalem,' and here
in Rome St. Celeatine the first laid his hands upon St.
Patrick and consecrated him first Bishop of the Irish
nation.
And now he returned to onr shores a second time ; no
longer a bondsman, but free, and destined to ])reak thf
nations chains: 'You shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free :' no longer dragged thither an unwil-
ling slave of men, but drawn by irresistible love, the wil-
ling slave of Jesus Christ ; no more a stripling, full of anxi-
ous fears ; but a man, in all the glory of matured intellect,
in the strength and vigor of manhood, in the fullness of
powe*- and jurisdiction : with mind prepared and spirit
braced to bear and brave all things, and with heart and soul
utterly devoted to God and to the great enterprise before
/
i
him. 01), my lu'ctlircn; wliutjoy wan lu Leaven :tt tliat
hour wiieu the blessed llet of tlic l)leHse(l Vatriek t(»ucVic*<.i
t ho «horo8 (»f Ireland — ,.■•/■,
TUK ANCIKNT * ISLE OF DESTINY.'
This was her deatiny aurely, and it h about to be fulfilled —
that she should be the home and the mother of saints — of
doctors and holy solitaries, and pure virgins and martyrs
lobed in white, and of u people acceptable before the Lord.
That the Cross of Christ should be the emblem of her faith
forevermore, of her faith and of her trial, of her tears and
sorrow, and of her victory, ' which conquereth the world.'
O golden hour amongst the hours! when the .sands of the
Irish shore first embraced softly and lovingly the beautiful
lootprints of hiin who preached peace and good things :
when Moses struck the rock, and the glistening waters ol
salvation flowed in the desert land ; when the * Name,
which ill above all names,' was first heard in the old Celtic
tongue, a;>d the Lord Jesus, entering upon his new inherit-
iuice, exclaimed, 'This is my resting-place forever and
vver; here shall I dwell because I have chosen it.' • >
The conversion of Ireland, from the time of St. Patrick's
landing to the day of his death, is, in many respects, the
:<traugest facts in the history of the Church. The saint met
with no opposition ; his career rest. '>ies more the
triumphant progress of a king than the difficult labor of a
niissiouary. The Gospel with its lessons and precepts ot
self-denial, of prayer, or purity, in a word, of the violence
which seizes on heaven, is not congenial to fallen man.
His pride, his passions, his blindness of intellect and his
liardness of heart, all oppose the spread of the Gospel ; 8i»
that the very fact that mankind has so universally accepted
it, is adduced as a proof that it inust be from God. The
work of the Catholic missionary has, therefore, ever been,
and must continue to be, a work of great labor witli ap-
varoiitlv snnl] results. Such has it ]>eeii H!a(»iH''it all the
ti.Jtl
lijitioiirf : a-nd yot li't;lai)il rtooiiirt u m'aJul exception. Sho is
perhaps, the only eouutry in the world that entirely owes
iier conversion to the work of one man. He found her
universally rugaii. lie Ictt her nnivei*i?ally Christian.
She is, again, the only nation that never cost her apoatlo an
i)our of sorrow, a single tear, a drop of blood. She wcl-
I'onied him like a friend, took the Word from his lips, made
It at once the leading feature of hor life, put it into the
blood of her childron and into the language of her monr
familiar thoughts, and repaid hor ))enefactor with hei-
utmost veneration and love. And much, truly, had young
(christian Ireland to love and venerate in her great Apostle.
All rtan( ,y, coming as it does from G^od, is an imitation of
<iod in man. This is the meaning of the word the Apostle.
' those whom we foreknew and predestined to be mad**
eomfortable to the image of His Son, the same He called,
and justified, and glorified.' Conformity to the ' v;.age of
(4od is, therefore, Christian perfection of sanctity, * tho
mystery which was hidden from eternity with Christ in
God.' But as our Lord Jesus Christ, ' in whom dwelt tho
fulness of '.be God-head corporally,' is an abyss of all per-
fections, so do we tina the saints difteringo-o from another
in their varied participations of His graces and resemblance
to His divine gifts, for so ' star ditfereth from star in glory."
Then, amongst the apostles, we are accustomed to think and
speak of the impulsive zeal of Peter, the virginal purity oi'
John, etc., not as if Peter were not pure, or John wanting
in zeal, but that where all was the work of the Spirit of
God, one virtue shone forth more prominently, and seemed
TO mark the specific character of sanctity in the saint*
N^ow, amongst tho many great virtues which adorned tho
soul of Ireland's Apostle, and made him so dear to the peo-
ple, I find three which he made specially his own, and
these were a spirit of penance, deepest humility, and a de-
^/
8
vouriiig iKcul ibr the salvation of souls. A spirit of penance.
It is remarkable, and worthy of special notice in these dayn
of self-indulgence and fanciful religions, how practical the
Gospel id. It is pre-eminently not only the science of re-
ligious knowledge, but also of religious life. It tells us not
only what we are to believe, but also what we are to do.
And now, what is
THE FIUST GREAT PKKCKPT OF THE GOSPEL?
It is penance. My brethren, 'do penance, for the kingdom
of (iod is at hand.' And when, on the day of Pentecost,
ihe Prince of the apostles first raised up the standard of
(/hristianity upon the earth, the people, 'when they heard
these things, had compunction in their hearts, and said to
Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, What shall we do, men
and brethren ? and Peter said to them, do penance^ and be
l)aptized, every one of you.' This spirit of penance wap.
o.-;sentially Patrick's. His youth had been holy ; prevented
from earliest childhood by 'the blessings of sweetness,' he
bad growji up like a lily, in purity, in holy fear and love.
Yet for the carelessness and slight indiscretions of his iirst
years, he was filled with compunction, and with life-long
i^orrow. His sin, as he called it, was always before him,
and with the prophet he cried out, ' Who will give water to
my head, and a fountain of tears to mine eyes, and I will
weep day and night' In his journeys he was wont to spend
the night in prayer, and tears, and bitter self-reproach, as if
be was the greatest of sinners; and when he hastened from
* Royal Meath,' into the/ar west of ihe island^ wo read that
when Lent approached, he suspended his labors for a time,
and went up the steep rugged side of Croagh Patrick^ and
there, like his Divine Master, he spent the holy tim.o in
fasting and prayer; and his ' tears were his food night and
day.' Whithersoever he went, he left traces of his peni-
tential spirit behind him ; and Patrick's penance and Patrick's
purgatory are still familiar traditions in the land. Thus, my
d
lenance,
ise (lays
lical the
le of re-
Is U8 not
to tlo.
ingdoTii
ntecost,
dard oi'
sy heard
said to
do, men
and he
ice wart
'evented
heas,' he
nd love,
his iirst
life-long
re him,
water to
dl will
to spend
eh, as if
ed from
ad that ,
a time,
ck, and
tim.o in
:ht and
8 peni-
'atrick's
]us, my
brethren, did he 'sow in tears,' who was destined to reap
in so much joy; for so it is ever with God's saints, who do
his work on this earth ; 'going, they went and wept, seat-
tered the seed, but coming they shall come with joy.' His
next great personal virtue was a wonderful humility. Now,
this virtue springs from a twofold knowledge, namely, the
knowledge of God and of ourselves. This was the double
knowledge for which the great St. Augustine prayed: 'Lord
let me know thee, and know mvself :' and this did our
saint possess in an eminent degree. This knowledge of
God convinced him of the utter worthlessnesa of all things
besides God, and even of God's gifts, except when used for
himself; and therefore he did all things for God and nothing
for self, and of ' his own he gave him back again ;' he lost
siffht of himself in advancing the interests and the cause of
God: he hid himself behind his work in which he labored
for God ; and strangely enough, his very name and histoi'y
come down to us by reason of his great humility, for lie
would write himself a sinner, and calls himself 'Patrick,
an unworthy, and ignorant, and sinful man,' for so he saw
himself, judging himself by the standard of infinite holi-
ness in Jesus Christ, by which we also shall all be one day
judged. Looking into himself he found only misery and
weakness, clothed and enriched, not by himself, but by God;
and, fearful of losing the Giver in the gifts, he put away
from him the contemplation, of what God had made him,
and only considered what he was himself. Thus was he
always the most humble of men. Even when seated in
glory and surrounded by the love and admiring veneration
of an entire people, never was his soul moved from the
solid foundation of humility, the twofold knowledge ; and
so he went down to his grav^e a simple and an humble man.
