Time Alone with God

      The Path to St. Declan's Hermitage, beginning of Cliff Walk, Ardmore, Co. Waterford, Ireland

St. Patrick was called to travel all over Ireland, but St. Declan's mission lay on the southern coast where he was born. Monks quickly gathered around Declan at his monastery (see last blog post). 

"The miracles of St. Declan, if recounted, would run into pages far in excess of those at our command," wrote the author of Footprints of Ireland's Saints no. 16 in 1915. "Few of our Island saints were more singularly honored by God. The conversion of King Aengus of Cashel was greatly facilitated by the preaching of St. Declan, who visited him previous to the mission of St. Patrick. His final acceptance of the doctrines of Christianity was reserved, however, to rejoice the heart of our National Apostle, St. Patrick."

St. Patrick and St. Declan were friends. Once St. Patrick sent a messenger to St. Declan, but as the courier was crossing the river on his journey, he drowned. St. Declan, when he came to see the body of the young messenger and bring it back for burial, cried, "In the name of the most holy Trinity, whose sweet yoke I bear, hearken! Arise! for God has granted thy life to me."

The man rose from the dead, and the hagiographer tells us, "The fame of this miracle spread far and wide, and when St. Patrick came to hear of it he made known, wherever he preached, the wonderful mercies God vouchsafed to the prayers of the saintly Declan."

When he wasn't preaching and performing miracles, sometimes St. Declan needed to get away for some alone time with God, just as we all do. For retreats, and during Lent, he would come down this path to his hermitage. How I would love to spend time there, praying, reading, journaling, just as the saint did! 

Here is one remaining wall:

And here is the altar inside...

And here's the view (can't you just hear the waves, and smell the bright sea air?):A few feet outside the hermitage, a holy well still stands where the saint baptized converts. These crucifixes were carved in the fifth century. 1,600 years ago!

Maybe we can't go there to pray in silence by the sea just now in person, but we can go in spirit!