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Julia Zurenko
Mr. Brahier
Theology 10
5 November 2018
Conversion of Ireland
The introduction of Christianity to Ireland took place before the 5th century, with help by Roman Britain and Palladius, a bishop of Britain sent by Pope Celestine to minister the “Scots believing in Christ” (“catholic.org”). Since then, Christianity in Ireland today is at a decline because of the recent abuse stories in the Catholic Church. Christianity in Ireland was spread by the help of St. Patrick, but is now declining in professed and practicing Catholics because of the clerical abuse in the Catholic church.
Ireland had never been apart of the Roman Empire for the sole purpose of how remote is was from the capital of the empire. (“catholicculture.org”). The Celtic people, or Celts, inhabited most of Ireland. The Celts were a polytheistic group who often performed human and animal sacrifices. Despite the proximity of Roman Britain, most of the contact across the Irish Sea was that of pirates and slavers (“catholicculture.org”). In the fourth century, a man named Patricius was born in Britain. He grew up Christian, and when he was sixteen years old, was captured by pirates, shipped to Ireland, and forced into slavery (“catholic.org”). He escaped captivity after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. He then went back to Britain and reunited with his family (“catholic.org”). St. Patrick then had a vision a
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few years later telling him to go back to Ireland and spread the word of God (“catholic.org”). St. Patrick also built the first Irish church, and converted nearly all of Ireland (“bbc.co”). There are many legends about him, one saying he met the chieftain of one of the druid tribes who tried to kill them, but ended up converting them (“catholic.org”). Another legend is that he often used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity (“catholic.org”).
With the death of Queen Mary in 1558, the church in England and Ireland broke away from the Papacy, or the Pope. A new body became the established State Church, which took most of the Church property (“dublin.anglican.org”). A substantial majority of the population remained catholic, despite the political and economic advantages of being a member of the State Church (“dublin.anglican.org”). The church of Ireland remained the official stage church for almost three hundred years. It soon became disestablished in 1871 by the Irish Church Act 1869 that was passed by Gladstone’s Liberal Government (“dublin.anglican.org”). Early on, Detroit had an appeal to Irish immigrants that other American cities lacked: It was an established Catholic city and had been for 100 years at the start of the 19th century (“detroitnews.com”). The first major wave of Irish came to America in 1815 when 1 million people came to live in eastern cities such as Boston and New York (“detroitnews.com”). At this time most of the Irish settled in Detroit's near east side. But many cities in the East were largely Protestant and waves of immigrating Catholic Irish led to street warfare, church burnings and riots. Before the Irish immigrants had
their own church in Detroit, they were invited to celebrate Catholic Mass at St. Anne's on early Sunday mornings before the French service began at midday (“detroitnews.com”).
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Today, faith in Ireland is declining. There is a long history of sexual sin by the Catholic clergy in Ireland (“catholicworldreport.com”). The church in Ireland was slow to react and hesitant in cooperating with external agencies in publicizing the abuses. But, the media prompted public authorities to conduct formal inquiries, which the Church cooperated (“catholicworldreport.com”). The records showed abuse in the Irish Church seemed to have disappeared. The decline in religious observance in Ireland is doubtful that the reaction is by the clerical abuse, but more than likely the transformation of the public mindset by universities (“catholicworldreport.”) As of a 2002 census, only 88.4% of Ireland is Roman Catholic, 2.9% Anglican, 0.52% Presbyterian, 0.25% Methodist, .49% Muslim, and less than 0.1% Jewish (“state.gov”)
Christianity in Ireland was spread with the help of St. Patrick, a widely known saint for establishing the first Irish Church. Since then, Ireland’s belief in Christianity is now declining because of the recent clerical abuse stories in the Catholic Church, and the public mindset by universities. That is why Christianity in Ireland was spread by the help of multiple men and women, but is now declining in professed and practicing Catholics because of the clerical abuse in the Catholic church.
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Works Cited
“Library : The Conversion of Ireland.” Library : The Conversion of Ireland | Catholic Culture, www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=101.
Catholic Online. “St. Patrick – Saints & Angels.” Catholic Online, www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89.
Topping, Andi. “A Brief History – Disestablishment (1871) – Modern Times.” Dublin and Glendalough | A Brief History – Disestablishment (1871) – Modern Times, web.archive.org/web/20120422033528/http://dublin.anglican.org/dioceses/a_brief_history_disestablishment_1871__modern_times.php.
“The State of the Catholic Church in Contemporary Ireland.” Catholic World Report, www.catholicworldreport.com/2017/03/16/the-state-of-the-catholic-church-in-contemporary-ireland/.
“Religions – Christianity: Saint Patrick.” BBC, BBC, 21 Aug. 2009, www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/saints/patrick_1.shtml.
Loomis, Bill. “Irish Helped Form Detroit for Centuries.” Detroit News, 15 Mar. 2015, www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan-history/2015/03/14/irish-history-detroit-st-patrick-day/24771997/.
“Ireland.” U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State, www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2004/35461.htm.