And yet in this lowly heart there burned a mighty fire of
love, a devouring zeal for the souls of his brethren. Oh !
here indeed does he shine forth * likened into the son i)t"
f
fn
m ! ••
lit I
15
l f
I (
to
(fod," tor like our D'vine Lord {iiid Master, P^itriok wus ;fi.)rtli 1
• zealous lover of aouls/ He well knew how dear thcKi^t a w
souls were to the sacred heart of Jesus Christ — how wi I niade
ingly tke Lord of glory had spent llinHolf, and given l^i^fv('ry
most saercd and precious blood for them ; how it was tin iknd n<
thought of their salvation that suBtaiiied Him during th«)ito.'
horror of His passion ; in the agony of His prayer; whei
His sacred flesh was torn at the pillar, when the cruel tho^n^ and ii
were driven into His most holy brows; when, with droop Ood!
ing head and wearied eyes, and body streaming blood from meant
overy open wound, He was raised upon the cross to die. baptisi
heart-broken and abandoned, with the anger of God and divide
the insults of men poured upon him. Patrick knew ail signifj
thi>, and it tilled him with transports of zeal for souls, s( torsh;
thar, like the great apostle, ho wished to be accursed foi irine <
I hem ; and to die a thousand times rather than that one He pi
sonl, purchased so dearly, and the offspring of so mucl begin
love an«l sorrow should perish. Therefore did he mak( taugh
himself the slave and the servant of all, that he might gain and t
all to God. And in his mission of salvation no difficultio> irish
retarded him, no labor or sacrifice held him back, no sick- 'we i
uess subdued him, no infirmity of body or mind overcann; made
him. Old age <ame upon him, yet he spared not himsell". Irish
nor did he for a moment sit d wn to count his ^ears, or to uckn(
number his triumphs, or to consider his increasing wants; Iwdy
hut his voice was clear and strong and his arm untiring, beaut
I hough lie had reaped a harvest of many years, and Inu) putet
l)orne ' the burden of the day and the heat ;' and his jieart — ho
•>vas young, lor it was still growing, in the faith of those iier, i
around him. Even to the last day of his life * his youth 'day <
vas renewed like the eagle.' He repeatedly journeyed cred
ihroughout the length and breadth of the land, caring and thinj
tending with prayer, and blessing, and tears, the plants nala
which he had [)lanted in this new vineyard of God : and and
;j;race was jiou red abroad from his lips, and 'virtue went <locti
II i
▼
1
11
ick Wiis ;&>rtli i'mm him,' uiilil the world was aatonidhou . t the sight
loar thcKtot a whole nation converted by one man, and the [>romirtc
low wi l-niade ot'ohl wa« rultillod in Patrick, *I will deliver to you
^iven iri>fv(!ry phico tliat the sole of your foot nliall tread upon,
t was tlic'iknd no man rihall be able to resist theeiill the davH of tin
Jnrin!^ tht )iU'.' And now we come to t}ie question,
or ; wliei what did ht. Patrick tkacii,
uel thoniftiid in what form of Christianity did he expend hiinnelf toi
ith droop Ood! For fifteen hundred years, my brethren, OhrIstianit\
)Iood from meant one thing, one doctrine, one faith, one authority, on*-
)S8 to die. baptism ; now, in our day, this same Christianity, though as un-
God an<l divided, as true, as exclusive, as definite as ever, is made h*
knew ail signify many things ; and men, fondly imagining that our ances-
r souIh, .S( tors had no greater unity than ourselves, asks what form of do<-
Biirsed fo) Irine did St. Patrick preach to the Irish peoj)le? I answer:
I that one He pr6ac]ied the whole cycle of C'atholic truth as it was in the
f 80 muel beginning, is now, and ever shall be to the end of time. If*-
I he mak( taught them tliat Christ's most sacred body and blood are reallx
night gain and truly present in the Blessed Eucharist, so vhat we find an
diflficultio,^ Irish writer of tlie same century (Sedulius) using the words
c, no sick- * we are fed on the body and members of Christ, and so we are
overcanii' made the temples of God ;' again, the language used by the
ot lumself Irish Church at the time, as even the Protestant Bishop Usher
earn, or to acknowledges, concerniug the Mass, was • the making of the
Dg wants; 1>ody of the Lord.' In support of the same truth we liave the
I untiring, beautiful legend of St. Bridgid — which, even if its truth be dis-
, and had puted, still ])oints to the popular faith and love whence it sprang
1 his iieart — how, when a certain child, named Nennius, was brought to
h of chose 'iier, she blessed him, and prophesied that liis hand should on<'
his youth 'day give her the Holy Conununion ; whereupon the boy vo\-
journeyed ered his right hand and never again let it touch any profane
taring and thing, nor be even uncovered, so that he was called " Nenniu-
he plants nalaumh glas,' or, Nennius of the clean hand, out of devotion
jrod : and and love to the most Holy Sacrament. St. Patrick taught the
'tuo went doctrine of penance and confession of sins, and priestly absolu-
12
tioii ; for we find, amongst the other proofs, an old penitentfil
canon of a synod held under the sauit himself in 450, in which
it is decreed that ' if a Christian kill a man, or commit fornica-
tion, or go in to a soothsayer after the manner of the Gentiles,
lie shall do a year of jjenanoe ; when his year of penance is
over, he shall come with witnesses, and afterwards he shall be
absolved by iAie priest.' He taught the invocation of saints,
as is evident from numerous records of the time. Thus, in a
nujst ancient lifr of St. Bridget we find the words, 'There are
two holy virgins in heaven who may undertake my protection
— Mary and Bridget — on whose patronage let each of us de-
|)end.' In like manner, we find in the synods of the time laws
concerning the ' obligations for the dead ;' in the most ancient
Irish missals Masses for the dead are found with such prayer.s
as ' Grant, O Lord, that this holy obligation may work pardon
for the dead and salvation for the Hvino:; and in a most
ancient life of St. Brendan it is stated that ' the prayer of the
living doth much profit the dead*' But, my brethren, as in the
personal character of the saint, there were some amongst his
virtues that .slione out more conspicuously, than the others, so in
his teaching there were certain points which a])pear more pro-
minently, which seemed to be impressed upon the boople more
forcibly, and to have taken peculiar hold of the national mind-
Let us consider wlu t these peculiar features of St. Patrick's
teachino; were, and we shall see how thev reveal to us what I
|)ro})osed as the tliird point of this sermon, namely, the merciful
providence of God over the Irish Church and people. They
were the following : Fidelity to St. Peter's chair and to Peter'.';
successor, the Pope of Rome, devotion to the blessed Virgin
Mary ; ])rayer and remembrance for the dead ; and confiding
obedience and love for their bishops and priests. These were
the four gre'at prominent features of Patrlck*s teaching: by the
Hrst, namely, fidelity to the Pope, he secured the unity of the
Irish Church as a living member of the Church Catholic; bv
the second, devotion to the Blessed Virgin, he secured the purity
and UK
e»ilistei
Strong
Bfient M
Churc'
her sti
tnd ui
Churc
ral kni
and re
(Mmrc
derful
higliei
derful
so vas
])racti
familj
bracli
freed(
(|uick
the d
even
Sucli
Irela
feet
whic
; olWc
, hone
trutl
heac
tive
and
Chii
doc
1
nitent'il
:n whicli
fornica-
jrentiles.
nance is
Ishall be
>f saints,
ns, in ii
here are
protection
f us de-
ime laws
ancient
prayers
•k pardon
I a most
er of the
, as in the
ongst his
lers, so in
nore pro-
)ple more
lal mind-
Patrick's
IS what I
merciful
J. They
Peter's
1 Virgin
confidino-
'se were
J : by the
y of the
olic ; by
lie purity
and morality of the people ; by the third, care of the dead, he
enlisted on the side of Catholic trutli the natural love and
strong feelings of the Irish character ; and by the last, attach-
Bient and (»bedience to the priesthood, he secured to the Irish
Church th(! principle oi !. ternal union, wliich is the secret of
her strength.
