St. Sechnall of Ireland (died c. 447/448) | WEST

(Updated July 14, 2025)

This Author Quote Archive collects pertinent quotes from the Church Father, St. Sechnall of Ireland.

Next to each quote are the Topic Quote Archives in which they are included.

This Quote Archive is being continuously updated as research continues. Quotes marked with “***” have not yet been organized into their respective Topic Quote Archives.

Hymns

St. Sechnall of Ireland, Hymn on St. Patrick, Teacher of the Irish (c. 444)

• The Papacy and the Invincibility of the Church | Lines 9-12
• The Sacrament of Baptism | Lines 49-52
• The Blessed Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist | Lines 49-52

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(Lines 1-4)¹ ***

Hear ye all, lovers of God, the holy merits
Of the man blessed in Christ, Patrick the bishop,
How for his good ways he is likened to the angels,
And because of his perfect life is deemed equal to the apostles.

(Lines 9-12)²

Constant in the fear of God and steadfast in his faith,
On him the Church [in Ireland] is built as on Peter;
And his apostleship has he received from God–
The gates of Hell will not prevail against him [Matt. 16:18].

(Lines 49-52)³

Boldly he proclaims the name of the Lord to the heathens,
And gives them eternal grace in the bath of salvation [baptism].
He prays to God daily for their sins,
For them he offers sacrifices, worthy in the eyes of God.

Footnotes

1. St. Patrick, St. Secundinus, Ludwig Bieler, trans., Ancient Christian Writers, Vol. 17: The Works of St. Patrick, St. Secundinus, Hymn on St. Patrick (New York: Paulist Press, 1953), 61. ↩︎
2. St. Patrick, St. Secundinus, Ludwig Bieler, trans., Ancient Christian Writers, Vol. 17: The Works of St. Patrick, St. Secundinus, Hymn on St. Patrick (New York: Paulist Press, 1953), 61. ↩︎
3. St. Patrick, St. Secundinus, Ludwig Bieler, trans., Ancient Christian Writers, Vol. 17: The Works of St. Patrick, St. Secundinus, Hymn on St. Patrick (New York: Paulist Press, 1953), 63. ↩︎