Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site cornell.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!vax135!cornell!rej From: rej@cornell.UUCP (Ralph Johnson) Newsgroups: net.religion,net.religion.jewish Subject: Re: Saint Patrick Message-ID: <6963@cornell.UUCP> Date: Fri, 16-Mar-84 16:16:38 EST Article-I.D.: cornell.6963 Posted: Fri Mar 16 16:16:38 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 17-Mar-84 03:40:18 EST References: <336@ihuxt.UUCP> Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept. Lines: 12 The story about Saint Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland is apocryphal: there were never any snakes in Ireland. I have never heard anything about Jews mentioned in connection with him. The Catholic Church has recently been demoting certain saints on the suspician that they never existed. Patrick was a real person. He was one of the first Christian missionaries to Ireland and made a big impact on that country. He first saw Ireland as a slave and, after escaping back to his homeland on the mainland, returned to become an evangelist. Not being Catholic, nor Irish, I do not know all the legends about him, but many of them are undoubtly exagerations. Nevertheless, Patrick was a real, and undoubtly brave and selfless, person.