Saint Patrick- Patron Saint of Ireland
In honor of Saint Patrick’s Day
Who was Saint Patrick?
Patrick is best known of the Patron Saints of Ireland. His exact lifetime and place of birth are not known. He was a missionary during the 5th century.
At the age of 16 Patrick was captured by the Irish and put into Slavery. He worked as a shepherd for those 6 years, until at 22 he escaped and returned home.
A few years later Patrick decided he needed to return to Ireland as a missionary. It was during his captivity that he came to the Christian faith.
“It was while I was there that I saw, in a vision in the night, a man whose name was Victoricus coming as it were from Ireland with so many letters they could not be counted.
He gave me one of these, and I read the beginning of the letter, the voice of the Irish people.
While I was reading out the beginning of the letter, I thought I heard at that moment the voice of those who were beside the wood of Voclut, near the western sea.
They called out as it were with one voice: “We beg you, holy boy, to come and walk again among us.” St. Patrick and McCarthy, My name is Patrick: St Patrick’s Confessio. 2011
The first night of the pagan festival, Beltane, the King of Ireland lights his fire first and all other fires are lit from his.
This was also the beginning of Easter, and Patrick decided to defy the Kings tradition and light his own fire to show the Irish people Gods presence was everywhere.
A fun legend that is commonly associated with St. Patrick is his use of the 3-leaf clover or Shamrock. Legend holds he used this to explain the Holy Trinity in is ministry in Ireland.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
