Michelle Blanchard Ardillo

Every year I resolve to read more spiritual texts and every year I fail. This year, once again I resolved to do so and God gave me a helping hand. Last Thursday, after morning Mass, I ran into our parochial vicar outside the church. He mentioned that he was working on a research paper as he continues his Ph.D. studies. As part of those studies, he had just read the Confession of St. Patrick (Ichtus Publications, 2018), the patron saint of Ireland. He mentioned that it was very short, and that gave me the push I needed to download a copy to my Kindle and start reading it.

Fr. Juan Pablo was right, it is very short, only about 60 pages or so. The edition I read had a rather long foreword written by Sean McGowan. The forward is 16 pages long, so roughly 1/4th of the book itself! The forward does give some context to St. Patrick’s account, as well as clearing up some misconceptions about St. Patrick, his time in slavery, his faith, and his work in Ireland.

The image some have of St. Patrick is of an Irish Catholic who drove the snakes out of Ireland. However, St. Patrick wasn’t Irish at all. America has made almost a national holiday out of March 17th, with green bagels, green beer, and green rivers. Shamrocks and leprechauns abound.

However, there is documentation by a Greek geographer that Ireland was free from snakes long before St. Patrick’s arrival as a slave or his return as a free man only to be captured again. Also, the story of him using the shamrock, a popular symbol of Ireland, to teach the Holy Trinity, would also be incorrect as Christians believe in the concept of three persons in the one God, not three distinct Gods. St. Patrick, following his conversion, would not have taught any aspect of Christianity with tritheism at its center.

Much like St. Augustine, whose Confession I hope to tackle soon, St. Patrick did not know God in his early life, perhaps even up to the age of 15 or 16. His conversion came about during his captivity as a slave, and after he sought freedom and returned to his homeland of Britain, he forgave his captors—much like Joseph, who forgave his brothers for selling him into slavery (Gen. 50:20)—and returned to Ireland as a result of God’s calling.

McGowan ends his foreword with this note:

“Christians can learn many lessons from a man that was humble, acknowledged the grace of God in his life, and spread the faith of Jesus Christ that has continued to be passed down from generation to generation in Irish (and non-Irish) homes around the world.”

~Sean McGowan

If you are also looking to add some spiritual works to your reading list this year, this was a short, while still somewhat challenging due to the writing style and age of the text, read to help you accomplish that goal.

St. Patrick, pray for us.