St. Patrick

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures.  But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery.  Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.

It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century.  Although his father was a Christian deacon, there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family.  At the age of 16, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate.  They took him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity.  During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people.  Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian.  It was here, during his captivity, that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity. 

After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped.  According to his writing, a voice — which he believed to be God's — spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.  To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where he was held, to the Irish coast.  After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation—an angel in a dream told him to return to Ireland as a missionary.  Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than 15 years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission: to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. 

Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs.  For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire.  He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called the Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish.  Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, through his ministry Christianity became the religion of the Emerald Isle. 

Each of us is invited to do the same as St. Patrick.  Choose to reject “victim-hood” and self-centeredness.  Embrace the way of the Cross by carrying on the redemptive mission of Jesus.  Develop a personal relationship with God through deep, constant and abiding prayer.  Most importantly, discern the voice of the Lord in your daily life.