Discovering the Real Saint Patrick through his Confession

 

Last month the blog featured the work of Irish writer Alice Curtayne on Saint Brigid. Today we can look at the work of one of her contemporaries, Father Francis Shaw (1907–70), described by the Dictionary of Irish Biography online as a 'Jesuit priest, Celtic scholar and historical polemicist'. But three decades before he famously became embroiled in the reassessment of Patrick Pearse and the Easter Rising, Father Shaw wrote about the mission of Saint Patrick. It is interesting to see how his critique of the relationship between our national patron and his people in some ways mirrors that of Alice Curtayne on Saint Brigid. She questioned, for example, whether artistic depictions of our patroness only served to further obscure an already shadowy figure. In his 1930 article St. Patrick: A Study in Missionary Achievement, Father Shaw echoed these concerns: 

Certain aspects of St. Patrick's character and career have been worn threadbare in modern literature. In some respects, it may be said that the work of this Saint is well known. Of the strength of the popular devotion to St Patrick, there can be no doubt. Professor MacNeill has said "No one man has ever left so strong and permanent impression on a people, with the single and eminent exception of Moses." While this is undoubtedly true, is it not also true to say that our conception of St. Patrick is, to say the least of it, often hazy and vague? Little attempt is ever made to understand the man himself as he truly was. Are we not too ready to accept the conventional portrait of the tall, bearded man, dressed in green vestments, mitred and with crozier in hand, who stands stiffly on the green sward of Eire and ushers into the sea a whole herd of singularly inoffensive-looking snakes?

For Father Shaw iconography was just a part of the problem. Hagiography, which was still not fully understood at the time he was writing, in his eyes made of Saint Patrick 'an impossible and even a ludicrous figure'. But Father Shaw has the key to uncovering the man both the portrait makers and the medieval writers served to make less real. For, unlike Saint Brigid, our chief patron has left us an account of his mission written in his own words and it is here that the 'real Patrick' will be found:

We have quoted frequently from the Confession and it is in this document that we must find the real Patrick..."Because I wish my brethren and kinsfolk to know what manner of man I am, and that they may be able to understand the desire of my soul." The Confession is not then an autobiography of the saint. It is rather a revelation of the workings of God's grace in the heart of Patrick the missionary, and as such, it has an interest for us far greater than a mere record of events would have. 

And Father Shaw concludes that the real Patrick revealed by the Confession is a powerful figure:

 In studying the work and achievement of the Saint, we have seen evidence of "a strong personality, energetic in action, steadfast, resolute, indomitably persevering," of a practical capacity for organisation and of a natural talent for government. The secret of these qualities is revealed in the Confession. Here we find the motive force for all this energy. On every line of this passionate revelation of soul, the Saint's strong personal love for Christ is shown forth. He has left his home and people to be an exile for the love of Christ. He has endured suffering and tribulation for the love of Christ.

Rev. Francis Shaw, S.J., “St. Patrick: A Study in Missionary Achievement.” The Irish Monthly Volume 58, (1930) 132–49. 

Content Copyright © Trias Thaumaturga 2012-2026. All rights reserved.

What is a Confessio?

Yesterday Sister Máire B. de Paor reminded us of the unique privilege we have as Irish people in having Saint Patrick's Confessio in which we can read his own account of his mission. But what is a Confessio? Sister de Paor provides this useful historical sketch:

The Confessio is a literary genre, of which two major extant examples in ancient literature are the Confessions of St Augustine, written about AD 400 when he was a comparatively young man, and the Confessio of St Patrick, written during the fifth century, possibly some short time before his death (C 62:12). In ecclesiastical Latin the term confessio has a threefold significance: confessio peccati, confessio laudis and confessio fidei, i.e. the penitential discipline, the praise of God, and the confession of faith of the martyrs before a tribunal. Confessio in this third context was also termed depositio, or deposition, and the confessors were those who made a deposition or, in other words, subscribed to the faith during the persecution of Christians in the early centuries of the Church. It has been argued cogently by Botte that the word, in the sense of 'subscribing to the faith' was extended in the fourth and fifth centuries to denote those who defended it against heresy, and that Augustine used it in this sense. 

