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Saint Patrick is an Apostle of the Lamb. According to Electric Scotland, He was born near what is now Dumbarton, Scotland, circa 372. Dumbarton is just north of the Antonine Wall, which marked the northern border of Roman Britain, and the northernmost extent of the Roman Empire. Other sites say that he was born circa 386 in Britain (which today includes Scotland). So, everyone agrees that he was born in or just north of Roman Britain, and that he was not born in Hibernia (now Ireland). He was captured and shipped to Hibernia as a slave. His parents were Roman citizens of high rank, Calphurnius and Conchessa (also called Cenevessa).
After years of enslavement, God gave him a vision of a boat that would take him back to Britain. He escaped his master, Milchu, traveled some 200 miles to reach the boat, and was eventually allowed aboard. From Britain he made his way to France, and then to Rome, where Celestine commissioned him an evangelist. It is said that he heard Hibernian children in a dream, pleading with him to return, which he did. Hibernia observed Druid traditions, feasts, and rites. Palladius had already been commissioned to evangelize Hibernia, but the Druids had driven him off.
With courage and many miracles, Patrick worked to disestablish Druidism, and establish Christianity. In the thirty-three years of his apostolate, he converted the whole island. Hibernia then became known as "The Island of Saints". In the Middle Ages, the island had many churches and monasteries.
Patrick died a bishop in 464. He is now patron of Ireland. His feast day is March 17.
St. Patrick's ConfessionSt. Patrick's Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus
Fáed Fíada – The Deer's Cry – The Lorica
I bind to myself today
through the strong virtue of love,
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same, the three in one, one in three.
I bind to myself today
through the virtue of faith
The incarnation of Christ,
His crucifixion, burial, resurrection and ascension.
I bind to myself today
The virtue of love of the seraphim,
In obedience of the angels,
In hope of resurrection to reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In purity of virgin souls,
In deeds of righteous humanity.
I bind to myself today
the power of heaven,
The light of the Sun,
The brightness of the Moon,
The splendor of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of Earth,
The compactness of rock.
I bind to myself today
God's power to guide,
God's might to uphold,
God's wisdom to teach,
God's eye to watch over me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to give me speech,
God's hand to guide me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me.
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right hand,
Christ on my left hand,
Christ where I lie,
Christ where I sit,
Christ where I arise.
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me.
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to me.
Christ in the eye of every man who sees me.
Christ in ears of every man who hears me.
I bind to myself
through a mighty strength,
The invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the oneness of the creator of creation.
The Lord is salvation,
The Lord is salvation,
Christ is salvation
Your salavtion, O Lord, be ever with us.
from irishpage.com, which includes the text in Old Irish. I edited the last paragraph, the original of which is in Latin, to comply literally with the Latin. I changed to lower case some words—heaven, fire, lightning, wind, sea, rock—that are lower case in the Old Irish.—MK
The Acappella Company sings Christ Above Me on their Only God album
