by Faith Crippen
Saint Patrick, Ireland’s famed saint and a world-renowned Christian missionary.
He is remembered for “…expanding literacy in Ireland…”, “…converting the country to
Christianity.”, and the improvements he helped make for the freedoms of women, the poor, anslaves across the country. The holiday Saint Patrick’s day is held on March 17 th to commemorate Patrick’s death, for his date of birth is unknown. Without further ado, let’s hear his story.
Born in Britannia, Patrick lived happily with his parents until he was sixteen years old. A group of pirates kidnapped Patrick and brought him to Ireland. He lived as a slave for six years, doing back breaking labor and tending to the pastures – sunrise to sunset. But this exhausting life only strengthened Patrick – both physically and mentally. He wrote, “The love and fear of God more and more inflamed my heart; my faith enlarged, my spirit augmented, so that I said a hundred prayers by day and almost as many by night. I arose before day in the snow, in the frost, and the rain, yet I received no harm, nor was I affected with slothfulness. For then the spirit of God was warm within me.” Patrick continued on with his life as usual, until one night. A voice spoke to him in his dream and told him to run to the docks where a ship was awaiting him: he was going home. “Patrick immediately set out on
foot toward the sea, crossing over 200 miles as a fugitive slave to the coast…” Sure enough, there was a ship waiting for him; he boarded and returned to Britain. He stayed with his family for only a short amount of time, before having yet another vision. In this dream, he saw a man he had known in Ireland named Victorious come to him with letters, which cried out to him “…Come to us, O holy youth, and walk among us…”
And so, Patrick set off for Gaul, where he studied for several years and became a bishop.
Patrick finally returned to Ireland, with a mission to convert. He was not greeted pleasantly, matter of fact, the people avoided him. But Saint Patrick was fluent in Irish and well acquainted with their culture and beliefs, due to his six years of enslavement there. He was able to use his knowledge of the Irish culture to teach them by “…sharing the Christian message in a way he knew the people would best understand and receive.” For instance, because three-leafed clovers were so frequent in Ireland, he would use the three leaves as an example for the holy trinity. Though it took years and years of effort, teaching, and debates, Saint Patrick was able to accomplish his goal.
“Patrick would go on to found Christian communities throughout Ireland, most notably the church in Armagh which became the ecclesiastical capital of the churches of Ireland…” He also founded the Celtic church, which, unlike the Roman Catholic church, was inclusive of men and women. Saint Patrick has proven to be one of the most – if not the most – influential figure in the history of Ireland. His works did not only affect Ireland, but also Christianity around the world. ~ Works Cited:
History.com Editors. “History of St. Patrick's Day.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/history-of-st-patricks- day#&gid=ci0230e632b0222549&pid=snakes-out-of-england-2
Mark, Joshua J. “Saint Patrick.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 19 Mar. 2020, www.ancient.eu/Saint_Patrick/