But while a refutation of both the Arianism of the fourth century and the Pelagianism of the fifth are implicit in Patrick's Confessio, it does not appear to be its overt purpose, nor would Patrick have considered himself qualified for such an undertaking....

His Confessio, therefore, defines itself by its own title. It is not an autobiography in the strict sense, because the saint does not tell the story of his life in chronological order and plain narrative, nor is this his sole or main purpose. Neither, as some scholars suggest, is it merely a defence of himself against false accusation, an apologia pro vita sua. While his initial inspiration may well have been the refutation of certain allegations made by his enemies against him and his mission, it evolved into something greater, something more timeless and universal, in the process.

 Máire B. de Paor, PBVM, Patrick the Pilgrim Apostle of Ireland- An Analysis of St Patrick's Confessio and Epistola (Dublin, 1998), 9-10.

 I found this three-fold definition of a Confessio useful. Much of the frustration with Saint Patrick's Confessio seems to lie in the fact that it is not an autobiography in the modern sense. In which year exactly did he commence his ministry? What motivated his enemies criticism of it? to name but two of the many questions which modern readers might wish had been addressed explicitly. But Sister de Paor concludes by reminding us that Saint Patrick's work

 'is, like St Augustine's, a magnificent, threefold Confessio of repentance, praise and faith as a lived reality. This threefold Confessio evolves out of a retrospective contemplative reflection on the events of Patrick's life.'

 even if historians might continue to regret that it leaves so many aspects of Saint Patrick's life and career open to speculation.  

 

Content Copyright © Trias Thaumaturga 2012-2026. All rights reserved.

Treasuring the Writings of our Father in the Faith

In yesterday's post we were reminded of Saint Patrick's unique status as a documented saint of fifth-century Britain and Ireland. This is a point reiterated by one of Saint Patrick's more recent translators, Sister Máire B. de Paor, PBVM. In the introduction to her 1998 analysis of Saint Patrick's writings she states:

Saint Patrick is known to many as Apostle of Ireland; as first Romano-British missionary bishop, beyond the pale of Roman civilisation, he is known to a few; but as a littérateur of stature and genius and a spiritual thinker of great depth and originality, he is relatively little appreciated...Yet, in Patrick's writings we have two unique, personal, spiritual documents from the darkest of the Dark Ages, fifth-century Northern Europe. Indeed, they are the only personal documents that can be claimed by either the Church in Britain or the Church in Ireland from that troubled century.

..We Irish are, moreover, the only nation who have the great privilege of treasuring the writings of our Father in the faith about his founding of the Christian Church in our country. Conscious of the unique Christian heritage bequeathed to us by our national apostle who has left such an indelible impression on his people, I have attempted a modest literary and spiritual exposé of his writings to mark the fifteenth centenary of his death.

Máire B. de Paor, PBVM, Patrick the Pilgrim Apostle of Ireland- An Analysis of St Patrick's Confessio and Epistola (Dublin, 1998), 6-7.

Having witnessed the attempts to de-Christianize the celebration of Saint Patrick's Day 2026 here in Ireland, it would seem that our need to appreciate the privilege of treasuring our national apostle's writings has become more pressing.

 

Content Copyright © Trias Thaumaturga 2012-2026. All rights reserved.

