WALKING WITH THE SAINTS l FEAST OF ST. PATRICK, PATRON SAINT OF IRELAND l MARCH 17
Among Christianity’s most famous saints is St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. He is venerated by Catholics, and by non-Catholic religions in many parts of the world, and is remembered pompously by a celebration they call ST. PATRICK’S DAY. He is
credited with bringing Christianity to the Irish people and to the Anglo-Saxons and Picts. St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain. Little is known about his family and his childhood, except that he was born about 386 A.D, his father was a deacon of high social standing, and his mother Conchessa, was closely related
to St. Martin of Tours, but Patrick as a youth was not himself a great believer. In his writings, he revealed that at the age of sixteen, he was captured by Irish pirates, was brought to Ireland, and there he worked as a slave for six years. While in captivity, he was tasked to care for the sheep staying most of the time in the open fields. This sad situation brought him closer to God. He learned how to pray and was converted to Christianity. In his
book Confession, Patrick said that while he was a captive, “The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith and my soul was roused so that, in a single day, I said as
many as hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and in the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow, or ice or rain.” After six years of captivity, he heard a voice telling him to go back to Britain. He escaped from his master and walked long miles to a port
where there was a ship leaving for Britain, but he had great difficulty in persuading the captain to let him in. After sailing for three days, he and the other men in the boat landed in a wilderness and walked again to find civilization. Once at home, he tried to study more about Christianity. He studied for the priesthood in Auxerre, France and was ordained a priest and
in 432 was consecrated Bishop. He was sent by Pope Celestine I to Ireland as a missionary. Upon arriving Ireland, he was not welcomed by the people but he managed to spread Christianity far and wide. Although he gave gifts to the rulers of the place, he never accepted any gifts from them nor from the people.
He recognized the pagan-oriented practices of the Irish people and incorporated them into Christian practices. He created councils, founded monasteries and organized Ireland into dioceses. Writing about his mission, St. Patrick said that he baptized thousands of people, ordained priests for the new Christian communities. He converted wealthy women, some of whom became nuns despite the oppositions of their families. He convinced widows and widowers to become chaste and serve their neighbors in need. He traveled to many parts of the
island, finding many difficulties, especially with the ruling elite. But he was able to convert sons of kings and obtained the protection of local kings. Saint Patrick died in Saul, Ireland in 461 and is said to have been buried in the nearby town called Downpatrick, County Down. There are several legends about
St. Patrick and one legend credits him with showing the people the shamrock, a three-leafed plant to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity. Since then, the shamrock became a central symbol for St. Patrick in the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day on March 17. St. Patrick’s Day is believed to be the date he died. The Day became a feast in the Catholic Church due to the influence of a Franciscan scholar Luke Wading, a member of the commission for the reform of the Breviary in the early part of the 17th century. He is also the patron saint of Nigeria and of engineers. St. Patrick had a breastplate worthy of being adopted by all believers: “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ
at my right, Christ at my left.
