Catholic Blog

Saint Patrick, A Solid Catholic Bishop

03 16 , 09:25 Filed in: Saints
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We, in the Church, have so many saints that teach us even today everything we need to know to merit salvation for not only ourselves but also our neighbors. And as laity, the importance of striving for such graces can never be stressed enough. However, being lead by a good and holy bishop is paramount for a community to remain a sanctified people. But what constitutes a good and holy bishop? We need only to look to the Church's past for a role model, such as St. Patrick of Ireland. What were his qualities that made him such an exceptional Catholic bishop?

Some may not know that our good bishop, St. Patrick, was not actually born in Ireland but in fact he was born in Roman Britain. He of course later came to preside over Ireland as bishop but not before many trials. For example, in his early years, St. Patrick was actually kidnapped by Irish pirates and made a slave in Ireland. Even though his early life was wrought with the suffering of slavery, he later recorded in his memoirs that he felt most close to God during these days. As he prayed diligently night and day, he often found himself immune to the harsh conditions of slavery. From his time in slavery as a boy, his qualities were clearly evident. Not yet a man, he was able maintain a prayer life that reflected submission to God's will in all things. Also he was a child of great faith that even through his slavery he would work to please God in his miserable state of servitude. It was not until he was around twenty years old that he escaped from the Irish pirates due to a dream he had instructed by God.

Today we can know a great deal about St. Patrick's memoirs called The Confession especially about his destined position as Bishop of Ireland of which he recorded a vision granted by God,

"I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland. His name was Victoricus, and he carried many letters, and he gave me one of them. I read the heading: 'The Voice of the Irish.' As I began the letter, I imagined in that moment that I heard the voice of those very people who were near the wood of Foclut, which is beside the western sea-and they cried out, as with one voice: 'We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us.'"

It was because of this amazing vision he entered into the priesthood. He grew in holiness and knowledge of the Church and eventually was elevated as Bishop Ireland. During his time as bishop, he was faced with many challenges to not only himself but also the faithful under his charge. One of his greatest challenges was combating paganism, known in Ireland as Druids. Druids are historically known for satanic-inspired rituals that would on occasion result in not only human sacrifice but even cannibalism. St. Patrick was a man that was thoroughly disgusted with such beliefs and saw them for the evil that they were and the danger it posed to Ireland. This quality of St. Patrick is what many dioceses lack. The quality of a true shepherd. What sort of shepherd would allow wolves to devour his herd? A shepherd that would soon have no sheep but all the more ravenous wolves to take their places! St. Patrick made no qualms in voice-fully opposing evil that would set itself against the Catholic Church. It was a quality of zeal for the faith, a fierce love for the truth that caused him to act accordingly at the appearance of perversion. St. Patrick was also a clever man in teaching the faith. He sanctified the symbol of the three leaf clover,
which Druids also used a symbol of their twisted satanic designs and secrets, to explain the Blessed Trinity. He held the firm belief that souls convert to the Catholic faith as he defended the infallible dogma, “Outside the Church there is No Salvation” (extra ecclesiam nulla salus) as he recognized the greatest achievement a soul may obtain is heaven.

It is qualities like these that make a good bishop. We need only to compare the great St. Patrick to the bishops of today to know whether or not our Catholic communities are lead through the storm or are congregating with wolves. This is why we pray for the Church and do all that we can to learn more about the faith so as to acclimate ourselves to the holy will of God and align ourselves with the teachings of Holy Mother Church. We pray for our Catholic Bishops so that they may pick up their shepherd's crook and lead us to green pastures destined for all those who love Christ and His commandments.

St. Patrick, Pray for us and our Catholic Bishops that we may in our time find shepherds that lived, loved, and fought for the Roman Catholic faith. St. Patrick, intercede for us and those in great authority over souls! Amen.


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