Saint Patrick: The Documented Saint

Today we begin a series of posts exploring some opinions, old and new, about Saint Patrick's Confession. I have often thought that we do not sufficiently appreciate what a blessing it is to be able to read our national apostle's own words. Yes, the Confession raises tantalizing glimpses of Saint Patrick's life and mission, only to leave us with many unanswered questions. Yet we are privileged to be able to hear the voice of a man of the fifth century in these islands at all, as  this is a century noted for a dearth of historical sources. It was only in the nineteenth century when the first English translations appeared that Saint Patrick's writings were made available to the wider Irish public. Now in the twenty-first century we can readily access translations online as well as an entire site dedicated to Saint Patrick's writings courtesy of the Royal Irish Academy's Confessio site which reminds us that 'Patrick is the first identifiable person in Irish history to have his life story recorded'. It is the idea of Saint Patrick being a documented saint which also impressed the anonymous writer of the 1936 Australian newspaper article below. Curiously,  he does not draw on the actual writings in the piece but the point that alone of all the patrons of Britain and Ireland, it is only Saint Patrick whose 'writings are his great and enduring monument' is well made:

 

ST. PATRICK

The Documented Saint

Little is known of the patron saints of  England, Scotland and W ales. But  the patron Saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, is quite another matter. His name is imperishably associated with Slemish and Slane, with Fochlut or Trelawley and Downpatrick. But his writings are his great and enduring monument — his confession, his letter to Caroticus, and his immortal breastplate. 

WHO St. George was remains a mystery, and his connection with England is mythical. St. Andrew was the brother of Peter, and his one great good deed was the bringing of that brother to Jesus. We know little else of him and that he ever reached the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond by either the high road or the low road is highly improbable. St David of Wales has left no relic in building, grave, or writing, only a fragrant memory of devotion and zeal. 

BIRTHPLACE UNCERTAIN. 

YET with all the information contained in the priceless St. Patrick documents there is considerable uncertainty about his birthplace— and some features, of his work are puzzling. Scotland, Wales,  and France claim him as a son of their soil. He had associations with all three, but which gave. him birth remains in doubt There is a controversy as to whether he introduced Christianity to Ireland or whether there were not a number of churches in the land when he began his mission. Some usages of the Irish Church differ widely from those in vogue on the Continent. The rapidity with which he accomplished the conversion of Ireland seems miraculous. In one short lifetime he founded churches in every province and consecrated many bishops. 

CELEBRATION OF EASTER. 

THE great difference between the Celtic Church and the Roman was the date of the celebration of Easter, The Irish followed the Eastern custom, which synchronised Easter with the date of the Jewish Passover, the 14th day of the first month (Nisan or Abib). This provided that Easter Day might not fall on a Sunday. But the Western Church insisted that it should fall on the first Sunday after the full moon — so that if the 14th were a Sunday — Easter would be celebrated on the 21st to keep it apart from the Jewish rite. This was decided by the Roman Church in 198 A.D. The remarkable fact is that Ireland did not concur with this decision until the seventh century. Tradition places the education of St Patrick in the south of Gaul. At that time (the second century) St. Irenaeus of Lyons was the leading Christian' there. He was a native of Asia Minor and favoured the Eastern usage of observing Easter for a- time, hut later conformed to the usage of the West. The supposition is that St Patrick came under the tutelage of St Irenaeus and knew only his earlier custom, and so brought that custom to Ireland. There seems some plausibility in this contention. 

ST. PATRICK'S CREED. 

ONE of the most interesting relics of St. Patrick is his Creed, which is given in full: — 

"There is no other God, nor was there ever any in time past, nor shall there be hereafter, except God the Father, un-begotten, without beginning, almighty,' as we say. And His Son, Jesus Christ, whom we declare to have always existed with the Father, from the beginning of the world, after the manner of a spiritual existence begotten .Ineffably before all beginning. And by Hjm were made things visible and invisible. He. was made man, and having overcome death He was received up into Heaven by the Father. And he gave to Him all power above every name of things in Heaven and things in earth and things under the earth. And let every tongue confess to Hjm that Jesus Christ is Lord and God in whom we believe. And we look for His coming soon to judge the quick and the dead, who will render to every man according to his deeds. And He shed on us abundantly the Holy Ghost, the gift and earnest of immortality, who makes those who believe and obey to become children of God, and joint heirs with Christ, whom we confess and adore as One God in the Trinity of the Holy Name." 

