“I think that what [he] teaches us is resolution and courage. The discovery of that little fire of belief in oneself. By study, by intention, by prayer, by the blessing of the Holy Spirit; it can change a man’s life into such a positive agent for the common good.”
“Of course, [at first] Patrick has ego, yes. But what Patrick does is, through being a slave, he becomes a master of men. He leads those in the darkness to light. Perhaps in our own, maybe smaller way the demons and the idols that he overthrows are some of the demons and the idols we all have to find a way of confronting and overthrowing ourselves.”
Before giving voice to the elder Patrick in The Trials of Saint Patrick, Rhys-Davies confessed that he didn’t know much about the Catholic saint.
“I didn’t have knowledge about Saint Patrick apart from the fact that he was probably a Welshman, and I always liked to jest to my Irish friends, ‘Well, of course, the only reason you have any civilization at all is because a Welsh brought it to you.’”
After learning more about his life, Rhys-Davies could not help seeing the essential role Saint Patrick had in the building of Western civilization.
“He is one of the unsung pillars of civilization. … He is an example of a man who expanded civilization. He’s an example of a man to whom our debt increases over the years. The Irish contribution to mankind is largely because a Welsh slave returned to convert Ireland to Christianity.
“Ireland, which was a festering heap of brutality and savagery, within a couple of centuries becomes a beacon of light in European civilization. It is filled with bright, intelligent, educated, learned men and becomes a glory, and it’s an extraordinary achievement.”
In the eyes of Rhys-Davies, Christianity played a central role in the overall development of Western civilization and is something he believes we all owe a debt to.
“I am very conscious of the debt that I owe to Christian civilization and to Christianity. Yes, and to Christians. Christianity is extraordinary. It is the most revolutionary affirmation of how people should live.”
AIR Theatre // Patrick Promo #2 from Augustine Institute on Vimeo.
Philip Kosloski
Philip Kosloski is the founder of Voyage Comics & Publishing and the writer and creator of the comic book series, Finnian and the Seven Mountains.