I HE PKEACHEI) IIDEMTY
and unswerving devotion to the Pope — the head of ihe Catholic
Church. Coming direct from Rome, and filled with ecclesiasti-
cal knowledge, he opened up before the eyes of his new children
and revealed to them the grand design of Almighty God in His
Church. He showed them in the world around them the won-
derful harmony whicli speaks of God ; then rising into the
liiglier world of grace, he ])reaclied to them the still more won-
derful harmony of redemption and of the Church — the ('liurch,
so vast as to fill the whole earth, yet as united in doctrine and
])ractice as if she embraced only the members of one small
family or the inhabitants of one little village ; the Church em-
bracing all races of men, and leaving to all their full individual
freedom of thought and action; yet animating all with one soul,
quickening all as with one life and one heart ; guiding all with
the dictates of one immutable conscience, and keeping every,
even the least, member, under the dominion of one head.
Such Avas the church on which on which St. Patrick encrrafted
Ireland — 'A glorious Church witlKmt spot or wrinkle ; a per-
fect bodv, the very mystical bodv of Jesus Christ, throufh
which •■ we, being wild olives, are engrafted on Him, the true
olive-tree,' so that ' we are made the fiesli of His flesh, and
bone of His bones.' Now, Patrick taught our fatliers, with
truth, that the soul, the life, the heart, the- conscience and the
head of the Church isdesus Christ, and that His representa-
tive on earth, to whom He has connnunicated all His jiraces
and powers, is the Pope of Rome, the visible head of God's
Church, the Bishop of Bishops, the centre of unity and of
doctrine, the rock and the corner-stone on which the whole
14
:h
iMlitice oftli^i Clmi'oli is founded and built up. All tbis hv
pointed out in Xho Scriptures, from the wordt* of our Lord
lo Peter. Peter was the flhepherd of the fold, whose duty
it was to ' feed both iaiubs and sheep,' with ' every word
that eometh from the mouth of God.' Peter was the rock
to sustain and uphold the Church: 'thou art Peter, and
upon this rock I will build my Church' (words whicli arc
the very touclistone of faith in these days of sorrow).
Peter's was the strong, unerring voice which was ever t(»
i)C heard in the C^urch, defining lier doctrines, warning oil'
onemies, denouncing; orrors, rebuking sinners, guiding the
doubtful, strengthening the weak concerning the strong:
:nid Jesns said, ' Thou, O Peter, confirm thy brethren.'
Patrick taught, the Irish people not to be scandalized ii'
they saw the (?ross on Peter's shoulders, and the crown of
thorns upon his head, for so Christ lives in His Church and
in her supremo pastor; but he also taught them that he
who strikes Peter stnkes the Lord ; he taught them what
history ha.^ taught us, that 'whosoever shall fall on that
stone shall bo bruised: and upon whomsoever it shall fall
it will grind him to [towder.' He taught them that in the
day when they separated from Peter they separated from
Christ, as did the foolish men in the Gospel : ' After thin
many of his disciples went back ana walked no more with
him. Then .lesus said to the twelve. Will you also go
awavV And Simon Peter answered him : Lord, to whom
shall we goV Thou hast the words of eternal life.' Thus
it was my brethren, that he bound them to the rock of
ages,' to Peter's chair, with firmest bound of obedience and
love, and infused into their souls that supernatural instinct
which, for fifteen hundred years, has kept them, througli
good report and evil repurt, through persecution and
sorrow, faithful aiul loval to the llolv See of Rome. It
was a bond of obodiotu'o and love that bound Ireland to
l»<»ine. T]iii<. ill the licginning ni^ the seventh century.
when tl
<Jr cele
»Vi8e
struct io
tfeence
enacts c
tion sh
(•allt'd.
dftV of
I he
tion to
prcxif
God
eiuircl
wlure
enshrii
gwage,
the prs
conver
latle ol
still V
Motht;
trinos
Jt sus
and a(
* Virg
tery (
mid 1
glorie
purit)
maidc
lesson
worhl
tion
Id
this iu'
V Lord
se duty
\y won!
he rock
|er, and
icli art'
lorrow).
lever ttt
Juing ofl*
ling the
strong :
ethren.'
ilized W
^owu of
rch and
that he
n what
on that
hall fall
b in thi-
id from
'ter this
•re with
also go
wJiom
Thiih
ock of
ice and
nstincJ
hroiigli
)u and
Qc. It
and to
?ntury,
when the Irisli bishops assemhk'd to consider the question
»# eek^hrating Kaster, we find the Fathei-s selectinir soim-
*wise and huinWe men,' sending them to Rome for in-
dtruetion, * as cliildren to their mother;' and this in obi*-
tUence to a primitive law of the Irish Chnrch, wliieli
enacti d that, in every difliculty that might arise, ' the qu' h-
tion shoidd he referred to the Head of Cities,' as Rome was
called. This devotion to the Holy See saved Ireland in the
dav of tii:d. , . .
The next great feature in ['atriek's preaching was devo-
tion to the ?<Iother of God. Of this we have abundant
jjroof in the numoious churches built and dedicated to
God under her name. (Teampoill Mhuire), or Mary's
Clnirch, became a fiamiliar name in the land.
IN THE FAR WEST OF IRELAND,
wlure the traditions of our holy faith are still preserved,
enshrined iu the purest form of our grand old Celtic lan-
guaiie, the sweet name of the Mother of (rod is heard in
the prayers and songs of the people, in their daily familiar
C(»nverse, in the supplications of the poor, not under the
title of ' our Lady,' or of ' the Blessed Virgin,' hut by the
gtill more endearing name of (Mhuire Mathair), ' Mary
Mother.' And so it was that Patrick sent his Catholic doc-
trines honu' to the hearts of the people. He preached
Ji sus Christ, under the name by which he is still known
jind adorned in that far western land, (Mac na Maighdine)
* Virgin's Son,' thus admirably insinuating the great mys-
ter V of the Incarnation, and preaching Jesus through Mary ;
Rnd Mary herself be preached, with all her graces and
glories, as * Mary Mother.' The example of her virginal
purity and maternal love he matie the type of the Irish
maiden and mother ; and so well did they learn their high
lesson that they have been for ages the admiration of the
world, and the glory of their atHicted country. The devo-
titm to Marv sank deep into the heart of the nation ; So
16
' H
well had they alrea Iv learned to love and appri J'iate her 'liaij/
in a few years after their conversion to the fai h, when t^t-ji, '.
wc;i'd exj)ress tlicir love and admiration for the first great Irisiji /
viririn sal:.: — St. Bridjiet — they thought they had crowned he.;
-they thought they
with glory when they called her * tlio Mary of Ireland.'
devotion to Mary was a protecting shitld over Ireland in th^ .
day of her battle for the faith. . .1
The third great prominent point in St. Patrick's preacli*^ ,
ing was the doctrine of Purgatory, and, consequently, cart tT
ful thought and earnest prayer for the dead. This is attestei^ , .
bv the ordinances of the most ancient Irish synods, in whicl -l
' jflver c
oblations, prayers and sacrifice for the dead are frequently^. ,1
mentioned, as evidently being the practise, frequent am
(jpired
loving, of the j)eople. They were not unmindful of the doan,^ ,
* like others who have no hope.' Every ancient church had , 1
itb little grave-yard, and the jealous care of the people, evei .^ 1 ,
to this day, for these consecrated spots, the loving tenacity -i
. "^ . .' tt won
with which they have clung to them at all time speak of theit • ^
J i^ * a vine
in this great doctrine, and tell us how much Irish hopt^ .