The power of one consecrated life is immensely great. In whatever century he lived and worked he made a marvellous transformation in Ireland. He may not have accomplished all that is ascribed to him. but he initiated a movement that still pulsates with life. He was ill-treated in his youth by Irish people, made a slave, hardly used by unkind masters, yet he returned good for evil, brought news of the noblest freedom to those who deprived him of liberty, prayed, toiled and died for those who despised him.

 

ST. PATRICK, The Telegraph  (Brisbane 1936, March 17), p. 12. 

 

Content Copyright © Trias Thaumaturga 2012-2026. All rights reserved.

'This word of God in his mouth was like a fire': Meditation on Saint Patrick, Apostle of Ireland

 

A meditation for Saint Patrick's Day from Bishop Richard Challoner (1691-1781). I have a 1934 edition of his Meditations for Every Day of the Year and was delighted to find an entry for Saint Patrick's Day among them. I have long been interested in this heroic Englishman, best known for his commentary on the Douay-Rheims Bible and for his prayer book The Garden of the Soul, which was widely known and loved in Ireland too.  I also appreciate Bishop Challoner's work on the martyrs of the Reformation period, Memoirs of missionary priests, and other Catholics of both sexes, that have suffered death in England on religious accounts from the year 1577 to 1684, for he included Irishmen, such as Blessed John Roche and the tragic Mr Ailworth, who were martyred in England. In his meditation on Saint Patrick, Bishop Challoner follows his usual pattern of giving the reader three points to consider before drawing a conclusion. And I certainly won't dissent from his conclusion:

Conclude to offer up to God, on this day, a heart full of love and gratitude for the innumerable graces and blessings bestowed upon this island through the ministry of St. Patrick, and of that long train of Saints who have descended from him. Let us never degenerate from these our parents in Christ, or forget the glorious examples of their heroic virtues. O! who shall give us to see Ireland once more an island of Saints!

 I will conclude myself with a prayer for the beatification of Bishop Challoner, whose cause was opened in 1947, a cause this Irish woman would rejoice to see succeed. Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

PRAYER FOR THE BEATIFICATION OF BISHOP CHALLONER
O God, who didst make thy servant Richard a true and faithful pastor of thy little flock in England, deign to place him among the Blessed in thy Church, so that we who profit by his word and example may beg his help in heaven for the return of this land to the ancient faith and to the fold of the one true Shepherd Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

 

MARCH 17

ON ST. PATRICK, APOSTLE OF IRELAND

Consider first, how much we owe to God for having called this nation, by the ministry of St. Patrick, from darkness and the shadow of death that is, from infidelity, idolatry, and vice, into his admirable light; and from being the seat of the reign of Satan, where he for so many ages had exercised his tyranny without control, to become an island of Saints! O! what ought to be then the devotion of this day! how ought we to glorify God for this inestimable benefit of our vocation, and for all those other unspeakable gifts and graces which have been derived from this source! What veneration do we not owe to this our blessed Apostle, whom our Lord has chosen to be his instrument in this great work; who by his labours, by his preaching, and by his prayers, first brought Christ amongst us, and who first opened to us, through Christ, the fountains of mercy, grace, and salvation, which flow to this day! O! let us praise the Lord in his Saints.

Consider 2ndly, in what manner God prepared St. Patrick for this admirable work, and by what steps he brought him on from virtue to virtue, till he was perfectly qualified for the Apostleship. His Providence ordained that in his tender years he should be carried captive into that very land which he was afterwards to deliver from the slavery of Satan. Here he not only became acquainted with the language and manners of the people, but what was of infinitely more advantage to him, learned to spend his whole time, night and day, whilst he tended his master’s cattle, in the exercises of prayer and penance; by which he laid a solid foundation for an apostolic life. After he was released from his slavery, and received amongst the clergy, he employed many years abroad, under the discipline of the most eminent servants of God, in order to dispose and qualify himself to answer that divine call, by which he had been invited to the conversion of the Irish, which he then took in hand, when after this long preparation, he received both his episcopal consecration and mission from the Vicar of Jesus Christ, St. Celestine, Bishop of Rome. Thus the Spirit of God, by a long course of spiritual exercises, fitted our Saint for the great work for which he designed him; thus he gradually took full possession of that soul, by which he was to bring so many thousand souls to be his eternal temples. See, Christians, by what kind of exercises, of retirement, penance, and long-continued prayer, you ought also to be prepared, if you hope the Spirit of God should do great things by you or for you.

