On Friday we will celebrate St Patrick's Day, yet despite the patron saint's ubiquity – he is arguably Ireland's most famous ambassador – relatively little is known about him.
His writings, long scoured for historical information on dates and places, prove elusive.
According to the late Columban priest Aidan Larkin SSC, who died in 2019, this tendency to be drawn into debates about the biographical details of St Patrick means we can miss out on the spiritual treasures found in his writings.
Fr Larkin was working on The Spiritual Journey of Saint Patrick at the time of his death, and its publication is a fitting tribute to a Co Tyrone man who as well as being a missionary priest in Chile was an SDLP councillor and assembly member in the 1970s, and a barrister who worked in Brussels for the Council of Ministers.
In his book, Fr Larkin argues that Patrick's works are of a calibre that means he should be counted among that select group of theologians who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of the Church – the Church Fathers.
Reproducing his Letter to Coroticus and the Confession in their entirety, Fr Larkin brings out a wealth of patristic resonances in Patrick's writings.
It amounts to a compelling argument for a reevaluation and recognition of the great saint's profound spiritual legacy.
The Spiritual Journey of Saint Patrick by Aidan J. Larkin SSC and with a foreword by Archbishop Eamon Martin is published by Messenger Publications, £12.95/€14.95.