)ve surrounds the grave. ' Nothing is our own, except i^ .1
faith
and love surrounas tnc grave. * rsotiung is our own, ♦except i- .1
our dead,' says the poet, and so these affectionate ^i^art^ 1 1
took with joy the doctrine of mercy, and c^^'"^^''' tifiest
their love and their prayer beyond the tomb into^. p,
the realms of expiation, where the dross of earth is purged away.
the gold and silver refined, and souls saved are prepared fory-^r^ • .
heaven, ' yet so as by fire ' This doctrine of the Church, so. ^^ _
forcibly taught by Patrick, and warmly accepted by the Irish j.|.Qrj«
people, was also a great defence to the na*^ ion's faith during thoi^ j i^
long ages of persecution and sorrow. ^ . >. minie
Finally, the great saint established between the P^*f>p'^ ^je h
and their priesthood the firmest bonds of mutual love and coii---u|^
fidence. In the Catholic Church the priest is separated from .j^^ ^
men and consecrated to God. The duties of bis office aftj|j,gQ
AO high, holy and supernatural, and require such purity of^^^ ^^
life and devotion of soul, that he must, of necessity,
17
U)
, , «it:iU(l aloof iVoni amongst 'ueii and engage ]jiniHoit"\vith Got) :
I tk."**"' ^^ "''^ "^^' words of the apoptlo, he is ' flie mimster oi
J . .^rist, and the diRpenser of tne m^-.-.teries of Go*i.' Heiict.
■'^ • fl h T^^^y Catholic looKH npou the prieHt hr a suiK'.niutural man :
J , ,p. .4jp«^rnatural in the unction of his priesthood, in his office,
j . . His power, his life, his dutiefi, and moat aacred in his persorr
dB the annointed of the Lord. This wart the idea of tli«'
.priesthood which Saint Patrick imijrcHsed upon the Iris''
. ' people. The very name by which tlie priest has ever been
. • ' illiown in our language, and which has no correspondini
i^^**^ ^^ ^^^ English tongue, signifies ' a sacred man and a
\ 1 i^ver of sacred things.' Such is the exalted dignity of tho
^ 'ttrieathood, such the knowledge and matured sanctity rc-
r I J * i*lP^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ *^® tremendous obligations and duties im-
. , 'loosed upon it, that we arnerally find the first priestH of a
lurch had*^ . ^ ' i ,'^ ^ "^ i • ni • *•
, iiewly converted people strangers ; men who m Christian
' ^' *^'' ^^' Ifnds were brought up and educated for theirhigh mission.
h V*i ^ -^^ would seem as if the young Christianity of a people, like
_ 'a vine but newly planted, were unable yet to bear such full
"'^' rtiatured fruit of holiness. But it was not so in Ireland, m\
, excep ^yg|;]jreu. There we behold a singular instance of a peo-
a e eai f^-^^ ^^^ immediately produced a national priesthood. Thr
cariie( ppj^g^g j^j^^j bishops of Ireland, who assisted and succeeded
in <ij|^ Patrick in his great work, were almost to a man Irish-
rgc( away.jjjgj^ ^^ congenial was the soil on which the seeding oi
eparea "^' Ohrigtianity fell, that forthwith it sprung up into the goodly
' '"''^ '' /^''rree of all holiness and power; and so the aged apostle saw
y le "^''j^round him, in 'the ring of his brethren,' those whom he
( 11' »ng tut' jjg^^ himself baptized, annointed and consecrated into thi'
le
©linistry of God's altar and people. Taken thus from
people ^g heart of the people, they returned to them again, laden
G and con-^i^y^ ^j^.j^^ ^j^^^ ^^^^ U^.j^^ 1^ ^y^^, ^-^^^^ ^j. them, joyfully
atod fro"! ;ijid contentedly ministered unto them 'in all things that
othce artj^g ^f God.* A community of joy and norrow, of good and
purity ^>^>f evil, was thus establiflhed between the priesthoods and
necessity,
f*
1 1
18
mo.sf. lOVonMiiia! ; uii union of tlm j^lrictottt kind, iouiidci of the
in faitli. rni»'Ii<.y au*l all'errioii, and «!onn'iito<l by oonhirit.'^ r^r, cor
..!• foar. «.)d nf blood. ...^ , ,^ .: lVfn^«ir'M|. |^"^*^^'
ror., MOUK TJfAX v THornAKD tf.ak* j|r V// , ,'f . j.<'Hy oi
i.lio work of St. Put.ritrk was the .i^lory nf ChnHtnnaoi^i. jjn Ma
'Vhe Viri^In Oliurrh or' Irt'ljtinl. cHi«ltt"mH(i evon 1)^' <»ne uiuv-
I vi's blotui, lit'canu: f;h»' prolific ninih».»r of . saints. Strange.
iMib't.'-l. ami slnj^'ilar in ir> irlory. was the doiitinv of luni^-
VhiI. The frij<h Churolt knew no ohil«l]ioi;>d, no »ig»>« ot'
l>}iint'iil :»nd mi(;<»rtain 'striia;gi*3 t<> [ait <>n (lhri.**t,ian uMiitro%
;nid cvfublis]i Chrihilan tra<iition8. Lik^tho children ii;
I he early yg»N*) ot' the ("hurch, who were roniiriutid in in-
I'aiun'. ininiediuteiy nJier baptinm, Ireland WHHt;all«d upon.
;m 8'Km :iH eonveited, i,o become at once t}»e mother o(
-.i-intfi. the home and refuge of l«ftrniT»g, the ;^r<tat instruti-
tre'Ms of tfie nati<)ns; and, perhaps, the hijutory of the world
doen not exhibit a. more ilriking and glorioun sight, than
Ireland, f')r the three hundred years inimfidiately foliowin>i
her eonverisiou to the Catholie faith. The whole iHlaud
vi'^i^ covered with I^<^hooit^ and mouftBteries, in which men.
the mof^t renowned of their age, botli ikn' learning andsane-
lity, received the Lhouflands of studentfi who Hocked to
\ horn tTom every land. Whole ciliei? were given ap to them :
»^ we read of Armagh, which wjts divided iutA> three part^
— * Trianmore/ or the town proper ; * Trian-Patrick,' or th**
. athedral clone; • Triau-Saesenaghj' o,r the Latin quartei".
tlje home of the foreign Htudeuts. To the fltudentb
fhe evening star gave the Hignal for retirement., and th«^
morning sun for awakening. When, at tlie sound of the
•'ttrly bell, nayfc the hifitorian, 'two or three thousand of
rhem ponied into the Kilent Htreets and made their way w-
wardfi the lighted church, to joir» in the service of matinw,
mingiiug, as they went or returned, the tonguei of th*
<ilael. th^. (?imhri, the Pi<?t., the Saxon. Rnd the Frank, or
, Slane
,un th«
■ West
"-pot,
' <»lill r
t^be «>
' ing s
<he p
••.«Ue<
T'l
♦he i
, i)elo
' But.
>itv,
yet,
■ of fi
»»nb
trie
viet
■lUa^
ilov
Uie
OVt.'
fha
do
tP'^
19
liar, yti
:ir'Mj
5fiange.
»g»>M Ol'
Idreii ii;
1 in i ri-
ll upoiK
tf
i>!
Other
in struts
le worUI
11 1, than
e iHluud
^h men.
