Patrick - Saint of Ireland
with Fr. Edward Colleton
ed. by D.Gander
St. Edward's Church in Westport, Ontario, this week has been enjoying the visit of Fr. Ted Colleton, a missionary in Africa for 40 years, now based in Toronto. He and Fr. Keyes have been friends for a long time, having first met in Ireland. And he has been active in the Pro-Life movement along with Westport's Fr. McCarthy.
Fr. Ted was born in Dublin. "I insisted on that," he quipped with true Irish loyalty. "My mother was there at the time, and I wanted to be with her!"
In honour of St. Patrick's Day last Sunday, Fr. Ted gave a sermon on this patron of Ireland who lived between 389-461 AD. St. Patrick's father was a Roman official living in England, and a deacon in the Church there.
In his youth, Patrick was captured by Danish raiders and sold in Ireland as a slave. There he herded sheep and pigs for about six years. As a shepherd gazing at the vast starry heavens through long nights, he thought about the greatness of God and His power, learning respectful "fear" and love of God.
Guided by a vision from God, he escaped to an Irish port where he was at first refused passage on a ship bound for France. Discouraged, Patrick was seen by the ship's captain when he kneeled in prayer on the pier, and was then allowed to work for his passage.
In another revelation from God while in France, Patrick heard in a dream that the Irish people were asking him to "come back and work with us again". Patrick responded by studying hard to learn and become a priest. At about 40 years old he was made a Bishop and sent by the Pope back to Ireland.
During his years of missionary work, the Lord worked through Bp. Patrick to bring multitudes to the Christian faith, and he inspired the founding of churches, monasteries and convents, including St. Bridgit's.
His many converts included clan chieftains, and in spite of resistance from pagan Druid priests he confronted the Irish king Laoghaire. The year was 433 AD, and in accordance with the universal custom of early Christians Patrick lit a Paschal fire on Easter Eve, at the top of a hill near Tara where the king had organized a convention of Irish chieftains. This blaze was seen as a challenge to the ceremonial fire of the Druid priests, and the king approached Patrick to punish this intruder. The conflict that followed was decided by a series of miracles, resulting in the defeat of paganism and the baptism of great numbers of the Irish. Even king Laoghaire may have been nominally converted, and several members of the royal family continued in the Christian faith thereafter.
Bp. Patrick visited Rome about 10 years later, and soon after returning he founded the Cathedral Church of Armagh, which became the centre for Christian education and Church administration in Ireland. He wrote his "Confessions" about 10 years after that, the best known of his writings.
Fr. Colleton mentioned some of the many ways St. Patrick helped influence Irish people in the centuries following, even to their common figures of speech (such as "Blessings of God on your work", in Irish); and he inspired countless missionaries from Ireland through whom many lands have been blessed. The thrust of Fr. Ted's visit to Westport has been to help the parishioners be better Catholics, better Christians, and more charitable people.
Everyone was invited after the service to the school gymnasium to enjoy some great Irish singing led by Gary "Fetch" Murphy, Mikey Scanlan and Joe McNally, with hearty stereo sound provided by Fr. McCarthy at the back. Fr. Colleton closed the festivities with a round of jokes appreciated by all.
On his way back to Toronto, Fr. Colleton was stopped by a policeman for speeding. The officer apologized for having to ticket a priest, but he knew his duty. "I'm just a poor preacher," moaned Fr. Ted. "I know," smiled the policeman, "I heard you on Sunday. But here's your ticket anyway!"
ed. by D.Gander
St. Edward's Church in Westport, Ontario, this week has been enjoying the visit of Fr. Ted Colleton, a missionary in Africa for 40 years, now based in Toronto. He and Fr. Keyes have been friends for a long time, having first met in Ireland. And he has been active in the Pro-Life movement along with Westport's Fr. McCarthy.
Fr. Ted was born in Dublin. "I insisted on that," he quipped with true Irish loyalty. "My mother was there at the time, and I wanted to be with her!"
In honour of St. Patrick's Day last Sunday, Fr. Ted gave a sermon on this patron of Ireland who lived between 389-461 AD. St. Patrick's father was a Roman official living in England, and a deacon in the Church there.
In his youth, Patrick was captured by Danish raiders and sold in Ireland as a slave. There he herded sheep and pigs for about six years. As a shepherd gazing at the vast starry heavens through long nights, he thought about the greatness of God and His power, learning respectful "fear" and love of God.
Guided by a vision from God, he escaped to an Irish port where he was at first refused passage on a ship bound for France. Discouraged, Patrick was seen by the ship's captain when he kneeled in prayer on the pier, and was then allowed to work for his passage.
In another revelation from God while in France, Patrick heard in a dream that the Irish people were asking him to "come back and work with us again". Patrick responded by studying hard to learn and become a priest. At about 40 years old he was made a Bishop and sent by the Pope back to Ireland.
During his years of missionary work, the Lord worked through Bp. Patrick to bring multitudes to the Christian faith, and he inspired the founding of churches, monasteries and convents, including St. Bridgit's.
His many converts included clan chieftains, and in spite of resistance from pagan Druid priests he confronted the Irish king Laoghaire. The year was 433 AD, and in accordance with the universal custom of early Christians Patrick lit a Paschal fire on Easter Eve, at the top of a hill near Tara where the king had organized a convention of Irish chieftains. This blaze was seen as a challenge to the ceremonial fire of the Druid priests, and the king approached Patrick to punish this intruder. The conflict that followed was decided by a series of miracles, resulting in the defeat of paganism and the baptism of great numbers of the Irish. Even king Laoghaire may have been nominally converted, and several members of the royal family continued in the Christian faith thereafter.
Bp. Patrick visited Rome about 10 years later, and soon after returning he founded the Cathedral Church of Armagh, which became the centre for Christian education and Church administration in Ireland. He wrote his "Confessions" about 10 years after that, the best known of his writings.
Fr. Colleton mentioned some of the many ways St. Patrick helped influence Irish people in the centuries following, even to their common figures of speech (such as "Blessings of God on your work", in Irish); and he inspired countless missionaries from Ireland through whom many lands have been blessed. The thrust of Fr. Ted's visit to Westport has been to help the parishioners be better Catholics, better Christians, and more charitable people.
Everyone was invited after the service to the school gymnasium to enjoy some great Irish singing led by Gary "Fetch" Murphy, Mikey Scanlan and Joe McNally, with hearty stereo sound provided by Fr. McCarthy at the back. Fr. Colleton closed the festivities with a round of jokes appreciated by all.
On his way back to Toronto, Fr. Colleton was stopped by a policeman for speeding. The officer apologized for having to ticket a priest, but he knew his duty. "I'm just a poor preacher," moaned Fr. Ted. "I know," smiled the policeman, "I heard you on Sunday. But here's your ticket anyway!"