Consider 3rdly, the admirable ways and means by which St. Patrick was enabled to bring over a whole nation from their errors and vices to the faith and light of the Gospel, in spite of all the opposition of the world, the flesh, and the devil. These were, principally, his ardent zeal for the glory of God, and the salvation of souls; his profound humility; his prayer which was most fervent and continual; and the Spirit with which he delivered the word of God. This word of God in his mouth was like a fire, which breaking forth from the great furnace of divine love which possessed his own breast, communicated its bright flames to the hearts of all that heard him, and won them over to Christ; his word was mighty to break in pieces even the hardest rocks, and to bring into captivity every understanding, and every will, to the obedience of Christ. See, ye ministers of God, by this example, by what kind of arms you are to bring souls to God; see by what kind of arms you are to overcome all opposition of the enemy, and effectually to establish the reign of Christ in those souls he has committed to our charge. True zeal, profound humility, a spirit of prayer, and a heart burning with ardent charity, will more effectually enable you to convert sinners, than if you were even to raise the dead to life. See, all ye Christians in general, in this great example of our Saint, what are the principal ingredients of true sanctity, and what are the virtues and exercises that will bring you also to be Saints. The zeal, or desire of pleasing God in all things, a sincere humility, fervent prayer, and true charity in both its branches, are necessary for all: these will surely make us Saints, and nothing less than these can secure the salvation of any one.

Conclude to offer up to God, on this day, a heart full of love and gratitude for the innumerable graces and blessings bestowed upon this island through the ministry of St. Patrick, and of that long train of Saints who have descended from him. Let us never degenerate from these our parents in Christ, or forget the glorious examples of their heroic virtues. O! who shall give us to see Ireland once more an island of Saints!

Rt. Rev. Richard Challoner, Meditations for Every Day in the Year (London, 1934),  118-121.

 

Content Copyright © Trias Thaumaturga 2012-2026. All rights reserved.

A Prayer to Saint Patrick

 The 1874 edition of The Key of Heaven which contains the Litany of Saint Patrick also has an alternative to the more commonly found novena prayer which begins 'O Blessed St. Patrick, glorious Apostle of Ireland, who didst become a friend and father to me for ages before my birth', the full text of which is available at the blog here. The alternative below is taken from a Novena approved at Rome and so I wonder if it might have come from the 1859 Novena in Honour of St Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland composed by Archbishop Tobias Kirby (1803-1895), Rector of the Irish College at Rome.  I am attempting to trace this text but below is the prayer as it appeared in the 1874 edition of The Key of Heaven, attributed to the English penal era Bishop John Milner (1752-1826), but published in New York. There are numerous editions of this prayer book but this is the only one I have come across which contains this particular Prayer to Saint Patrick. Bishop Milner was well-acquainted with Ireland and defended its patron saint in his 1808 work An inquiry into certain vulgar opinions: concerning the Catholic inhabitants and the antiquities of Ireland: in a series of letters from thence, addressed to a Protestant gentleman in England. There is a list of his extensive writings available online here.

 

PRAYER TO ST. PATRICK. 

 [From the Novena, approved at Rome.] 

