Open [38.2 MB]

Reclaiming the English Tribes
Northumbrian kingdoms and those of Essex and Mercia,
which comprehended in themselves more than two thirds
of the territory occupied by the German (Saxon) conquer-
ors, these four countries owed their final conversion exclu-
sively to the peaceful invasion of the Celtic monks, who not
only rivaled the zeal of the Roman monks, but who,
the first obstacles once surmounted, showed much more
perseverance and gained much more success." 1
"Augustine was the apostle of Kent, but Aidan was the
apostle of England," says Bishop Lightfoot. Aidan was
but one of an army of devoted Irishmen, whose unweary-
ing effort slowly lifted the English from savagery to
civilization. Very remarkable was the manner in which
they performed their work.
2. CONVERSION OF ENGLISH DELAYED BY NEGLECT
When we consider the energy and intrepidity mani-
fested by the Irish monks in so many different places
through the long period of their apostolic mission, we
are confronted by their singular delay in organizing the
conversion of the English. The Saxons, Angles and Jutes
began to arrive in England previous to 449 A. D. No
organized Irish mission appeared among them till 635
A. D. Thus a period of nearly two centuries was allowed
to elapse before the Irish sought to win these new peoples
to Christianity. What were the reasons underlying this
singular delay? No explanation can be afforded by suggestions
as to the inactivity of the Irish themselves. They
were indeed far from inactive. Some of the greatest
of the Irish schools had by 635 A. D. more than a century
of flourishing life behind them. Columcille had been
almost forty years in his grave, his laborious and fruitful
ilbid. IV. 125.
195