St. Patrick: the religious who brought Catholicism to Ireland and why he toasts himself in his day with beer

March 17th. St. Patrick's Day. There are saints whose feast is celebrated by everyone: Catholics, Protestants, Jews, agnostics, atheists, and so on... was the evangelization of Ireland so important that it matters to so many? Clearly not. But that day, hectolitres of beer are sold in pubs, canteens, bars and so on. And what does the saint have to do with beer? Was it that the saint of the emerald isle was a holy drinker? No. Absolutely not. Let's go in parts and see the reason for beer.

The story of Patricio mixes legend and reality, is lost in the haze of time. One of the most credited biographers on this subject, Irish academician T.F. O'Rahilly, proposed the “theory of the two Patricians” in which he suggests that many of the traditions later linked to St. Patrick actually referred to a certain Palladium who was sent by Pope Celestine I as the first bishop of Christians Irish people in 430 and worked in that region until 441, when he died without being able to complete his work of evangelization. This would be one of the “Patricians”. The second would be one Padraig the Galician, who in Latin would be translated as Patricius. There is more news about the latter and over the centuries the two biographies were merged into one. But it is known that both existed and are not a myth.

Padraig was born around 389 and died in 461. He was of Roman-Breton origin. His father Calpurnio was a deacon and officer of the Roman army; his mother Conchessa was the niece of St. Martin of Tours. His grandfather had been a priest: in those days the law of priestly celibacy had not yet been imposed throughout the West. His life will be told in a Confession (Confession). That is, a biography but written many centuries later. And in it we are told that he was born in Bannaven de Taberniae. Specialists suggest it could be in Dumbarton or Ravenglass, in Great Britain or in a region of Brittany or Scotland. Some writers report that Padraig was captured at the age of 16 along with two women, Darerca and Lupida, who were his sisters, but apparently, this brotherhood was because they were Christians, not that they were his carnal sisters. He was taken to Silva Flocuti, that is, the 'forest of Flocut', located near the “western sea” and worked as a shepherd for Miliue de Antrim (also known as Miliuc), who sent him to take care of the herd in the nearby Braid Valley, for six years. The writer Thomas Cahill describes his condition: “The life of a slave pastor was an unhappy life. Torn from civilization, Patricio (he had already changed his name to the Latin translation) had as his only protector a man who did not value his own life much, much less that of others. The work of these shepherds was bitterly lonely, they spent months alone in the hills, the occasional contacts they might have brought them more difficulties... Like many others in intolerable circumstances, he began to pray. He had never paid attention to the teachings of his religion, he had never believed in God, and found priests ridiculous, but now, there was no one to turn to except the God of his fathers.”

Apparently there he learned to speak Irish. And in a dream he was told that his freedom was near and a ship was waiting for him, so he decided to escape and walked several days to some port between Bantry and Wexford, where he found a ship whose captain, after admitting him and after three days of sailing, reached his destination, which would be Saint-Honorat Island. Since the fifth century, the island has been home to a community of Cistercian monks. Known to the Romans as Lerina, it was uninhabited until Saint Honorate founded a monastery sometime around 410. There he was baptized and began his journey to the priesthood. He then settled in Auxerre for another fifteen years where he met Bishop San Germán de Auxerre.

Some historians argue that at that time he made a trip to Rome and that Pope Celestine I, around 423, sent him to Ireland with the special mission to evangelize it. He was ordained as the second bishop of Ireland and departed for these lands to complete the work of Palladium (the 1st. Patrick). When he arrived in Ireland he was not welcome. The moment he landed (probably at Wicklow) people were so hostile that they immediately went north. Patrick knew how to speak the language of the Irish, and moreover - and just as important - he knew his beliefs due to the years he was in captivity. He seemed to be adept at sharing the Christian message so that people could understand and receive it.

It is noteworthy how Patrick knew how to explain the catechism and how to link it to pre-existing beliefs. Whether or not he used a clover leaf to explain what the Holy Trinity is like is no longer disputed; but he knew well that in that region they believed in ancestral goddesses who were: Eriu, Fodla and Banba. They were the three facets of the spirit of the earth. Another divinity the goddess Brigid was represented as three sisters who personify the vital forces: healing, creativity and productivity. The story of Patrick and the clover leaf would reflect how it was based on the spiritual and physical aspect that they knew well about the Irish in order to explain the gospel to them in familiar terms: “The Trinity is how the Three Leaves Form One Clover”. The clover became the symbol of Ireland and the color green became its national color.

The other story is that thanks to his intervention, in a miraculous act, he struck his staff against the earth and all the snakes that inhabited the island went to the sea and never returned again; his iconography also presents him with snakes at his feet. But there were never any snakes in Ireland. What the ophidians are supposed to symbolize is paganism banished from the island thanks to preaching. In 440 Patrick embarked on the special task of the conversion of Ulster. In 444 Daire, the lord of the district, gave him to choose in his territory any place he considered suitable for his religious purposes. Patrick chose the hill on which the old cathedral of Armagh stands. From Ulster St. Patrick probably proceeded to Meta to consolidate evangelization and from there he continued his journey through Leinster with two of the most distinguished companions of Saint Auxilius and Iserninus.

He continued until his death to visit and preach in the churches he had founded in all the provinces of Ireland. He comforted the faithful in their difficulties, strengthened them in faith and in the practice of virtue, and ordained priests and deacons to continue their work among them. At the end of his days Patrick had a vision: he saw the whole of Ireland illuminated with the brightest rays of divine faith and an angel told him: “The light you lit will never go out”. Patrick died on March 17, 493. Some of the ancient chronicles record that for several days the light of the sky shone around his mortuary bed and that he was veiled for several days without becoming corrupted. His remains were buried in Saul's fort. The current Downpatrick Cathedral is located next to St. Patrick's Tomb. At the time there was a Benedictine monastery here, built in 1183. The cathedral was built little by little, until it was completed in the 19th century. His tomb is marked by a simple stone next to the cathedral temple.

And the beer? As we all know, Ireland is one of the places where the most beer is consumed. One of the old Lenten restrictions was not to drink alcoholic beverages during this period. Therefore beer was banned during this special time in anticipation of Easter. Unless abstinence is interrupted by some liturgical holiday. As Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, it is a holiday and therefore abstinence is broken that day and it was allowed to drink beer. After the religious services, which were very early in the morning, pubs opened and the Irish gave free rein to their taste for this drink.

Many Irish people emigrated to the United States and settled in New York. All fervent Catholics built in that city the largest building of their time, which was seen from the port, St. Patrick's Cathedral and took this tradition with them.

In 1762, the first “parade” for St. Patrick's Day, or Saint Patrick's Day, was held in New York City. The Immigrants gathered every March 17 to remember their land, dressing in green and singing songs typical of the emerald isle. The Cathedral that St. Patrick we know today did not exist, and the “parade” was just a walk made by the Irish, singing ancestral songs of their region.

In 1809, the foundation stone of the old St. Patrick's Cathedral was laid, which would be inaugurated in 1815 as the tallest church in the city at that time. The cathedral became the protagonist of religious life in the area and the setting for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in front of the temple after Mass, until in 1866 it was pasture of the flames and it was decided to build the new Midtown Cathedral that we know today. However, the old cathedral was rebuilt and became a parish church. Patrick's Day and his parade is the biggest holiday in New York City today. This celebration became famous all over the world thanks to American films, and today with the globalization of customs this holiday is celebrated by many in various countries.

Of course... they only remember the saint when he offers himself.

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