 GLORIOUS apostle of Ireland, St. Patrick, I beg of you to accept the poor offering which I desire to present to you, during these days, dedicated to your honor. I now offer all the good resolutions I shall make. I propose to devote myself wholly and entirely to the attainment of the end of my creation. Yes, O great Saint, I am resolved, with the divine aid, to save my soul at all hazards. Cost what it may, I am determined to effect that great object. Do you aid me, by your powerful intercession. Obtain for me your spirit of prayer; your detachment from the things of the world; your ardent love for God, and zeal for the salvation of my neighbor. Obtain for me a tender, filial, and constant devotion to the glorious Mother of God, who is our life, our sweetness, and our hope. I commend to you the Holy Catholic Church. Bring back by your prayers, to the embraces of this tender mother, all those poor souls whom error and the fraud of their infernal enemy have torn from her bosom. Convert all poor sinners to the paths of justice, by your powerful intercession. Obtain peace for all Christian people, that we all united together by the unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, may imitate your virtues in this life, and participate in your glory hereafter. Amen. 

 

Rt. Rev. J. Milner, The Key of Heaven; or, A Manual of Prayer (New York, 1874), 551-552.

Content Copyright © Trias Thaumaturga 2012-2026. All rights reserved.

LITANY OF SAINT PATRICK. APOSTLE AND PATRON OF THE IRISH RACE.

A fine old nineteenth-century litany which I intend to pray every day during the month of March:

 

LITANY OF SAINT PATRICK. APOSTLE AND PATRON OF THE IRISH RACE. 

 LORD, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, hear us. 

Christ, graciously hear us. 

God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. 

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. 

God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us. 

Holy Trinity one God, Have mercy on us. 

Holy Mary, Pray for us

Holy Mother of God, Pray for us

All ye holy Angels,  Pray for us

All ye Apostles and Evangelists, Pray for us

All ye holy Saints and Doctors, Pray for us

All ye holy Bishops and Confessors, Pray for us

St. Patrick, Apostle and Patron of Ireland, Pray for us

St. Patrick, vessel of election, Pray for us

St. Patrick, model of penitents, Pray for us

St. Patrick, example of mortification, Pray for us

St. Patrick, meek and humble, Pray for us

St. Patrick, mild and patient, Pray for us

St. Patrick, pure and temperate, Pray for us

St. Patrick, zealous pastor of souls, Pray for us

St. Patrick, ardent lover of Jesus, Pray for us

St. Patrick, singularly devoted to our Blessed Lady, Pray for us

St. Patrick, most constant in holy prayer,  Pray for us

St. Patrick, example of perfect charity, Pray for us

St. Patrick, glory of Ireland, Pray for us

St. Patrick, our powerful protector, Pray for us

St. Patrick, pillar of Catholicity, Pray for us

St. Patrick, confessor of the faith, Pray for us

 St. Patrick, herald of salvation, Pray for us

St. Patrick, our father in Christ, Pray for us

Lord Jesus, we beseech thee to hear us, 

That it would please thee through the intercession of thy servant Patrick, to make thy name glorious to all who know it not, we beseech thee to hear us,

That thou vouchsafe to preserve the Pope, and all ecclesiastical orders in religion, we beseech thee to hear us, 

That thou wilt protect our bishops and clergy, and all who labor in thy holy Church, we beseech thee to hear us, 

That thou wilt preserve and increase the faith among us, we beseech thee to hear us, 

That thou wilt enlighten all those who are in error, and bring them to the knowledge of thy truth, we beseech thee to hear us,

That thou wilt deliver us from all sin, we beseech thee to hear us,

From all pride and impurity, Deliver us, O Lord. 

From all hatred and ill-will, Deliver us, O Lord. 

From all violence and intemperance, Deliver us, O Lord.

From a sudden and unprovided death, Deliver us, O Lord. 

In the day of judgment, Deliver us, O Lord.   

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Hear us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Pray for us, St. Patrick,

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

GOD, who hast vouchsafed to send thy confessor and bishop, the blessed St. Patrick, to preach thy glory to nations, grant, by his merits and intercession, that we may accomplish in thy mercy what thou commandest to be done. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

Rt. Rev. J. Milner, The Key of Heaven; or, A Manual of Prayer (New York, 1874), 551-556.

 

 

Content Copyright © Trias Thaumaturga 2012-2026. All rights reserved.