Author Topic: St. Patricks Prophecy of the Great Apostasy (Read 1975 times)

John Grace · « **on:** December 19, 2013, 09:33:56 AM »

In searching for references to prophecy I came across this site.

http://unveilingtheapocalypse.blogspot.ie/2013/03/st-patricks-prophecy-of-great-apostasy.html

Quote

There is an obscure prophecy attributed to St. Patrick which appears to foretell the previously unthinkable - a time when Ireland would lose its faith in Christ. Sadly, this prophecy pretty much describes the current state of our beautiful island, which to a large extent, is now shunning the Roman Catholic faith. What was once before a inextricable part of Irish national identity, is now subject to the calumny of the growing anti-clericalism in the Irish media, which has now filtered out into wider society. The prophecy appears in chapter CLXXV of the vita by the Cistercian hagiographer Jocelyn of Furness (fl. 1175-1214):

The different States of Hibernia are in a Heavenly Vision
shown unto the Saint.

And the man of God anxiously desired and earnestly prayed that he might be certified of the present and the future state of Hibernia, to the end that he might be assured of the faith, or of the value that his labors bore in the sight of God. Then the Lord heard the desire of his heart, and manifested the same unto him by an evident revelation; for while he was engaged in prayer, and the heart of his mind was opened, he beheld the whole island as it were a flaming fire ascending unto heaven; and he heard the angel of God saying unto him: "Such at this time is Hibernia in the sight of the Lord." And after a little space he beheld in all parts of the island even as mountains of fire stretching unto the skies. And again after a little space he beheld as it were candles burning, and after a while darkness intervened; and then he beheld fainter lights, and at length he beheld coals lying hidden here and there, as reduced unto ashes, yet still burning. And the angel added: "What thou seest here shown, such shall be the people of Hibernia." Then the saint, exceedingly weeping, often repeated the words of the Psalmist, saying: "Whether will God turn himself away for ever, and will he be no more entreated? Shall his mercy come to an end from generation to generation? Shall God forget to be merciful, and shut up his mercy in his displeasure?" And the angel said, "Look toward the northern side, and on the right hand of a height shalt thou behold the darkness dispersed from the face of the light which thenceforth will arise." Then the saint raised his eyes, and behold, he at first saw a small light arising in Ulydia, the which a long time contended with the darkness, and at length dispersed it, and illumined with its rays the whole island. Nor ceased the light to increase and to prevail, even until it had restored to its former fiery state all Hibernia. Then was the heart of the saint filled with joy, and his heart with exultation, giving thanks for all these things which had been shown unto him: and he understood in the greatness of this fiery ardor of the Christian faith the devotion and the zeal of religion, wherewith those islanders burned. By the fiery mountains he understood the men who would be holy in their miracles and their virtues, eminent in their preachings and their examples; by the lessening of the light, the decrease of holiness; by the darkness that covered the land, the infidelity which would prevail therein; by the intervals of delay, the distances of the succeeding times. But the people think the period of darkness was that in which Gurmundus and Turgesius, heathen princes of Norwegia, conquered and ruled in Hibernia; and in those days, the saints, like coals covered with ashes, lay hidden in caves and dens from the face of the wicked, who pursued them like sheep unto the slaughter. Whence it happened that differing rites and new sacraments, which were contrary to the ecclesiastical institutes, were introduced into the church by many prelates who were ignorant of the divine law. But the light first arising from the north, and after long conflict exterminating the darkness, those people assert to be Saint Malachy, who presided first in Dunum, afterward in Ardmachia, and reduced the island unto the Christian law. On the other hand, the people of Britain ascribe this light to their coming, for that then the church seemed under their rule to be advanced unto a better state; and that then religion seemed to be planted and propagated, and the sacraments of the church and the institutes of the Christian law to be observed with more regular observance. But I propose not the end of this contention, neither do I prevent it, thinking that the discussion and the decision thereof should be left unto the divine judgment.
(See here for the full vita of St. Patrick by Jocelyn of Furness)

It is uncertain whether this prophecy was actually made by St. Patrick himself, since it does not appear in the earlier works on the saints life. The other more well-known prophecy of St. Patrick (which foretold that Ireland would suffer from a terrible deluge seven years before the end of the world to spare the Irish from the reign of the Antichrist) is of far greater provenance. (See the earlier post St. Patrick and the End-Time Flood of Ireland). But it certainly interesting, given the current state of affairs in Ireland.
Jocelyn attempts to make sense out of the prophecy by linking it to the appearance of the Viking invaders, who ravaged the coasts of Ireland in the early Middle Ages. The light in "Ulydia" (an archaic name for Ulster) which brings about the reversal of the apostasy is rightly connected by Jocelyn to St. Malachy, who was the abbot of Bangor Abbey in the north of Ireland, just outside of Belfast (unfortunately, nothing of the original building remains of Bangor Abbey today, other than a stump of a wall in the grounds of the modern Anglican abbey). St. Malachy had ensured unity of the Church in Ireland with the Roman Catholic Church by travelling to Rome to obtain pallia for the sees of Armagh and Cashel. And in his famous account of the saint's life, St. Bernard of Clairvaux tells how St. Malachy had helped to restore the Church in Ireland, which had fallen into a terrible state of decay.

