Happy Saint Patrick’s Day

Who was St. Patrick?

Reading a bit about the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick you discover some interesting facts of what is believed to have been his early life.  

To start with, St. Patrick was actually born in Britain!  At age 16 he was taken prisoner from his family’s estate and brought to Ireland.  The Irish kept him in Ireland for six years.  During his captivity he did work as a shepherd and consequently became a devout Christian.  

Once he returned to Britain he heard an angel tell him that he should return to Ireland as a missionary.  Because of this vision he spent 15 years studying in order to become a priest.

You may be surprised to learn that St. Patrick did return to Ireland.  His mission was to minister and support the Christians in Ireland while likewise converting others to Christianity.

In order to help support the Irish people St. Patrick incorporated existing traditions and rituals into his ministries.  He could have come and tried to change the rituals but because he was accepting of native Irish beliefs he had success with his conversions.

Additionally, St. Patrick is responsible for creating the Celtic cross.  You may be familiar with this, especially if you are Catholic.  

The Celtic cross has a superimposed sun on it due to the fact that the sun was a potent symbol in Ireland.  Adding the sun made the cross more natural for the Irish.

You probably know that the Catholic Church has canonized many saints over the years.  St. Patrick lived so long ago that it was before the time canonizations began. Consequently, St. Patrick is not a saint of the Church but he is considered the patron saint of Ireland.

We will leave you with this Irish saying:

May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live.