^DdsaiiM-
cked. to
'tjo partr«
,' or thf.
quartcj'.
stud en It-
iud th^
i of the
SADd O^'
way t<.>-
iimtinn,
of th4*
hiiL;;jg t*nd«kiHvvttrir»i; tntch oth«.'r 'm tlic ufiivor.sal lttti;j;uat;t*
of the llom»n Churrli, th«.' niifels of lieavt-n must have loved
'to contemplate the union of so much perse veranco with sn
J :n'ieh piety.* And tlm-* it wa.i. not only in St. Patrick',< owfj
City of Armagh, Imt in Uaniror, in Clonard, in Clonmuunoist;,
m Mayo ; of the Saxons of Tagmahon and Beg-Krin, r)n t.]i»*
Slaney ; in famed Lismore, on the Blackwater ; in the Mimjrret,
,«in the lordly Shannon ; in the far-off l?«land«> of Arran, on th*-
Western Ocean ; and in maiiv another sainted and historic
-pot, where the round tower, and the group of even church*'.-*.
<»lill remain, :«ilent hut elo(juent witnessies of the sanctity anrl
the ^Jrlory of Ireland'^ tlr«t Christianity. T}ie nution"), behoKI-
intj and admirinij th<> hiJ»tr»* of learniutr and .sanctitv whicli
shone fort Vi in the holy isle, united in conferrini:: upon hvlaiKl
thcvproudest title ever yet given to n land or «. p^'ojtlf : th''v
rsHed her ' the Inland of Saints and Doctors.* , t . ... i
The voice of history clearly and cmphaticallv proclaims tliui
!hc intellectual fluprema«'y and guidance oi tin- Clin'rstian worM
i>eloTiged to Ireland from the sixth to the ninth et;nturif>.
But, although religion may flourish in the halls of the univ»'r-
>ity, :>nd be fairly illuntrat*"! in the iK^aceful lives of the saints,
yet, there is one cruwn, and that, indeed the very coantf^r->i;j;ri
i)f faith, — * Vietoriii ipue vincit numdurn fidc!<,' — which can
<»nlv rest on the brow«t of h church ami a nation which liarihoen
tried in the arena of persecution and war; and that crown i>
victory. The baytree may tlourisli by the riverside ; the cedar
iuay rear its majestic head on the mountaiii-top ; leaf and fair
ilower. and the fulness of fruit mav be there ; but it in onlv in
the dark hoar, when the i<torm sweeps over the earth. aii<l
■ ;vei'vw(tak thin j; vieldf^ to it, and is carried a?ray bv itr» iur> .
'.hat the good tree i^ tested, and itn strength w proved. The?)
do n»en see whether it ha-^ struck its roots deep iiito the sJoil,
and m twined them about the hidden rocks, that no power can
tear tlMmi out. The good ship may Mail before the pronperou"
gnleH. Hud • walk thf w^tfr-*.' ifi all >!»^r beauty «rnd rnaje«ity ; but
iiit
aue<
('to
SO
it U oiiiy oil the inornitig aiVur the storoi, when the hurrlcaii S;irk
lias swept over the face of the deep, when the angry wave Cypri
Iiave beaten upon her seeking to destroy her, but in vain,- ^t' th*
that the sailor knows that he can triutt to tlie heart of oak, anjlliis [
Nleep securely in his noble vessel. Thus it is with the church iif» trie
I leland. Her beauty and lier sanctity were known and admire ♦^Phe
!ioth of God und man ; but her Lord was resolved that she shoulrAf La
Acar such crown of victorv as never was placed on a nation, viirt^
hrows ; and therefore, at two distinct periods of her history, wa ill ui
-lu' oblig«^d to meet and conquer a storm of persecution i>.nd of wa great
unequalled in the world's annalii. The first of these ^reat trial ft f*o
cnnie upon Ireland at the beginning of the ninth century, whei
th<^ Northmen, or Danes, invaded the country in mighty force
They came not only as the enemies of Ireland's nationaUty, bii
ijiucli more of her faith; and we invariably find that their firs terer
•\nd most dostnictivo fury was directed against the churches and ;
monasteries and schools. * * - • that
TIJK GLOOMY WD TERKlBI.h WORSHU* OF ODIX ivaS I
'vas to replace the religion of Christ; and for three hundre« forni
l<»ng years the whole land was covered with bloodshed and con {.\od.
lusion, the nation fighting with heroic courage and pers« It
ve ranee, in defence of its altars and homes; until, at the closi lit at
of the: eleventh (rentury, Ireland rose up in her united strengtli o!' oi
>hook off the Pagan ;ind fierce iinaders from her virgin bosom |li»' i
iiid cast th«'m into the sea. The faith and religion of Chrisi
triumphed, atid Trelaud was as Catholic, though far from bein; ,
IS holy, ar the end of the flcventh as she was at the end of tbo It
"ighth century. Now, we can only realize the greatness ofthi^ nevt
result by comparing it with the history of other nations. Bf i«s si
hold, forinstaiici', h<m completely tlie Mussulman invasions de V'xi.s
-troyed the Cliristiaiiity of thos«> ancient peoples of the Ea>! diXM
who liad received the faith from the lips of the a^jostles them lish
-elves : how thoroui;ldv the Sararens succeeded, in a lew vear> lam
ill destroyiiiii" the Christian faitli of the north of Afriru, — tli r iiii 1
oiiee famous a !mI flouM<liii'f> Cliinvli. tjw Aloxandria (»f St I'nsl
e hurrlcaii Jlai k, tlio llippu of {St. Au^'ustiue, the Cartlmge oi .^.L
ngry wave f;ypriaii. History attestB that nothing m more j*uh?ersiv<'
it in vain,-Mt the religion ot a people tlmii long-oontimie<l war; and v\
of oak, antJiis great truth we have, without going to the Eas>t or tu
le church i |Atrica, a mot^t melancholy proof in the history of Engiaml.
and admir»"fc'rhe Wart* of the Roses,* ufl the strife between tht- Hous('"«
itshe shoulfif l^ancuHter and York was called, cover a space of onlv
m a nation, iyiirty yearn, from 1455 to 1485. ThiH was not directed ;u
history, wa all against religion, but wa«* niniply a contention of twt)
ni\nd of wa great rival House" *«truggling for the sovereignty ; ami yot
5|Teat trial tt so deniortilized the Knglish people that they were pv«'-
itury, whei iiared to accept, almowi without a strug^^jle, the iuonHtruu-<
ighty force ^>rn» ol religious error imposed upon them at the so-cull**!
ionality, bu Jkctonuation, — an heretical Church, with a tyrant, an udul-
it their firt< tercr, and a murderer for itn head. Contrast vvith thcrt*-
2 churches and many otlior hucIi terrible examples the glory of a nation
that emerijed trom a i-ontest of three hundred vear**, which
)DiN \v;is really a religious war, with faith uniinpaire«l. and uu-
ee hundrei t.irnished l)V the least .stain ot superHtili(»n or intidolity tu
ed and con ^Jod. ' " - .» ," -»
and pers«' It is tiot necessary for uh to-day to recall the hioI <venn
at the clos> tliat followed the Danish invasion of TrelyjMl. 'I'lie cnnvn
ed strengtli ^iifenipiro fell froni Treland's brows, and tlo- )i»'uri Sickf i»i
irgin bosom |)o' nation's bosom. / • . ?
[I of Chrisi "The emerald gem of the Western woiid
frombein; , Was set in the cr(»wn ol' the stranger." . , ^ ,
eend of the It i.*, however, worthv of remark, thai allJiouuli h>.'!ainl
tness of thi' never was united in her oppoiitioii to her ICMgiisli invader
itions. Bf- |4s she had l>ee»i at Clonturt', still the eonlesi i'tw nationa!
ivasions de existence was so gulluntly maintained, thai it was lourhun-
)f the Ea>i died voars since the first iXorman invasion bofon* lio* Kuz-
a
)stles them finli nioiujrch ventured to assume the title oi Iviui; of In'-
aiewvear- land." It was in 11*39 the English first Ui!(«led, and it wa-
friea, — tin <iii the llHh of June, l.'')41, that the royally oi' Ireland \\;o«
idria (»f St |iiN\ iratisferred ^.» an Rnu'll-li (ly'tM'ty. uinl ihe I.^Mtl-ihij.
