Thoughts from and about St. Patrick

"One would naturally assume that the British church, which had ordained Patrick a Bishop and sent him to Ireland, would have continued to affirm his mission... This was far from the case...

They seem to have defined two roles (only) for a bishop: administrator and chaplain... to administer the existing churches and care for faithful Christians...

...[Patrick] defended his calling in terms of the biblical mandate to evangelize the world's peoples. Patrick explained that he devoted his life to helping Irish populations be 'reborn in God' and 'redeemed from the ends of the earth,' because the Church is placed in the world 'as a light among the nations... to preach the gospel to all creation,' and to 'teach all nations' in anticipation of 'the last days' when the Lord 'will pour out his spirit over all flesh' and make peoples who were not his into 'children of the living God.'" George G. Hunter III, The Celtic Way of Evangelism (10th Anniversary ed., 2010)