Ruadhán Jones
Archbishop Eamon Martin, President of the Irish Bishops' Conference.
Photo: CNS The Primate of All Ireland said that St Patrick’s day under lockdown is a chance to “rescue the real St Patrick from the legends and distractions surrounding him”.
Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin also prayed for all those affected by the virus, and for “peace and reconciliation” as Ireland North and South reflect on “our shared history”.
The archbishop said in his St Patrick’s day message that as “the traditional parades, parties” have been postponed, we have a chance to “rescue the real Saint Patrick from the legends and distractions surrounding him”.
“If you want to find the true story of Patrick, and get an authentic understanding of who he was, the best place to look is in his own words which are preserved for us in two ancient writings – St Patrick’s Confession, and St Patrick’s Letter to Coroticus,” Archbishop Martin said.
“You won’t find any mention there of green beer, snakes or even shamrock – but you will discover the testimony of a real person who dedicated his life and energies to spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.”
Trafficked
What you will read about, the archbishop of Armagh said, is a trafficked and enslaved teenager.
St Patrick had “little knowledge or understanding of the true God. It was only while he was isolated and alone in captivity… that he found strength and courage in prayer and grew to know God’s love and protection in a powerful and personal way”.
Archbishop Martin prayed that “those in our country and beyond who are struggling during the pandemic… will find in St Patrick the courage and resilience they need to go on, surrounded, as he was, by the love and protection of God”.
He continued, saying: “Thinking about Ireland, north and south, at this pivotal moment in our shared history… I pray that we will find in St Patrick a source of courage, shared identity and values and the resilience we need to face with confidence new possibilities for today and tomorrow on this island”.
Archbishop Martin concluded the statement by praying “that our hearts and lips, our eyes and ears will be as open as St Patrick’s were to the cry of the poor, the lonely and isolated, the bereaved, the stranger and exile among us; the prisoner, the homeless and the hungry”.