To Fr Luke Demasi, SHM, Ireland is “a country that is so full of the beauty of faith.” As a missionary in Ireland, Demasi shares his admiration of Emerald Isle’s history of faith in Ireland, a Faith with Roots.
The video is the first program in a series called “A Faith With Roots,” to be produced by the EUK Mamie Foundation and HM Television.
Speaking from the ruins of an ancient Irish church, Fr. Luke begins the program with the history of St. Patrick, who brought Christianity to Ireland. Kidnapped as a young man, Patrick spent six years as a slave in Ireland before being called to evangelize his captors.
Through great trials and persecution the Irish people held fast to the faith that was kindled by St. Patrick. The 1.5 million pilgrims who travel each year to the country’s holy sights attest to the continued impact of Ireland’s Christian history.
While secularization has taken its toll in Ireland, as it has elsewhere in the world, Fr. Luke cites the examples of modern saints. Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother Sister Clare Crockett and Sister Ruth Maria O’Callagan, both Irish, he says, are causing a spiritual rebirth in many Irish people.
Following Ireland, a Faith with Roots, HM Television plans to present programs on the roots of faith and Christianity's lasting impact in other countries.
Watch Ireland, a Faith with Roots now:
