It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and 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 transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. {There is some dispute over where this captivity took place. Although many believe he was taken to live in Mount Slieve Mish in County Antrim, it is more likely that he was held in County Mayo near Killala is a village in County Mayo in Ireland, north of Ballina..} During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and scared, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.) St. Patrick was born in Britain and lived there until he was a teenager. {“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27}
There are many interesting truths about ‘St Patrick’s Day’. St. Patrick’s Day is a very festive holiday and is celebrated annually on March 17th each year. The Irish have observed this religious holiday for thousands of years. But, how did we come to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the United States? North America has only observed this holiday since the late 18th century. Even though not a legal holiday in the ‘United States of America’, St. Patrick’s Day is widely recognized and celebrated throughout the country with Irish festivals, parades, food like corn beef and cabbage, drinking, prominent displaying of the color green and Irish traditions. Saint Patrick’s life, is celebrated by Irish symbols, Irish traditions, Ireland and how other countries celebrate this fun-loving holiday. Just as Easter is filled with festivities. All though St. Patrick didn’t die on a cross. {He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14}
After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to history, a voice—which St. Patrick believed to be God’s voice spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland. To do so, St. Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation angel’ in a dream tells 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. {Interestingly, this mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.} St. Patrick was not actually Irish. Patrick was a nobleman born in around about 460 A.D. in Britain and kidnapped by Irish pirates at the age of 16, ” Patrick was born into a religious family, but was an atheist early in his life. However, he rediscovered his faith while enslaved in Ireland. After 17 years as a slave, St. Patrick escaped Ireland and found his way home, but returned to Ireland as a missionary.”He said he was ready to die in Ireland in order to make his mission successful. Not sure: St. Patrick did in fact die in Ireland, but March 17 is widely believed to be the day of his death. {We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19}
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 a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. {For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23} Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick’s life became exaggerated over the centuries—spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life.
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Romans 8:14
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