For many of us, St. Patrick’s Day is associated with Irish leprechauns, pots of gold at the end of a rainbow, and the three-leaf shamrock. Often, the man St. Patrick himself is overlooked. My blog post today is about this amazing man who became the patron saint of Ireland and all that he accomplished.
According to historians, Patrick was actually born in Britain, not Ireland, sometime in the 5th Century AD. His father was believed to be a Christian deacon. When he was 16 years old, he was kidnapped from his home by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland where he was held as a slave for 6 years. He worked as a herdsman and was outdoors most of the time, lonely and secluded from others. It is during this time in his life that he grew deeper in his Christian faith.
In a dream, he heard a voice tell him to escape and return to Britain. He did so but then later, in another dream, an angel told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. It is reported that one of his visions involved the hands of Irish children reaching out to him to return to Ireland. Patrick began his training as a priest, which is said to have taken 15 years, and then he returned to Ireland with two directives: to support the Christians who lived there and to convert those who were not Christians.
Most of the Irish people at the time were pagans, meaning they worshipped what was known as a nature-based religion. In order to reach the hearts of the Irish, he incorporated some of their culture into his teachings, such as the three-leaf shamrock, using it to represent the trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Patrick was extremely dedicated to his mission and very successful in converting the Irish people. Many legends exist, including one where he cast all the snakes in Ireland into the sea. He also did many miracles, including raising people from the dead and feeding the hungry with very little food. Although he was never canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church, the Church reveres him as a saint and he became known as Ireland’s patron saint. March 17 is believed to be the day that he died so it is celebrated as St. Patrick’s day.
For more information, please visit the following websites:
https://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/who-was-saint-patrick