I
i!
22
:il'
o{ tho Island ot'Haiiiis c^oititirtd on one of the moat wick^it^ai ov
and iuhuman rnonstois that ever tiurriod the ciirth, Kiniftlom j
Henry VIII. And now a new era of persecution and sor j;,Irela
row opened upon Ireland. The nation was commanded tpj>»«^e
!*ive up itK faith and religion. Never, since the beginninii||a"y *■
of the world wa^ an a]I-iinportant question more Holemnlatcnhe
put; never liau it heeri more triumphautly and clearly aiirdj^u*! a
wered. The question wae : Were the Irish people priJ»lrong
pared to stand by their ancient faith, to unite in defence oU^i^ l*^
their altars , to olo^e with the mighty jiersecuting power ol^cien
Kn^Jand, and ti^ht tier in the cause of religion ? Solemn!' *ttribi
Hiid deliberatfly did Ireland take up the gage and ace jjvi^hich
Iho great (.liallenge. The issue neemed scarcely doub' ful Jltnonj
The world refused to believe that u people \^ho could neve religio
be united in defence of their national <.'xiytence would unit' hfttrec
HM one man in defence of religion ; or that the power whicl pres^sri
bad succeeded in breaking Ireland's sceptre and wreatlini »^^hbe«
ber cn»wt) «hofibl be utterly defeated in its mightiest #11* ^® ^^
ruoHl jiersisient ett'<irts io destroy Treland'c* ancient faitli t^® "'
N'ct so it \va8 to )»e. The • Inland of Saints and Doctors of Ire
\v;i« dt'«tint-d t«> be a land ()f heroes and martyrs, and tii- ^*^* ^^
Jjicred cau>«' of bxland's nationality was destined to b^ have 1
-'uved in \\u- victory which crowned her wonderful ano Chun
:i!orit«u>« bjotb* for her faith Thins is not the time nor tin divm<
nc(->isi(Mi f<» dwell upon the details of that terrible struggl' — *^^
in vvbicb the wh^le stn*ngth of earth's mightiest peopl- X^^^tl
was put forth against as, which lasted for three liunared Olive
years; wliicli was fought out on « thousand battle ti<^ld.- ; ^"^"
wbicli deluged Ir^'land with the best bhK>d of her childrcii. holy
;nnl tvduced her fairest pruvinces. over hvA om^v again. 1( ^"^ "
♦Ih" <'«Murition of H waste and desert land. "
in; I I Mi: cj^lt was iimtiiknchk)» v^ l"
in the vritade! of (bid ; the light of divine trntli was npcii how
bis path, the f»(»w»'r of the Most High nerved hi'* <inn, jumI "^^^^
tbf spiiit «tt' frttrick hnuy; (a'vt hint, like the Hery t'b>'j(l ;Were
m
i
miwickiil^Ai t.)verslia<lowod tlu; h<).-t;ft ol' iKratI upt)n the plains oJ'
irth, Kirjilflom and Madian. ,i^^^ , ^ .. . , .r-j,. ,.,■ . k-.iiA^.. i L> r
I And »()] ^ Irelaiid'H proeervat'um <>t' the Catholic laiih has been h
mandcd tp$izzle to the world, and men have sought to explain ii;
:>eginnin;inany different ways tke t:xtrftt>rdinttry phenomenon. Some
Holenuilatcribe it to our natural antipathy and opposition to Eng-
early ani^l^nd and overythinj^ Eni^liah : others again allege the
eople pn strong conser^ tism of the Irisli character, :ind its venera-
defence dtijon Ibr ancient riten and upagch, merely because they arc
? power omicient; whilst English historians and philosophers love to
Solemn] uttribute it to the natural obstinacy and wrong-headednes^^
nd ace jji M^hich they say is inherent in the Irish. I do not deny that,
■ doub'fjiliimongst the minor and human causes that influenced the
ould neve religious action of the Irish people, there may have been a
ould unit' hfttred and detestation of England. The false religion wa^
werwhicl presented to our fathers by the detested hands that had
wrestlim r'jbbed Ireland of her crown ; it was offered at the point of
htiest itn* the sword that liad shed (often treacherously and foully)
ieut faitJi the blood of her best and bravest sons; the nauseous doao
l>octors of rrotestautism was mixed in the bowl that poisoned the
, and til- last of her great earls — Owen Roe O'JS'eill. A.11 this may
ned to ]n have told with the Irish people ; and I also admit that t
erful aiK' Church and religion claiming to be of G I, with such ».
'c nor tilt divinely appointed head as the • saintly ' Henry the Eighth
■ ntriiirix]' — such a nursing mother as the chuste Elizabeth — suclr
sst pt^opl' gentle missionaries as the humane and tender-hearted
hundred Oliver Cromwell, may have pr. -rented difficulties to a peoph*
le field.-; whose wits were sharpened by adver>»ity, and who were noi
children l^^ly ignorant of the Christian character, as illustrated in
HiTHin. i( ihe history and traditions of their native land.
' We may also admit, to a slight extent, the conservatism
of the Irish character, and its veneration for antiquity. Oh,
var< iijK'i, I'ow much our fathers had to love in their ancient religion !
«nu, ami Their history began with their Christianity; their glorierii
'rv clf>tMl were all intertwined with their religion ; their national banners
^
24
'W
:i
>v«:re inscribi'd with the emlilcm of their fuitii, ' the jyrt'en, in/-
uiortal Shamrock :' the brightest naiT^os in tlieir history wercair.i i i'
H,ll associated witli their religion — * Malachi of the collar otjifa** 'M
gold,' dying in the midst of the monks, and clothed with theiv ihi^iu;^
lioly habit, on an island of Lough Ennel, near Mullingar, in tlit "M
VIeath — Brian, 'the great King, upholding the crucifix before iniip<»''li
liis army on the morning of Clontarf, and expiring in its em- l'*^'^
Ki'accs before the sunset — the brave Murkertach O'Brien, ans- tlit >\\\
wering fearlessly the threat of William Rufus — for, when th< j^imui";
Knglish king said, looking towards Ireland, ' I will bring hither th< ii' »•
my ships and pass orer and conquer the land :' * Hath tli* stanet
King,' aske'd the Irish monarch, * in his great threatenings said, lVi'>n
if it please God?'* And when answered, no; *Then tel! j^'' :<"*"'
him,' exclaimed the Irish hero, 'I fear him not, since heptrttetli nation.
his trust in man, and not in God ' — Roderick O'Connor, tin lowiu-
last * High King' of Ireland, closing his career of disaster and »'» <*i»^
of glory an\(mgsv the canons of the Abbey of Cong — saint, and Gi'd ;
hard, and hero, all ahke pn^sented themselves to the national them 1
tiilnd suvronnded by the halo of that religion which the people coiin/.
were now called upon to abandon and despise. Powerful in-
was the apjieal of Iiistory and antiquity, I cannot give it any a^^ulle
;i,reat weighl in the preservation of Ireland's Catholicity. I d«» h^d ei
not believe that adherence to ancient usage because of its anti-
• piity is a prominent feature of Irish character. We are by no
means so conservative as our Enj>llsh nelshbours. It is wortln
of remark that usages and customs once common to both coun-
ifies, and long since abandoned and forgotten in Ireland
' Christmas * waits' for instance, harvest-home feasts, May-poh
•lances, and the like) are still kept uj) faithfidly and univei-
>>al!y til rough out England. The bells which, in Catholic timeh.
