OCR Text |
Show Irish St. Patrick vs. the Welsh St. David Has St. Patrick a sufficiently close historical connection with the Welsh people to warrant them in joining with the Irish in the celebration of March 177 This question is often asked as St. Patrick's day comes uround. The answer would seem to be, "No." Up to tlie time when tlie authentic history of Ireland begins with St. Patrick Pat-rick (373 V 403?) the Irish and "Welsh had something in common, due to their origin. After that the only tiling in common was their resistance to tlie English. They even fought each other. St. Patrick "found no Christiana in Ireland and left no heathen." But he appears to have had no share in the Christianizing of Wales. His literary remains apparently contain but one thing connecting him with Wales: his Epistle to Coroticiis, which requests the release of Irish Christians captured cap-tured by the Welsh prince. St. David is the patron saint of the Welsh and his day is March 1. This day of celebration was fixed by Pope Caiixtus 1 1 when lie canonized St. David Da-vid in 1121. St. David or Dewi (d. 001?) is said to have been born of royal parentage at Menevia (St. David's) and to have been educated under i'nulinus at York. He is credited with the foundation foun-dation of several monasteries. He was consecrated to the archbishopric oi. Caerlcon, which carried with It the primacy of Wales. He is also credited with the final routing of the Pelagians at tlie "Synod of Victory" at Uncus Vlctorlae. The Pelagians were the followers of Pelagius (a P.iitWi monk named Morgan, d. 420?), who opposed the doctrine of original shi us set forth by St. Augustine. |