by Kevin T. McEneaney
Folklore cliches are flying left and right
in celebration of the famed Welshman
who built more churches than any other
evangelist in Christian history.
Yet he had a subversive agenda:
he installed more bishops in Ireland
than there were miter-hats in Italy.
When Italians caught on to this neat trick,
they quick-reduced the mourning period
of deceased Popes from thirty to three days—
so northern bishops did not have the time
to ride their horse or donkey down to Rome.
When travel improved, teenage Cardenals
voted for the Great Man—as they were told.
