In March of 2011, the Irish bishops' conference marked their patron's feast by remembering him as “pioneer in an inhospitable climate.”Īs the Church in Ireland faces her own recent difficulties following clerical sex abuse scandals, comfort can be found in the plight of St. To this day, he continues to be revered as one of the most beloved Saints of Ireland.
The life of sacrifice, prayer and fasting has laid the foundation for the many saints that the small island was home to following his missionary work.
Patrick is most revered not for what he drove away from Ireland, but flor what he brought, and the foundation he built for the generations of Christians who followed him.Īlthough not the first missionary to the country, he is widely regarded as the most successful. Legends falsely site him as the man who drove away snakes during his ministry despite the climate and location of Ireland, which have never allowed snakes to inhabit the area. Patrick's Day is widely known and celebrated every March the world over, various folklore and legend that surround the saint can make it difficult to determine fact from fiction. Patrick used to explain the Holy Trinity, is a symbol that has become synonymous with Irish Catholic culture.Īlthough St. Using the traditions and symbols of the Celtic people, he explained Christianity in a way that made sense to the Irish and was thus very successful in converting the natives.
Patrick returned to Ireland, he was able to use his knowledge of Irish culture that he gained during his years of captivity. It was around this time when that he was assigned to minister to the small, Christian communities in Ireland who lacked a central authority and were isolated from one another. He was ordained a deacon by the Bishop of Auxerre, France around the year 418 AD and ordained a bishop in 432 AD. Patrick was taken as a slave to Ireland where he lived for six years as a shepherd before escaping and returning to his home.Īt home, he studied the Christian faith at monastic settlements in Italy and in what is now modern-day France. Captured by Irish raiders when he was about 16, St. Patrick is said to have been born around 389 AD in Britain. Patrick, the fifth century bishop and patron of Ireland, whose life of holiness set the example for many of the Church's future saints.
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