Temple of The Phoenix
817 SW Adams, Peoria, Illinois 61602
309-676-7221
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St. Patrick's Day
March 17, Monday, St. Patrick's Day, Candle-light vigil, $1
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Building a Unified Native American/Pagan Community
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Today is St. Patrick's Day. A day that St. Patrick chased The snakes out of Ireland.
Well, The snakes were The Pagans. And they weren't just chased out. They were executed; Men, women And children.
So, we started a tradition several years ago, On St. Patrick's Day , all Pagans should wear something with a snake on
it. A t-shirt, necklace, ring, etc.... This is our way of saying that The "snakes" are still here And that we are here to stay.
The Snake is a symbol of wisdom And free will. Which is why The church wants to get rid of all Pagans. We believe in free will And
responsibility for our own actions.
So, join us in this new tradition And to pass it on to all other pagans You know.
Patrick in legend
The shamrock Pious legend credits Patrick with banishing snakes from The island, though all evidence suggests that post-glacial Ireland
never had snakes; one suggestion is that snakes referred to The serpent symbolism of The Druids of that time And place, as shown for
instance on coins minted in Gaul (see Carnutes), or that it could have referred to beliefs such as Pelagianism, symbolized as “serpents”.
Legend also credits Patrick with teaching The Irish about The concept of The Trinity by showing people The shamrock, a 3-leaved
clover, using it to highlight The Christian belief of 'three divine persons in The one God' (as opposed to The Arian belief that was popular
in Patrick's time).
Missionary Legacy
As one of The earliest Christian missionaries traveling abroad to spread The Christian faith, Saint Patrick is important because he serves
as a testament to The overall missionary legacy of The Church. His example afforded later Christian missionaries The opportunity to
assess The best methods to employ when confronting pagan groups abroad. Perhaps The most significant aspect of Saint Patrick’s
missionary efforts in Ireland was that he transcended The boundary between Church hierarchy And prominent Church Fathers in terms of
The viability of missionary pursuits. Saint Patrick proved that any Christian could live out The Scriptural commandment to spread The
word of God while “exalting And confessing his wonders before all The nations that are under The heavens.” Patrick’s example would
inspire later missionaries to undertake great missions to evangelize abroad in later years.
Methods for Conversion
Surely Saint Patrick openly preached The gospel message while among The Picts And Irish peoples, but that method does not alone
account for conversions to Christianity. In terms of numbers, Patrick himself suggested that he baptized And converted “many thousands,”
to The faith. It is true that Patrick had some success converting The sons And daughters of Irish Kings to Christianity, but actual figures of
The numbers of converts among The entirety of The Irish population remain unknown. There is no solid mention of him teaching The
catechism of The Church to new believers, so there is little evidence to suggest that The new converts maintained The Christian faith
without a foundation in doctrinal teachings. It was quite possible that converts reverted back to their traditional pagan beliefs, especially
without any clear support from Church leaders on The European mainland.
Although he may not have been as well versed in The teachings of The Church as other missionaries, Saint Patrick did understand The
basic tenets of The Christian faith. Yet, Saint Patrick seemed to be haunted by his lack of education, And claimed that evangelizing among
The Irish “revealed his lack of learning,” according to his own Confession. Limited education would prove to be an obstacle for Patrick,
And considering that “every word [he] spoke had to be translated into a foreign tongue,” communicating with The pagans in Ireland
became a daunting task.
Saint Patrick was able to preach And lead significantly by example, so when Bishops in Europe accused Patrick of various unknown
charges, his reputation inevitably suffered among The Picts And Irish people. As a result it can be assumed that progress being made in
gaining favor among The people would have diminished considering Saint Patrick’s authority as Bishop in Ireland became challenged.
Overall, his mission to Ireland cannot be determined as successful or not in The missionary sense due to The limited knowledge we have
concerning his life there. It can be assumed that The immensity of The challenges facing Saint Patrick would have made any significant
change to The religious landscape of Ireland difficult.