The above prophecy is based on the story of the St. Patrick lighting the Paschal Fire on the Hill of Slane in 433AD, in opposition to the pagan festival of Beltane practised by Laoghaire, the High King of Tara. This defiant action was an instrumental moment in the conversion of Ireland.
This prophecy attributed to St. Patrick also appears to be associated with the Great Apostasy foretold in Scripture, which speaks of a general falling away of Christians from the faith towards the end of the world. It is interesting then that the reversal of the apostasy in Ireland is associated with St. Malachy - whose famous prophetic mottoes "Glory of the Olive" and "Peter the Roman" seem to connect the Angelic Pope to the Two Witnesses of Rev 11. Could this be once again pointing us towards the importance of the Worthy Shepherd in renewing the faith worldwide?
To see the work of St. Patrick being reversed in such a terrible fashion is something cruel to behold for any true Irish person. But through the intercession of St. Patrick, the once fiery zeal of the Irish faithful will one day return to the shores of our beloved land, and the religion which our ancestors strived and died to protect will once again reflourish on the verdant pastures of the Emerald Isle.

Hail, Glorious St. Patrick

Hail, glorious Saint Patrick, dear saint of our Isle,
On us thy poor children bestow a sweet smile;
And now thou art high in the mansions above,
On Erin's green valleys look down in thy love.

Hail, glorious Saint Patrick, thy words were once strong
Against Satan's wiles and an infidel throng;
Not less is thy might where in heaven thou art;
O, come to our aid, in our battle take part.
In the war against sin, in the fight for the faith,
Dear saint, may thy children resist unto death;
May their strength be in meekness, in penance, their prayer,
Their banner the cross which they glory to bear.
Thy people, now exiles on many a shore,
Shall love and revere thee till time be no more;
And the fire thou hast kindled shall ever burn bright,
Its warmth undiminished, undying its light.

andysloan · « **Reply #1 on:** December 19, 2013, 11:47:09 AM »

Dear John,

Here are some more prophecies for your dear land. When St Patrick refers to the "inundation so the devil may not rule", this does not necessarily mean the antichrist. Some expect now is the time of antichrist, who will reign while Christ (the Church) is in the tomb and will be destroyed when He (the Church) rises again - because as some of the Church Fathers teach, the life of the church reflects the life of Christ. We know the time of peace will come (Our Lady of Fatima), which reflects the period of Christ on earth after His resurrection. Then it appears (La Salette prophecy) there will be another falling away, then is the time of the second coming and Last Judgement. Thus it seems this inundation refers not to the present crisis.

God bless!

The ocean shall inundate Ireland seven years before the End so that the devil may not rule over that people." (St. Patrick)

"Seven years before the Last Day the sea shall submerge Ireland in one inundation." (St. Columbkille)

"The sea will come over Ireland seven years before the day of judgment." (St. Nennius)

"The sea shall overwhelm Ireland seven years before the judgment." (Leabhar Breac)

"In the latter ages destitution will fall upon many people, and whenever the English will commit great evils against the children of Eire, then the English will be expelled and Eire become the property of her rightful owners." (St. Maeltamhlacht, 7th century)

(Note). This prophecy, which was made five centuries before the English began to subdue Ireland, is given here merely to confirm that ours are the Last Times, for Ireland is now an independent nation even though the Northern part is still under English control.

"Ireland will undergo English oppression for a week of centuries but will preserve her fidelity to God and His Church. At the end of this time Ireland will be delivered and the English in turn must suffer severe chastisements. Ireland, however will be instrumental in bringing back the English to the unity of the Faith." (St. Patrick, 12th century)

(Note). This prophecy was made four centuries before the (heretical) Anglican Church was founded.

"The English will betray each other, as a result of which their sovereignty will be broken, and they will stain their swords and battle-axes with blood ... The English and the Irish of Ireland will unite in one confederation against the forces of the Saxons ... One monarch will rule in Ireland, over the English and the pure Irish. From the reign of that man, the people shall suffer no destitution." (St. Senanus, 6th century)

AN IRISH PROPHECY FOR OUR TIMES

Lately, I have felt called to study Catholic Prophecy, once again.

One of the saints I came across was St. Columbcille - an Irish Saint. . Most of the following information comes from a book on Catholic Prophecy (write me if you would like more info. on the book).

Saint Columbcille was a famous Irish saint and seer who lived between 521 and 597 AD. Most of his prophecies involve Ireland, and he successfully predicted many events in Irish history such as the great potato famine and the advent of railroads.

The following is St. Columbcille’s prophecies that seem to point to our present day and age:

"Hearken, thou, until I relate things that shall come to pass in the latter ages of the world. Great carnage shall be made, justice shall be outraged, multitudinous evils, great suffering shall prevail, and many unjust laws will be administered. The time shall come when they will not perform charitable acts, and truth shall not remain in them, and truth shall not remain in them. They will plunder the property of the church, they will be continually sneering at each other, they will employ them at reading and writing. They will scoff at acts of humility; there will come times of dark affliction, of scarcity, monarchs will be addicted to falsehood. Neither justice nor covenant will be observed by any one people of the race of Adam; they will become hard-hearted and penurious, and will be devoid of piety. The clergy will become fosterers, in consequence of the tidings of wretchedness; churches will be held in bondage by the all-powerful men of the day.

