St. Patrick's Day on the Net - Who Was Saint Patrick?

Who Was Saint Patrick?

March 17th marks the celebration of Saint Patrick's Day, a traditional feast holiday of praise and thanksgiving for missionaries in Ireland. And a perfect excuse for a ruckus party everywhere else in the world. The holiday and its worldwide festivities have become a celebration of everything Irish.

But beyond the green beer, shamrocks and parades is an historic figure - a saint whose life inspired this two thousand year holiday of national pride and revelry. Who was Saint Patrick? And why was he such an inspiration to the Irish?

Saint Patrick, nee Maewyn, was born to Scottish parents in Roman Britain in approximately 385 CE. As a teenager, he was captured by Druid raiders and sold into slavery in Ireland - then a pagan land ruled by the Druids. Legend tells that after six years of captivity, Patrick had a dream in which God told him to flee by the water. He followed the prophecy and was returned to his parents by Roman sailors.

Soon after, Patrick had another dream, in which the Irish people called to him, begging him to return. Patrick began studying for the priesthood, all the while planning to fulfill his second prophecy. In 433, Patrick is said to have returned to Ireland, this time sent by Pope Celestine, to teach gospel to the Irish people.

Saint Patrick's return to Ireland commenced an incredible forty-year, one-man mission across the Irish island, ordaining priests, baptizing former pagans and converting entire kingdoms to Christianity with the power of his rhetoric. Legend tells that Patrick used the shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity, with each leaf representing one of the triad. To this day, the shamrock is an image associated with Saint Patrick and has become the unofficial symbol of St. Patty's Day.

Patrick died on March 17th, the anniversary of which has been marked for nearly 2000 years as the holiday of St. Patrick's Day.

Add Comment

Name:
E-Mail:
Location:
Message:

Comments

q importa from Alaska, US

19:34 09/02/2009

q aburrido

roman from Idaho, US

14:25 03/16/2009

when was st. patrick born?

rishelle williams from Arkansas, US

14:49 03/06/2009

what would the irish people do if som body snatchday poataes

Julia woch from California, US

14:11 02/27/2009

you should have free irish music.

Coolkid

12:46 10/15/2008

yeah...!!!!!

Issac Ball

13:47 10/09/2008

st.patties day rules

bhj

11:03 06/17/2008

green is cool

Becca Siverson

10:07 03/18/2008

I really like St. Patricks Day. Its legit. Send me all the emails possible from this website. Thanks alot

RUBY

17:51 03/17/2008

I'm very grateful Saint Patrick was obedient to the call of and will of God without fear. May we all be obedient and follow the will of God in our daily lives today. The comment for John, I pray you will get drunk in the Holy Spirit one day.

brother Rick

13:41 03/17/2008

I've never known the history of Saint Patrick. What an awesome man to follow the will and call of God in his life. How sad that secular society uses this Christian Saint as an excuse to go get drunk. I wonder if anybody sitting in a bar tonight would have the courage to tell someone else that we celebrate this day because one man's main concern in life was the soul of another man. Happy St. Patricks day, and remember, Jesus loves you and so do I brother Rick

Visit our other holiday celebrations