Sacred, secular St. Patrick

Among Catholic saints, perhaps none has carved out a bigger niche for himself in both the sacred and secular worlds than St. Patrick. He straddles with ease the gulf between the holy and, well, the not-so-holy. No, his name might not have been Patrick (it was Succat) and he might not have been Irish (he was Welsh and Italian). And, no, he wasn't the first missionary to carry Christianity to Ireland (that was Palladius) and no one's even sure he was born on March 17.

But for sheer staying power, apart from St. Nicholas and maybe St. Valentine, no Catholic saint holds a candle to him. And with next Tuesday being St. Patrick's Day, today we take a look at the two sides of the man who many say drove the snakes out of Ireland (which, alas, he didn't).

Spiritual leader

Traditionally, Catholic mothers tried to wrap their children in the names of saints for protection. And the names "Patrick" and "Patricia" have been wrapped around Irish children for centuries,

Among the faithful the old saint's history is well-known. Born in Britain around 460 A.D., Patrick was the son of a Roman official. He was captured by pirates and spirited away to what is now Ireland when he was 16. He made his way home again, but Ireland remained in his blood. He trained for the ministry and went back as a missionary.

Patrick started churches, orders of monks and nuns and preached constantly. Folk stories of his spiritual prowess still circulate. In one, God changes the eyes of the evil Druids so when they see Patrick and his followers they see a doe with her fawns. The incident prompted "The Deer Cry," one of the most glorious prayers ever uttered. St. Patrick's breastplate, as it has become known, includes a text that has been set to music many times, including an arrangement by John Rutter. It reads:

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

But more than the lore and legend, inspiring stories and anecdotes, what has kept St. Patrick alive as a spiritual force in the lives of people has been his intense dedication and vigor. In his written Confessions, he speaks in a voice that is so natural and true that the words could have been uttered yesterday:

Whence I, once rustic, exiled, unlearned, who does not know how to provide for the future, this at least I know most certainly that before I was humiliated I was like a stone lying in the deep mire; and He that is mighty came and in His mercy lifted me up, and raised me aloft, and placed me on the top of the wall. And therefore I ought to cry out aloud and so also render something to the Lord for His great benefits here and in eternity — benefits which the mind of men is unable to appraise.

In the end, more than 1,500 years after his death, people are still turning to St. Patrick for inspiration, insight and personal guidance in their daily lives.

And by all accounts of those who have asked for his help, he still responds with typical goodwill and charity.

E-mail: jerjohn@desnews.com