This is not the St. Patrick that everyone talks about

          March 17 --- St. Patrick

In the fifth century, Pope St. Celestine I, the Saint Pope who overthrew the Pelagian and Nestorian heresies and honored Our Lady at the Council of Ephesus, entrusted St. Patrick with the mission of converting the Irish people, an entire nation.  This mission distinguished St. Patrick as a man that can rightfully be called a man of the champion of God.

When we see how faithfully and successfully, St. Patrick accomplished his mission, we tend to think that it was a smooth succession of peaceful triumphs. Yet, it was quite the reverse.  St. Patrick, himself, declares in his "Confessio" that he was seized no fewer that twelve times, loaded with chains and given a death sentence. 

On Easter Sunday, the final blow to paganism was given. The druids and magicians gathered all their demonic power to control the Irish race but the prayer and faith of St. Patrick won out. The druids with diabolical incantations caused a dark cloud to surround the area where St. Patrick was preaching.  With heroic confidence in God, Patrick ordered the demons to remove the cloud. 

Their failure became St. Patrick's success when his prayer brought forth the sunshine. Ireland was won for the Catholic Faith.

Most people today, whether Catholic or not, know the name of St. Patrick.  But unfortunately, they know very little of the greatness of the saint, associating his feast with revelry and drunkenness.  Few remember the sacrifices of St. Patrick and his faithful disciples.  Few remember that Ireland remained faithful during the Protestant Revolt, thanks to the work of St. Patrick.

Let us ask Our Lady to give Ireland the memory of the graces brought there by St. Patrick so that Ireland can resist the onslaughts of socialism and relativism.