NOTE AS GIVEN FROM THE BOOK ON PROPHECY: It definitely seems like this saint is talking about our current time when he speaks of the decline of the Church and the path to perdition being taken by some members of the clergy in regards to the recent abuse scandal.

"Judges will administer injustice, under the sanction of powerful, outrageous kings; the common people will adopt false principles. Oh, how lamentable shall be their position! Doctors of science will have cause to murmur, they will become ungenerous in spirit; the aged will mourn in deep sorrow, on account of the woeful times that shall prevail. Cemeteries shall become all red, in consequence of the wrath that will follow sinners; wars and contentions shall range in the bosoms of every family. Excellent men shall be steeped in Poverty, the people will become inhospitable to their guests, the voice of the parasite shall be more agreeable to them than the melody of the harp touched by the sage's finger. In consequence of the general prevalence of sinful practices, humility shall produce no fruit. The professors of science shall not be rewarded, amiability shall not characterize the people; prosperity and hospitality shall not exist, but destitution will assume their place. The changes of the seasons shall produce only half their verdure, the regular festivals of the Church will not be observed; all classes of men shall be filled with hatred and enmity toward each other. The people will not associate affectionately with each other during the great festivals of the seasons; they will live devoid of justice and rectitude, up from the youth of tender age to the aged. The clergy shall be led into error by the misinterpretation of their reading; the Relics of the Saints will be considered powerless, every race of mankind will become wicked!

NOTE AS GIVEN FROM THE BOOK ON PROPHECY: Although this all seems a bit extreme, it nonetheless points to our day and age which is filled with lack of belief and the decline in the Church. Unlike during this prophet’s time, many regular Catholic festivals are scarcely mentioned let alone observed in our day.

"Young women will become unblushing, the aged people will be of irascible temper; the kine will seldom be productive, as of old; lords will become murderers. Young people will decline in vigor, they will despise those who have hoary (gray) hair; there will be no standard by which morals may be regulated, and marriages will be solemnized without witnesses. Troublous shall be the latter ages of the world, the dispositions of the generality of men I will point out, from the time they shall abandon hospitable habits -- with the view of winning honor for themselves, they will hold each other as objects for ridicule. The possessors of abundance shall fall through the multiplicity of their falsehoods; covetousness shall take possession of every glutton, and when satisfied their arrogance shall know no bounds. Between mother and daughter anger and bitter sarcasms shall continuously exist; neighbors will become treacherous, cold, and false-hearted towards each another. The gentry will become grudgeful, with respect to their trifling donations; and blood relations shall become cool towards each other; Church livings shall become lay property. Such is the description of the people who shall live in the ages to come; more unjust and iniquitous shall be very succeeding race of men. The trees shall not bear the usual quantity of fruit, fisheries shall become unproductive and the earth shall not yield its usual abundance. Inclement Weather and famine shall come and fishes shall forsake the rivers. The people will be oppressed for lack of food, shall pine to death. Dreadful Storms and Hurricanes shall afflict them. Numberless Diseases shall then prevail. Fortifications shall be built narrow during these times of dreadful danger.

NOTE AS GIVEN FROM THE BOOK ON PROPHECY: It is interesting that this prophet describes the fisheries as being in decline during the latter days, something that is a serious reality now as fish stocks continue to be depleted.

"Then a great event shall happen. I fail not to notice it: rectitude shall be its specious motive, and if ye be not truly holy, a more sorrowful event could not possibly happen.

NOTE AS GIVEN FROM THE BOOK ON PROPHECY: This prophet’s lofty Irish vocabulary makes this passage somewhat difficult to comprehend, but the basic message here is that a great, worldwide event will take place while the world lives in sin. This event will be so great that everyone on earth will witness or experience it. Goodness or righteousness will not be the reason for this event to take place if you are a faithless person, because this event will be terrifying for you. This prophecy sounds similar to the idea of an Illumination of Consciences, foretold by other saints, where everyone on earth will suddenly see themselves as God sees theirs souls, in that it will be terrifying for nonbelievers.

St. Columbcille also alludes to other "natural disasters" in his prophecy.

Let us all be prepared SPIRITUALLY for whatever is to come. Ignorance of prophecy is not necessarily bliss. I do not bring prophecy up to alarm you, but to prepare you.

So, what do we recommend you do if you truly believe?

1st Get to confession (and of course, Mass!)

2nd Wander around the website. There are many items to help you prepare SPIRITUALLY! We recommend this item.

May God bless you and keep you safe! St. Columbcille and St. Patrick, pray for us!

http://www.cukierski.net/index.shtml

Author Topic: St. Patricks Prophecy of the Great Apostasy (Read 1975 times)

John Grace

St. Patricks Prophecy of the Great Apostasy

andysloan

St. Patricks Prophecy of the Great Apostasy