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St. Patrick Incorporated Traditional Rituals Into Lessons Of Christianity
  
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By Cheryl VanBuskirk, For The Bulletin
During the Roman occupation, Christian communities were established throughout Gaul (present day France) and Britain. Religion was a social affair determined by the chieftain or king, so the Christian missionaries logically concentrated their efforts on them. Germanic kings accepted Christianity for several reasons: They believed the Christian God to be more powerful than the pagan gods, they believed this God would bring victory in battle and obedience to his authority, and because the Christian priests possessed knowledge and charisma. Christianity also brought some cultural advantages including literary assistants and an instructive ideology.
The conversion of Ireland to Christianity is popularly credited to St. Patrick (385-461), although it is almost certain that other missionaries had preceded him and laid the groundwork for Christianity.
St. Patrick was born in Western England (although a few sources say Scotland) to a wealthy Christian family who were citizens of Rome. His father, Calphurnius, was a decurio (ancient Roman official) in Gaul. His mother, Conchessa, was a close relative of the great patron of Gaul, St. Martin of Tours. When he was 16 years old, Irish marauders attacked the family estate, captured Patrick and enslaved him to a cruel Druid chieftain named Milchu to work as a shepherd in the Valley of the Braid, Ireland, for six years. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for strength, praying many times each day. He escaped by walking nearly 200 miles, and made his way back to England.
Patrick began his religious training, which lasted more than 15 years, in Gaul and then returned to Britain. But he had several visions that urged him to return to Ireland and bring Christianity to the deserving people. Consecrated a bishop in 432, Patrick began his missionary work at Tara in County Meath, which was the seat of the high kings of Ireland. He first baptized the kings, then the pagan people of the tribes. Spending 30 years traveling through Ireland, he converted the people and established churches. He continued to visit and watch over all the churches that he had founded in all the provinces of Ireland for the rest of his days. By the time Patrick died, the majority of the Irish people had received Christian baptism.
Familiar with the Irish language and Celtic culture, Patrick sought to incorporate traditional rituals into his lessons about Christianity rather than native Irish beliefs. Since the Irish people were used to honoring their gods with fire, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter. He also superimposed the image of a sun, a symbol powerful to the Irish people, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross. According to another story, he used a shamrock, a three-leaved clover with a single stem, to describe the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity as three separate persons united in one God. The Irish culture centers around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth, so it is no surprise that the story of St. Patrick became very exaggerated and exciting.
March 17 is the anniversary of St. Patrick’s death in the fifth century in Ireland as well as his religious feast day. The Irish people have observed this religious holiday for more than a thousand years. Families usually attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon with dancing and a great meal, which might include Irish bacon, cabbage and wine. Corned beef and cabbage meals have been popular in recent years as well as Irish soda bread. Today, St. Patrick’s Day is also celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Parades and smaller celebrations are also typical in many Irish towns. It marks the beginning of the tourist season and the start of a series of spring, summer and autumn festivals. But the first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade in the United States was on March 17, 1762 in New York City; Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through the city. Today, more than 100 St. Patrick’s Day parades take place around the United States, with the largest ones in Boston and New York City. The New York parade, which begins at 11 a.m. today, does not allow automobiles or floats, but more than 150,000 marchers will participate. The parade route is Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 86th Street.
This essay draws on factual information from A History of Western Society published by Houghton Mifflin Company, Ireland, Countries of the World published by Gareth Stevens Publishing, and online material from www.history.com and www.newadvent.org. Special thanks to Ms. Kelly Weber, history and religion teacher at Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, Bryn Mawr, for her review of the historical background information. The coloring images can be found at www.doverpublications.com and www.heritage-history.com, which are free of copyright restrictions.
Cheryl VanBuskirk has been teaching art and art history on the Main Line for more than 30 years.
The conversion of Ireland to Christianity is popularly credited to St. Patrick (385-461), although it is almost certain that other missionaries had preceded him and laid the groundwork for Christianity.
St. Patrick was born in Western England (although a few sources say Scotland) to a wealthy Christian family who were citizens of Rome. His father, Calphurnius, was a decurio (ancient Roman official) in Gaul. His mother, Conchessa, was a close relative of the great patron of Gaul, St. Martin of Tours. When he was 16 years old, Irish marauders attacked the family estate, captured Patrick and enslaved him to a cruel Druid chieftain named Milchu to work as a shepherd in the Valley of the Braid, Ireland, for six years. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for strength, praying many times each day. He escaped by walking nearly 200 miles, and made his way back to England.
Patrick began his religious training, which lasted more than 15 years, in Gaul and then returned to Britain. But he had several visions that urged him to return to Ireland and bring Christianity to the deserving people. Consecrated a bishop in 432, Patrick began his missionary work at Tara in County Meath, which was the seat of the high kings of Ireland. He first baptized the kings, then the pagan people of the tribes. Spending 30 years traveling through Ireland, he converted the people and established churches. He continued to visit and watch over all the churches that he had founded in all the provinces of Ireland for the rest of his days. By the time Patrick died, the majority of the Irish people had received Christian baptism.
Familiar with the Irish language and Celtic culture, Patrick sought to incorporate traditional rituals into his lessons about Christianity rather than native Irish beliefs. Since the Irish people were used to honoring their gods with fire, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter. He also superimposed the image of a sun, a symbol powerful to the Irish people, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross. According to another story, he used a shamrock, a three-leaved clover with a single stem, to describe the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity as three separate persons united in one God. The Irish culture centers around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth, so it is no surprise that the story of St. Patrick became very exaggerated and exciting.
March 17 is the anniversary of St. Patrick’s death in the fifth century in Ireland as well as his religious feast day. The Irish people have observed this religious holiday for more than a thousand years. Families usually attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon with dancing and a great meal, which might include Irish bacon, cabbage and wine. Corned beef and cabbage meals have been popular in recent years as well as Irish soda bread. Today, St. Patrick’s Day is also celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Parades and smaller celebrations are also typical in many Irish towns. It marks the beginning of the tourist season and the start of a series of spring, summer and autumn festivals. But the first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade in the United States was on March 17, 1762 in New York City; Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through the city. Today, more than 100 St. Patrick’s Day parades take place around the United States, with the largest ones in Boston and New York City. The New York parade, which begins at 11 a.m. today, does not allow automobiles or floats, but more than 150,000 marchers will participate. The parade route is Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 86th Street.
This essay draws on factual information from A History of Western Society published by Houghton Mifflin Company, Ireland, Countries of the World published by Gareth Stevens Publishing, and online material from www.history.com and www.newadvent.org. Special thanks to Ms. Kelly Weber, history and religion teacher at Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, Bryn Mawr, for her review of the historical background information. The coloring images can be found at www.doverpublications.com and www.heritage-history.com, which are free of copyright restrictions.
Cheryl VanBuskirk has been teaching art and art history on the Main Line for more than 30 years.
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