On St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, Irish people all over the world gather to celebrate with beer and music, often in Irish pubs found in every corner of the globe. Many places even have parades with participants dressed in green and orange, the national colors of Ireland.
But who was the man behind all this celebration?
Patrick of Ireland was born around 386 AD and likely died on March 17, 493 AD. He was responsible for converting the Irish to Christianity, though he was originally from a Christian British family. When he was 16, he was kidnapped and sent to Northern Ireland to work as a shepherd. Six years later, he had a dream that he would soon return home. Shortly after, he managed to escape and traveled by ship to the continent. After spending time in Gaul and other northern Roman provinces, he finally returned to his family.
Once back with his family, Patrick dreamt that he was called to return to Ireland as a missionary. It is believed that he went to Gaul and became a monk at Lérins from 412 to 415 and then in Tours. He was ordained as a priest by Germanus of Auxerre and served in Auxerre for 15 years before completing his education in Britain. His writings in Latin suggest he did not receive a higher education.
Legend has it that Patrick returned to Ireland in 432, where he was named Bishop of St. Germanus. He was accompanied by an auxiliary bishop, a priest, a lawyer, and various artisans. There were already some Christians in Ireland, and Pope Celestin I had sent Palladius as the first bishop to Ireland in 431. However, Palladius eventually traveled to Scotland, finding it easier to convert people there. It was Patrick who spread Christianity more widely across Ireland, particularly in the Northern, Central, and Western regions, where he organized the church.
Patrick is said to have challenged the great chieftain Laoghaire in Tara on Easter evening. He lit Easter lights on a hilltop, brought the druids to silence, and converted the king’s daughters. In Leitrim, he destroyed the idol of Crom Cruach, a pre-Christian Irish deity. He wasn’t afraid to confront his ideological and religious opponents, many of whom he ended up converting. Remarkably, Ireland has a unique status in Western Europe: no missionaries were martyred there, and the conversion of Ireland was peaceful.
Saint Patrick was never formally canonized by the Catholic Church; his sainthood is due to the reverence of the Irish people.
suansuan