The Ancient Irish Church [pp. 764-772]

Thze Ancient Irish Czlurclh.
But when the whole island was
converted to Christ, congregations
formed, and churches erected in all
parts of the country, St. Patrick
thought of building a metropolitan
cathedral for the primate of Ireland.
He chose for this purpose the heights
of Admarchla, or Armagh, near which
stood the old royal fortress of Emania. After the building of his cathedral and the conversion of the Irish,
St. Patrick passed the remaining
years of his life partly at Armagh,
partly at his favorite spot at Sabhul,
where he began his missionary career. He assembled a few synods,
wrote his Confession, as it is called,
on the approach of death, and was
attacked by his last illness at Sabhul.
When he felt his end approaching,
he collected his remaining strength,
and endeavored to go to Armagh,
which he had chosen as the place of
his burial; but, warned by a voice
from heaven, he returned to Sabhul,
and died there eight days after, on
the I7th of March, 493.
III.
ILET us now glance at the disciples
and followers of this great man. They
followed up his work with such zeal
and indefatigable activity that, at the
end of the sixth century, christianity
was spread over all Ireland. We
distinguish, in the Irish church, "Fathers of the First Order," and "Fathers of the Second Order." The
holy men from Rome, Italy, Gaul,
and especially from Wales or Cambria, who followed St. Patrick as
their leader, and aided him in his
labors, are the "Fathers of the First
Order." Patrick brought with him
from Rome, in the year 432, nine
assistants; in the year 439, Secundinus, Auxilius, and Iserninus, were
sent to him from Rome. The two
former of these, together with Be VOL. VII.-49
nignus, were present as bishops at
the first synod of Armagh, in the
year 456. Bishop Trianius, a Roman, another disciple of St. Patrick,
imitated so exactly the life of the
great apostle, that his food was nothing but the milk of one cow, which
he took care of himself. The first
mitred abbot of Sabhul was Dunnius;
and the first bishop of Antrim was
Leoman, Patrick's nephew. The
oldest Irish bishops appointed by
Patrick, were Patrick of Armagh,
Fiech of Sletty, Mochua of Aendrun,
Carbreus of Cubratham, and Maccarthen, of Aurghialla. Seven nephews
of St. Patrick, who followed him
from Cambria, are invoked in the
Irish litanies as bishops. They are
the sons of Tigriada, Brochad, Brochan, Mogenoch, Luman; and the
sons of Darercha, Mel, Rioch, and
Muna. When the heathen AngloSaxons conquered Britain in the
year 450, and sought to destroy the
old British church, many learned and
pious men fled to Ireland, and joined
Patrick. Thirty of them were made
bishops, and devoted themselves to
the special task of converting the
neighboring islands. The most renowned of these Welsh missionaries
are Carantoc, Mochta of Lugmagh,
and Modonnoc, who introduced the
rearing of bees into Ireland, where
they had never been seen before.
Three companions of St. PatrickEssa, Bitmus, and Tesach-were expert bell-founders, and makers of
church-vessels. The fact that Patrick was sent from Rome, that his
first assistants were Romans, and that
his co-laborers from Gaul and Britain
were sons of the Roman church, completely destroys the Anglican hypothesis of an Irish church independent
of Rome. Even Albeus, who, on account of his services, was called the
second Patrick, Declau, and Ihac,
the apostles of the Mumons; Enna,
769