• ailed the |»eopIe to early mass on Sunday mornings, are still
lung out as of old, through mere love of ancient usage, al-
tlioujrli their rinsing from l^rotestant towers in the earlv
•jtorning has r.o meaning whatever, for it invites to no service
or prayer. And y(»t. in tb*' essential manner of religion, whOf(-
if he
tnent
sion i
Th
faithi
the C
■|todei
t)lher
Irela
disco
only
from
lur I
Slice
^
rt'»*n, ini-
orv were
collar of
•vith thcii
Iiiifi;ar, in
fix before
I its em-
'ien, ;ins-
hen th<
i.i:? Iiithti
Hath til.
in^s said,
'hen tell
o pottetli
imor, tli(
Jster and
aint, and
national
le people
vverfiil Hi-
'i it anv
■y. I do
its anti-
re bj no
s worthy
th conn-
Ireland
lay-pf.|,
iniivoi-
ie tiine.s.
are still
4^«% ai-
e early
servi<;«-
, when
a4;'i iiiltv itsfjt' ]•> ;i prooi' of truth, the eonservatlve Kiijrlisii
**|i\'.- lip tin' old faith tor tlie new; wliilst the Jrisli — in othet
lfeiiC> s") ii\!j:ardle.s> of atu.icjuity — ditxl and shod their blood foi-
tilt" oM reli;^ioF). rather than turn for one instant to tlie strangt-
inl|«o^tllre nf the new. ' .
I5ut none <«i' these purely natural ••xplatiationri can explain
tfcf supcriiatitral iViet. tliat :< wholt* peo})le jtreferred, for ten
jnMuiation-. eoniisc^ation, «ixile, and (h'uth, rather than surrender
th<'ir faith ; aofl the true reason lies in the all-ii'iporlant cireuni-
stnicf, that tfio reli^fion <>f the Irish p«>op|c was the true re-
ligion "f .lesus Christ, brinirintj not oid\ liijht to the intelli-
^'!:!'e, hut i»raee and strength to the heart and will of tlx-
liation. The lluht of their divine faitii showi'd tliMrn the hol-
fovvnisM and f;dlaey of IVotostani'-m. it: whicli they rrcoiriiized
an outruire upon conunon sense and rea.«on. as well ;is upon
God : and the fjjraee of their holy Catholic religion enabled
them to suffer and die in its delenee. Here it is that we re-
eo'ini/e the Providence of God in the preaching el'St. I'atriek.
THK >KW ANU KAJ.Si; KIII.HJION
assailed precisely thos(r points ni" Catholic teachin^^ which In
had engraved most deeply on the mind and heart of Ireland, a*-
if he had anticipated tho trial and }»repure<l for if. Attach-
tnent to the Jloly See was inorethan a ^erdinKTit ; it wa-; a pas-
sion in the frish bosom.
'I'hrough g'ooil report and evil rep(»rt. Ireland wji~ al\sav>
faithful to I'eter's chair: and it i- a j-urious fact, that, when
the Christian world was «;onfuM"d hy ihe pretention- of Anti-
}>odes, and all the iiatit>ns of ('hri>tendorn were, at one time or
Dther, led astray, so as to acknowledge some fals(! pretender.
Ireland, with an iJistiiiet truly !*u})ernHt»iral. ne\er failed to
discover, to [H'oclaim. and to obey the true p(tntitV. She is the
oidy Catholic nation that nevi-r vva-. lor a moment separate<l
from I'eter. nor mistaken in her allegiance to h.im. ller prayer,
her «tbedion<'e. her lovi', were the sure inherltaiu'*^ of each
sneeeedinn; I'ojie,. fiom Celestine. who sent Saint Patrick to
26
li'uliiuU. lo Plus, wilt), ilk our t)\vri day. iichcM r;itji<-k'- <-\u .
<l>i*ii mjMrding his vt;)j»;r;»h]e tljroru'. .'iini j)i*«'j>:»n'tl \n dir in 1:
ulorioiis (Musc.. In evi'ry (Julliolie land aniun with IIomp' i<
I I'iiicif)!*;. In Ireland it n\ms a. devotion. And m), wlii-n »1,
<-vil genius of I'roleslantism stulked through riie land. Mtid ^vit
loud voice (h.MniHuic(J ol the Irish [x opK; Si|i;irsitioii tV<»i
ltoni'\ oi- ilieir ]i\es — the liiithiul ])eo()le ol" (mhI t'f>ns»'nti'd i
die. rati;er tli.-iM to reiiounee the hilrh <tt" th«'ir fathers. tran<
milted to tla.in tliron-di tlie saints.
Devotion to the Muthtr «»r(iod was the next great t'eatui'' «
ratiick's preaching and rd Indand's ( 'atholieity. Tln' iniai!
• d'all f,]i;)i was fairest in nature an^^ gra<*.e, whieh arose bid'or
fhf* eyes of the jMM.ple, as d«}|)icled by tlie great a[>ostle.-«, <-apt'i
vatod their iin;i'j;i)\atioJiS and tlieir hearts. They ealied her i:
their prayers * Miden dheelish," their darling Virgin, li
iN'erv flunilv in tlie land the eldest tlauuiitor was a Mat v
• very Irish maid or n!OLh<'r enudated the nuritv <'f hi
virginal innocence, or the strength and tenderness of her in;i
ttjrnaliovf. With the keeanes>^ of love tliev associated tiiei
daily sorrow.-, and juy.= with hers : and the ineffable gra«-e c
maiden mod^^st\ whieh elu)ig to the very mothers of Irelain
s'^emed to be the biiirhtest rclleetion of Marv which had lin
j:;ered upon the earth. <.)h, how harshly upon the ears of siul
a peoph' grated the deleslabie voice that would rob Mary of hv
graces and nAy the wtuld of the light of her purity and the glory *
Iter example ! Never was the Mother oi' (iod so dear to Iro
land as in the days of the jiaiions ]iers('cution and sorro\A
N'«>t even in tliat briirhf day w\um\ the V'iriiiii Mother seenie<i i
'Aalk the earth, and to liave made lr(daiid her home, in tlw
person of their oyru f^t. liridget, wh.> her unme s<> dear, aii'
.ho love of her so stron;;, as in tho dark and terrible liino whei
( hurch and altar beiuo -le-trovod. ovory cabin iti the lanrj r<
Noundel with Mary's ?imno, invoke<l in the ll<>lv Kv-arw ih'
_ •■>a(: devotion that saved Ireland's faith.
Th'' thir»l ^rea'. I»'adin*i t'"attnv <»f c»ur hol\ i» ligimi a<,'«aiic'
unt
,:frii
"us
an(
nil
tint
res
pr:
del
Oa
wo
:2T
':ttj;i»-k'>. ciii
I I'f <li'' in !;
til liOMP' i-
><), wlii'u »!,
likI. jititl ^vIt
jnitloii tVoi
I hers, ti-.tn-
■;it ttiatui'' I
rill' imuM
aro.->r bi-ibf
ostles, capti
L'Jilled her i,
Virgin, h
IS a Alaiv
irity of hi
5 of her in;i
"ial(Hl tliei;
hie (Tra«-c (!
s of hvhiiK
ich had llti
ears of sucl
Marv of hv
I the ^hn'Y «
ih'ur to Jro
ititJ sorrM\\
M' seemed \.
