Why Ireland Remains The ‘Land Of Uncanonized Saints And Scholars’
(ANALYSIS) Ireland is sometimes dubbed the “land of saints and scholars.”
A quick Google search reveals a fair number of Irish scholars, but there really haven't been that many Irish saints, at least not since the advent of papal canonization.
In fact, when St. Oliver Plunkett — the final known Catholic martyr to die under English persecution — was canonized in 1975, he became the first new Irish saint since 1225. That's a gap of three-fourths of a millennium.
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In almost exactly 800 years at this point, Plunkett — whose feast day is July 1 — has been the only Irish saint canonized. Having served as Ireland's archbishop, he was found guilty of high treason for “promoting the Catholic faith” in an era when the Catholic religion was outlawed and Catholic clergy operated under threat of death.
Because he was a martyr, Plunkett was able to receive beatification without having obtained credit for any miracle. And various online venues report that, in his case, the customary second miracle required for canonization was waived.
Viewing Plunkett's sainthood from that angle, the Irish could consider themselves lucky that he was canonized at all.
Aside from Plunkett, the only other canonized Irish saints are St. Malachy (canonized in the year 1190) and St. Laurence O'Toole (canonized in 1225).
Some sources categorize St. Charles of Mount Argus as an Irish saint. Indeed, he served in Ireland, but he was Dutch by blood and birth. There's certainly nothing wrong with being Dutch, nor does it make him any less saintly. But he's not Irish, and it seems slightly desperate to claim him as such.
It is uncertain exactly how many saints Ireland has — several hundred at least — but virtually all of them come from far back into the first Christian millennium. In that era, saints were not canonized by a pope. Instead, they came about from an intense local following that grew into widespread acceptance.
It is true that the process of formal canonization, which began in the late 10th century, saw fewer saints being made overall. But canonizations have not been that rare an occurrence. For example, Pope John Paul II canonized 483 new saints (none Irish) during his 27-year pontificate.
When considering such numbers, Ireland having just one saint in the last eight centuries seems a bit skimpy. And it feels skimpier yet for a land that, in the first millennium A.D., was basically manufacturing saints every year.
However, there doesn't appear to be much buzz regarding this issue.
“I've never heard this mentioned in either Ireland or Irish America,” says Sean Farrell, a professor of history at Northern Illinois University. “It may be that there is resentment over this issue in more conservative or traditional Catholic circles, but I've never heard the issue mentioned,” he adds.
Crawford Gribben, a historian of early modern religion and professor at Queen's University Belfast, says he has never heard any Irish Catholics mention the paucity of Irish canonizations.
Is it stoicism? Indifference? Or failure to notice? Or perhaps the near-worldwide ubiquity of St. Patrick has helped deaden Irish Catholic senses to centuries of neglect. Even with Patrick, though, Ireland has a weak spot: He wasn't actually Irish, but rather a native of Britain at a time when Britain belonged to the Roman Empire.
It should be noted that more than two dozen Irish people have been beatified. This means they are just one miracle away from becoming eligible for canonization.
But canonization can require more than just miracles. There are often other, more worldly, factors at play.
“In order to have saints canonized, a local or national church has to show initiative and keep it going,” said Massimo Faggioli, a professor of historical theology at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.
He added that this type of ongoing initiative requires money for the funding of scholars and others to act as Vatican lobbyists (of sorts) in order to sustain interest in a particular cause of canonization.
For many centuries, Ireland had very little money for such pursuits. And since becoming wealthier, the country has rapidly grown more secular.
In recent centuries, of course, much of Irish Catholicism has traveled far beyond the homeland. Faggioli acknowledges that, while missionaries from Italy and other countries have met with canonization, Ireland somehow eluded this type of recognition.
“Strange how Ireland was shortchanged in this,” he said.
Though it might be too pessimistic to declare Oliver Plunkett the “last Irish saint,” the chances of another Irish canonization coming soon do seem rather slim, especially during the current pontificate.
“It is clear that Pope Francis does not see Ireland on the world map,” said Faggioli, before adding, “The fact that Ireland does not have a [voting] cardinal now is an unnecessary humiliation, and unfair to the role of Irish Catholicism, not just in history but also in today’s global Church.”
With Ireland's diminishing relevance in the church, its saints might amount to nothing but Plunkett for another 800 years.
Ray Cavanaugh is a freelance writer. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Aleteia, The Guardian and The New York Times.