St. Patrick’s day is celebrated every year on March 17. As the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick is one of Christianity’s most widely known figures. The holiday that bears his name is an observance of the date believed to be his death on March 17, 460 A.D.
Though St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, he actually was born to wealthy parents in Britain at the end of the fourth century. There is no definitive evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family…though his father was a Christian deacon (believed to be a job he had taken because of its tax incentives).
When he was sixteen years old, a group of Irish raiders attacked his family estate, and he was taken prisoner. He was transported to Ireland and was held captive for the next six years. During his captivity he worked as a shepherd, which meant he spent his time outdoors and away from people. It is thought it was at this time that he turned to religion for solace and became a devout Christian. Some also believe that was when he developed the desire to convert the Irish people to Christianity.
After six years of captivity, Patrick escaped. In his writings, he relates that he heard a voice—which he believed to be God’s—speaking to him in a dream and telling him it was time to leave Ireland. To do so, he had to walk nearly 200 miles from where he was held captive to the Irish Coast. He escaped back to Britain, and then reported experiencing a second revelation—an angel in a dream told him to eventually return to Ireland as a missionary. It was after this that Patrick began religious training—a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years!
He was ordained as a priest and was sent to Ireland with a dual mission: (1) to minister to Christians already living in Ireland. (This contradicts the widely held belief that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland); and (2) to begin the conversion of the Irish to Christianity.
Patrick was familiar with the Irish language and the Irish culture. He approached his task by incorporating the traditional ritual of his Christianity training into the Irish traditions, instead of eradicating native Irish beliefs. For example, bonfires were used to celebrate Easter, as the Irish traditionally honored their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun (a powerful Irish symbol) onto the Christian cross to create what is called the Celtic cross. This would make the adoration of the symbol seem more natural to the Irish.
There were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived , but most of the Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. Their culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. (This may explain how St. Patrick’s life was often exaggerated with the spinning of exciting tales.)
Though Patrick is known as the patron saint of Ireland, he was never actually canonized by the Catholic Church. His becoming a priest and being instrumental in the spread of Christianity throughout Ireland may have made his title of saint popularly accepted.
Saint Patrick used the three heart-shaped leaves of the shamrock as a metaphor to teach the people of Ireland about the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. The shamrock, which looks like clover, has three leaves on each stem. He told the people that the shamrock was like the idea of the Trinity, that in the one God there are three divine beings: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. By showing people the three-leafed shamrock, he was able to illustrate this Christian teaching of three persons in one God.
After forty years of living in poverty, teaching, traveling and working tirelessly, Patrick died on March 17, 461, in the village of Saul, in County Down, Northern Ireland, where he had built his first church.
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(Side note: Traditionally, shamrocks have been used as a symbol of Ireland. A clover must have three leaves to be considered a shamrock. If the clover has more or less, then it is not a shamrock. Hence, all shamrocks are clovers, but not all clovers are shamrocks.)
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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 NLT
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19 NLT
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