St. Patrick
St. Patrick is one of the most known and celebrated saints in the entire world. He is patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain and at the young age of 14 he was taken by a group of Irish pirates and brought to Ireland, where he was a slave and had to tend sheep.
During that time in history, Ireland was a very pagan and druid country. However, during this time St. Patrick was able to find God and foster a relationship with him, which lead to him writing his book, The Confession. In the book he wrote;
“I know for certain, that before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in deep mire, and he that is mighty came and in his mercy raised me up and, indeed, lifted me high up and placed me on top of the wall. And from there I ought to shout out in gratitude to the Lord for his great favors in this world and for ever, that the mind of man cannot measure.” This quote which is found in St. Patrick’s book expresses how his life was able to change completely, when he let Christ’s mercy and love enter into his life.
St. Patrick escaped captivity when he was around the age of 20, after he received a dream where he saw God tell him to escape Ireland by travelling to the Coast. When he arrived at the coast he saw sailors who took him back to Britain.
After a few years he had a vision that he wrote in his book, he mentions; "I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland. His name was Victoricus, and he carried many letters, and he gave me one of them. I read the heading: 'The Voice of the Irish.' As I began the letter, I imagined in that moment that I heard the voice of those very people who were near the wood of Foclut, which is beside the western sea-and they cried out, as with one voice: 'We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us." This vision led to him deciding to join the priesthood and dedicate his life to Christ. St. Patrick served as a priest for a couple years, and he later became a bishop and went to Ireland to spread God’s love.
On March 25, 433 St. Patrick arrived in Slane, Ireland. When he arrived he met the leaders of one of the Druid tribes who attempted to kill him. After another sign and guidance from God, St. Patrick was able to convert many people and spread the Gospel in Ireland. St. Patrick converted more then a thousand people and he was able to build many churches throughout the country. St. Patrick was known to use shamrocks to teach the Holy Trinity and he was able to convert entire kingdoms after teaching them about all the aspects of the faith.
St. Patrick dedicated over 40 years of his life to converting people and spreading God’s love to others. St. Patrick had performed many miracles throughout his life and endured much suffering that he offered up for others. St. Patrick passed away on March 17, 461 in Saul where he built the first Irish church. St. Patrick is currently buried in Down Cathedral which is in Downpatrick and his feast day is celebrated on March 17th.
One of the most told stories about St. Patrick is the story of St. Patrick banishing all the snakes from Ireland and leading into the sea where they drowned.
St. Patrick is seen in many images standing on top of snakes which shows that he conquered the snakes. In Ireland there are no snakes and it is believed that St. Patrick is the reason why no snakes live in Ireland.
Snakes are a sacred thing to the Druid’s, and their banishment in this story shows that St. Patrick was able to remove all the pagan influence from Ireland and he was able to convert these Druid and pagan believers to Christianity through his many teachings and especially his teaching of the Holy Trinity which he taught by using a shamrock.
Prayer to St. Patrick:
St. Patrick intercede that we may be able to spread God’s love and teach the faith to as many people as we can throughout our life. Help us to find the wisdom we need to be able to teach others about Christ through our actions and words. Guide us so that we may have the courage and guidance we need to guide more people to heaven even through persecution. Help us to be bold and stand up for our faith and help us to treat everyone with love and mercy regardless of what they have done to us.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord and Mary Our Mother in Heaven.
Amen
May we continue to strengthen our journey to sainthood and keep others in our prayers.
Works cited:
Information (read from, not taken):
Catholic Online. “St. Patrick.” Saints and Angels. 2021.St. Patrick - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online. Accessed 17 March 2021.
Images:
St. Patrick. March 17, 2021.
St. Patrick. March 17, 2021.
Celebrating St. Patrick. March 17, 2021.
Comments