Who is Saint Patrick?
Each year, on 17 March, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Patrick, when the whole world seemingly becomes Irish for one day. But what do you know about Saint Patrick?
“He was an Irish Bishop,” says Robbert Cabble of El Paso, Texas. “He’s an Irish Bishop that chased the snakes away. Other than that, I don’t know much else.”
Robert is not Catholic. Instead, he’s a Protestant Christian. What would a Catholic say?
“A Bishop and the patron saint of Ireland,” says David O’Key, a friend of mine who is a Catholic living in Ireland. “He’s also the man who saved civilization.”
Just who, then, is Saint Patrick?
Saint Patrick is the primary patron saint of Ireland, but he was most likely born in Roman Britain and didn’t make it to the Emerald Isle until he was kidnapped by Irish pirates at 16.
Patrick was born around 390 to a Catholic Deacon and his wife, living in Wales, Scotland, or England.
After being kidnapped by pirates at 16 and sold into slavery in Ireland, Saint Patrick spent six years as a shepherd, enduring hardship and isolation. That hardship, the mind-numbing isolation, ultimately led to a deepened faith and a later mission to convert the Irish to Christianity.
For six long, grueling years, Patrick escaped.
Patrick wrote in the Confessio that six years into his captivity, an angel appeared in a dream and told him, “You have fasted well. Very soon, you will return to your native country.” He was told by the angel that a ship would be leaving Ireland. Determined, Patrick walked 200 miles of peat bogs and forests before arriving at the port, where he found a cargo ship bound for what is today Europe.
The captain refused Patrick’s passage. Patrick did not give up; he turned to God and began to pray. Before his prayer was finished, a sailor from the same ship came to Patrick and said, “Come, these men are calling you!” Patrick learned that the captain had changed his mind and sailed away from Ireland, knowing God’s protection had saved him.
In Confessio, Patrick tells us he almost died after he escaped from slavery. When he arrived on the continent, the ship’s crew found themselves wandering for weeks, devoid of food and began to taunt Patrick for his faith. The crew members said that Patrick should pray for them if God was so great and powerful as they were starving.
“Turn in faith with all your hearts to the Lord my God because nothing is impossible for him,” answered Patrick, who then led them all in prayer. That prayer was answered almost immediately as a herd of pigs came out of nowhere. These men, this crew, were Patrick’s first converts.
Saint Patrick returned to his family. His parents were so overjoyed to see him that they never wanted him to leave again. God had other ideas, and the religious vision returned and showed Patrick the path God had for him. In one of these visions, an Irish voice called out to him, saying, “We beg you, holy boy, to come and walk again among us.”
Patrick began his journey within the Church. After training, he was ordained a deacon sometime around 418, consecrated a bishop in 432, and given the name Patricus, Patrick.
Knowing that God would protect him, Saint Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary. Patrick was working as a shepherd again, but his flock was different: the Irish people.
With his knowledge of Ireland, language, and customs, Patrick could work among the people. During his life, he converted and baptized thousands of Druid priests, chieftains, and aristocrats. Saint Patrick brought knowledge of the one true God and the Church to Ireland, saving generations.
Today, we celebrate Saint Patricks Feast Day on 17 March, when he died in 461 A.D.
Interesting Facts About Saint Patrick
St. Patrick isn’t technically a Saint. The Church never formally canonized him because there was no official canonization process during his lifetime. The formal canonization process began sometime before 993 A.D., with St. Ulrich of Augsburg being the first canonized saint. In the 12th century, the process of canonization became centralized under papal authority. In 1234, His Holiness Pope Gregory IX incorporated the process of canonization into Church law.
The Trinity and the Shamrock. St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leafed clover, to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) to the Irish, with each leaf representing a person of the Trinity. Today, I carry a laminated shamrock to remind me of this and my heritage.
St. Patrick’s walking stick grew into a tree while he was preaching! A popular story about Saint Patrick says that one day, while preaching, he left his walking stick on the ground while he went off to preach to some villagers in a small town. His mission in this small village took so long that his walking stick became an Ash tree.
St. Patrick wore blue, not green. We all know Saint Patrick wears green vestments, but the earliest surviving artwork shows him in blue.
The use of the color green rose during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and the fight for freedom from the Crown. The Irish wore green to differentiate themselves from the British, who wore red. Ireland also took the shamrock as their national symbol. The association of green with Saint Patrick solidified in the 18th century, coinciding with the rise of Irish nationalism.
Saint Patrick taught himself to read and write. Because of his enslavement, he was unable to take advantage of any educational opportunities, such as learning to read and write. During and after Patrick’s religious education, he was embarrassed that he could not read or write beyond his basic Latin, and it’s believed he taught himself these skills.
What Saint Patrick brought to Ireland would eventually save civilization. Saint Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, fostering a sense of literacy and learning that created the conditions for Ireland to become “the isle of saints and scholars.” Irish monks, particularly after the fall of Rome, played a crucial role in preserving knowledge and culture in monasteries, spreading learning and Christianity throughout Europe.
A Famous Prayer
The Breastplate of Saint Patrick is a prayer attributed to him and a call for protection. It also includes an appeal to God that Christ would be evident in every aspect of our lives: our words, actions, and thoughts.
All these centuries later, we can pray these words, too, desiring just as Saint Patrick did, that Christ would be first and foremost in our lives.
Críost liom, Críost romham,
Críost i mo dhiaidh, Críost istigh ionam,
Críost fúm, Críost os mo chionn,
Críost ar mo lámh dheis, Críost ar mo lámh chlé,
Críost i mo luí dom, Críost i mo sheasamh dom,
Críost i gcroí gach duine atá ag cuimhneamh orm,
Críost i mbéal gach duine a labhraíonn liom,
Críost i ngach súil a fhéachann orm,
Críost i ngach cluas a éisteann liom.
English translation:
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ below me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right hand, Christ on my left hand,
Christ in my sleeping, Christ in my waking,
Christ in the heart of all who think of me,
Christ in the mouth of all who speak to me,
Christ in every eye that looks at me,
Christ in every ear that listens to me.
Erin go bragh!
Want to follow me? I’ll follow you back. You can find me at the following
Join me on Substack! | Facebook (Personal) | Facebook (Business) | X (Twitter) | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | SoundCloud | Flickr
What to support my work, or buy me a coffee? You can do so by clicking here.
I’m also a reporter and photojournalist. You can find my work at Newsbreak by clicking here.