•inc. ill till
o dear, ;ii!i
• Hmo wIh"
lie laf»f| Vi
lio?5ir\-. \h'
■i»Mi !i>s»iie'
:|ity rroienlaiiism was ihe sweet and tender doctrine .)r prayer
•-and love for tlio dead. That which is opponed to divine
Jriuh is always, wh.on Ave analizo it, an outrage on tlie best
nstincts of man. Ueinombrance of those wlio are afone.
and a dopire to help thern, to eoiimiunieatc with them, seems
natural to U8 all ; and the more tender-hearted and afi'ee-
tionate and loving a people arc, the more deeply will the.v
realize and appreciate the (yatholie doctrine of Purgatory, a)i»i
|)rayer tor the dead. Mow terrible is the separation oi
death, aa i^een from the l^rotestant point of view I In tli*
Catholic Churcli this myBtery of death is despoiled of il^
worst bitterness, ft is only a removal from our bodily
sight, as if the luved one were only gone on a journey for a
few days, to return to us again. Our intercourse with hini
does not cease ; nay, we can do tnon^ for liim now than ever
we could in life, and by our prayers obtain for him ihe re-
lief and consolation that will never be forgotten during the
long day of eternity in Heaven. To a people like the Irisli.
naturally affectionate, and strongly attached to each
other, the Christian doctrine of prayer for the dead muss
always be grateful. Our history served to deepen this poi-
< lion of our Catholic devotion, for it was a history of sor-
row and of national privation : and sorrow softens and en-
larges the heart. A people who had lost so much in life,
turned the more eagerly and lovingly to their dead. I re
member once seeing an aged woman, weeping and praying
over a grave in Ireland ; and when I questioned her, en-
deavoring to console her. she said, * Let me cry my fill:
all that I ever had in this world arc liere in this grave ; ali
that ever brought me Joy or sorrow is here under this noil :
and my only consolation in life is to come here and speak
to them, and pray for them, and weep.' We may imagine,
but we cannot realize, the indignation oi oiii fathers, whcji
the heartless, eour-visaged, cold-blooded men of (lencva
J came to them to tell thetn, that henceforth tliey must b<
28
• uiuuind fill of tlieir dead, like otl^e^8 wIju have uo hopo.'
'I'hif* doctrine niav do for tlic selfiHh, li<dit-ln'aited, ihouirht-
loHP wordling, wlio lovea nothing in doatli, and who in lif<
only love? for his own Bake ; hut it would Hc^arcolv ho ac-
ccptahlc to a genorouy, pure and lovinn; raco, and withal a
nation of mourners, as the Iriph were, wheri tlie unnatund
doctrine was iirst propounded to them.
rinally. the new relitnon was repiCf^iMiteil to the Irish
;>t.'ople by men wh(» iLrroteHqiiely r(!pre.sente«l theni^fdven as
.-ijeoensors of the apostles. The popular mind in irelaml
had dc'-ived its idea ot the Christian priesthood (Vom Bueli
men as Patrick, ('olumha, of Toiia. and Kevin, of Glen-
dal<»uoi;h. The L'reat majority of the eleriiv in Irehind were
at ail times monastic- -men who added to the character and
purity of the priest tlie sanctity and austerity of tin- ('eno-
hite. 'I'hc virtues of Ireland's j»riestliood made theiu th<'
udmiratioji n\' itt.her lands, luit tlie idols of ihcii- own {k-o-
ple. The m<'iia>tie L''loi*ies (d" ancient Lismorc and liauij^or
were still reth't'tt'd from Millifont atid Be<tive ; the men of
(rlendaloui^li ami ancit'ut Arma^i^h livr-d on in the Francisc:in
and l>ominican ahlievs tlirouo;hout the huid : and the ('atlio-
lie Church presented, in the l<)th century, in her Irish
eleruv, the same imritv i)\' life, sanctity and auBteritv ct
morals, zeal and learninri, which illumined the world ina^cs
'^one hy. Steeped us our pe(»plc were in s(.>rrow, they could
not retVain fn^m mirth, al the sijilit of the holy *aT>ostles'
(•I the new religion, the nivu who W( ri- to take the place ol
the Cathnlic hishojis. an<l ]u-iests. and monk-;, to teach and
illustrate l.y lln-ir Iim-h the [uirer L'"''pol which had been
just dise(>vt're<l — tin' Mormouism <>[ the liJth century.
Kuglish renegade monks. Kngli-^h apostate priests, English
drunken hrau lers. with a ferocious English army at their
hack, iuvath'dtht land. :ind. j»!<radiug themsclv(»s, with tiieir
wivep, orconcuhine-i, before the eves of the astonifihed and
disgusted p(!<»ple, called upon the children of St. Patrick and
29
St. Columba to receive them as the ministers of Chi'st, ami
the dispensers of the mysteries of God.' Their religion was
worthy of them — they had no mysteries to dispense to the
people ; no sacrifice, no penance, uo confession of sin, no fast-
ing, no vows to God, no purity, no counsels of the Gospel, no
sacrament of matrimony, no priesthood, no '.miointing of the
sick, no prayer for the dead. Gracious God ! Thoy came to a
people whom they had robbed of tljeir kingdom of earth, and
demanded of them also the surrender of the Kinijdom of
J leave u !
WAS EVER HEARD SUCH AUDACITY !
What wotider that Ireland took her own prit'st, her * soggartli
aroon,' to her bosom ! Never did she know his value till now.
it was only when she had seen his hideous counterpart tliat
she realized all that she possessed in the h'lmble child of St.
Francis and St. Dominick. The sunshine is all the more wt'lcom*.*
when we have seen the blackrics-* of the night; the sweet is all the
sweeter when we have tasted bitterness; the diamond shinos
nil the brighter when its dull, glassy counterfeit is set beside
it; and the Angel of Light has all the purer radience of
heaven around him, after the aflPriichted eve has cauijht a
glimpse of the Spirit of Darkness. As strangers, th<^ minis-
ters of Protestanism have lived in Ireland for three hundred
years ; as strangers they live in the land to-day. The people
and their clergy, united, * have fought the good fight, have
kept the faith,' and we have lived to see the triumpli of that
faith in our own day.
Now, I say, that in all this wo see the Providonc » of God
in the labor of Ireland's glorious apostle. Who can deny that
the religion which St. Patrick gave to Ireland is divine ? A
thousand years of sanctity attest it. Three hundred years of
martyrdom attest it. If men will deny the virtues which it
creates, the fortitude which it inspires, let them look to Ire-
land's history. If men say that the Catholic religion flourishes
only because of the splendor of ite ceremonial, the grandeur
I
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of its liturgy, aiui \tH appeal to the senses let them look to
Irc'hiiid'.s hbtory. Wliat aurttahied the faith when church
:i ml ti! far disappeared ? when no lightburuodnoorguu pealed,
I'lit all w;iri dcfiolation fur centuries! Surely the divine
lilV, whiiOi i-i the Houl of the Church, of whi(di the external
wortship and ceremonial are but the expression. But if
TJuy will close their eyes to all this, at least there is a fact
before them — the most glorious aud palpable ot our day —
and it is, that Ireland's Catholicity has risen again to every
external glory of worship, and triumphed over every
enemy. Speaking of our Lord, St. Augustine says, 'In
that He died lie showed Himself n»an ; in that He rose
again He proved Himself God.' Has not the Irish Church
risen again to moie than her former glory ? The land is
covered once more with fair churches, convents, colleges,
and monasteries, as of (dd ; and who shall say that the re-
ligion that could thus suffer and rii^c again is not from God ;
This glorious testimony to God and to His Christ is thine, .0
holy and venerable land of tuy birth and of my love ! O
glory of earth and Heaven, to-day thy great apostle looks
dovi'n upon thee from his high seat of bliss, aud his heart
rejoices: to-day the angels of God rejoice over thee, for the
light of sanctity which still beams over thee; to-day thy
troops of virgin and martyr saints speak thy praises in the
high courts ol' Heaven. And I, O Mother, far away from
thy green bosom, hail thee from afar — as the prophet of
old beholding the fair plains of the promised land — and
proclaim this day that there is no land so fair, no spot of
land to be compared to thee, no island rising out of the wave
so beautiful as thou art ; that neither the sun nor the moon,
nor the star of heaven, shine down upon anything so lovely
as thee, O Erin I .- . :
.1 ..'.-. ..