Page:The Church of England, its catholicity and continuity.djvu/28

 humiliated, its work was by no means done. We can trace its marked influence upon the Irish and the Scotch early Churches.

Ireland had been visited by Palladius, a British monk, in the year 429, who had been consecrated Bishop to convert that country to the Faith. Christians were there before that time, but no Bishop. His mission failed. In fact, it is an Irish saying, that "not to Palladius, but to Patrick, did the Lord give the conversion of Ireland."

In the year 432, Patrick, with twelve monks, headed another Mission to Ireland. He fixed his See at Armagh, and lived till 493. The Gospel made good progress during his time, but it did not get a permanent footing in Ireland. It declined after his death, and some say that Christianity was entirely abolished in Ireland. At any rate, the British are now asked to give Ireland help; and Gildas and S. David with other men were sent to them. This was a second Mission to Ireland from the British Church, and this Mission was so successful that Ireland was called the Island of Saints; and from this Mission the Gospel was carried into Scotland, and Missionaries went from Ireland over to France, Jerusalem, Switzerland, Italy, and Iceland.

It is interesting to recall the fact that the Christian Mission in Ireland was quite independent of the Church of Rome. Columban, one of the Irish Saints, was charged by the Bishops of Gaul with holding customs differing from the Roman Church. He replied, "That he observed the customs of his national Church, which was," he said, "independent of the Church of Rome." He wrote a letter to Pope Gregory explaining his position.