St. Patrick is the patron
saint of Ireland. His feast day falls on March 17th and this is also
the day that Ireland celebrates National Day. Even today many fables
are told about St. Patrick, one of which is that he drove all the
snakes out of Ireland. St. Patrick is of Roman-British descent and
was born in Nemptor, in Wales now known as Dumbarton.
In 390 AD he was captured by Irish pirates at a place called Bannavem Taberniae on the north-east coast of Britain. He was taken to Antrim in Northern Ireland and sold as a slave to a pagan chief named Miliuc. The chief gave him the name Cothraige (pronounced Kawricka) and a job to herd the sheep and swine in a valley known as The Braid. St. Patrick escaped after six years and return back to his family in Wales. During those six years he was very lonely and often went hungry but he spent a lot of times pondering about the Irish people, his religion, praying and dreaming that God had called him to bring Christianity to the people of Ireland.
Upon his return home, he spent two months with his family. St. Patrick then 23, left Wales to pursue his dream of converting Ireland to Christianity. His first step was going to Gaul (ancient name for France) where he studied in various monasteries for five years and was later ordained as a priest. He immediately returned to Ireland without a commission from Rome and spent the next 30 years trying without success to convert the pagan Irish tribes. With a heavy heart he returned to Gaul and travelled to Rome.
In 431 Pope Celestinus I directed St. Patrick to take the place of Palladius, a missionary killed by Irish pagans. Before leaving for Ireland St. Patrick received Episcopal Consecration from a French Bishop named Matroix.
In 432 the 60 years old St. Patrick returned to Ireland for the second time with a great success. He preached to the people, baptised thousands of tribesmen and won over the Ard Ri of Ireland, King Laoghaire, and then went on to convert his Chief Bard named Bubthach Maccu-Lugair which made his tasks much easier under the protection of the king when travelling among pagans. During the next years, he travelled throughout the four provinces of Ireland; Ulster, Munster, Leinster, and Connaught spreading Christianity and building monasteries for his newly ordained priests and monks to live in and study. He had now realised his dream - the whole of Ireland was converted to Christianity and he introduced Latin as the Church’s universal language.
Having spent sixty years in missionary works, partly as a priest and then as bishop, St. Patrick died at the age of ninety on March 17th 462 AD. He was buried in a place called Downpatrick north of Ireland. Before he died, St. Patrick told the people of Ireland “ye know and God knows how I have lived among you from my youth, I have been both faithful in truth and sincere in heart”. St. Patrick was truly a gentleman.
In 390 AD he was captured by Irish pirates at a place called Bannavem Taberniae on the north-east coast of Britain. He was taken to Antrim in Northern Ireland and sold as a slave to a pagan chief named Miliuc. The chief gave him the name Cothraige (pronounced Kawricka) and a job to herd the sheep and swine in a valley known as The Braid. St. Patrick escaped after six years and return back to his family in Wales. During those six years he was very lonely and often went hungry but he spent a lot of times pondering about the Irish people, his religion, praying and dreaming that God had called him to bring Christianity to the people of Ireland.
Upon his return home, he spent two months with his family. St. Patrick then 23, left Wales to pursue his dream of converting Ireland to Christianity. His first step was going to Gaul (ancient name for France) where he studied in various monasteries for five years and was later ordained as a priest. He immediately returned to Ireland without a commission from Rome and spent the next 30 years trying without success to convert the pagan Irish tribes. With a heavy heart he returned to Gaul and travelled to Rome.
In 431 Pope Celestinus I directed St. Patrick to take the place of Palladius, a missionary killed by Irish pagans. Before leaving for Ireland St. Patrick received Episcopal Consecration from a French Bishop named Matroix.
In 432 the 60 years old St. Patrick returned to Ireland for the second time with a great success. He preached to the people, baptised thousands of tribesmen and won over the Ard Ri of Ireland, King Laoghaire, and then went on to convert his Chief Bard named Bubthach Maccu-Lugair which made his tasks much easier under the protection of the king when travelling among pagans. During the next years, he travelled throughout the four provinces of Ireland; Ulster, Munster, Leinster, and Connaught spreading Christianity and building monasteries for his newly ordained priests and monks to live in and study. He had now realised his dream - the whole of Ireland was converted to Christianity and he introduced Latin as the Church’s universal language.
Having spent sixty years in missionary works, partly as a priest and then as bishop, St. Patrick died at the age of ninety on March 17th 462 AD. He was buried in a place called Downpatrick north of Ireland. Before he died, St. Patrick told the people of Ireland “ye know and God knows how I have lived among you from my youth, I have been both faithful in truth and sincere in heart”. St. Patrick was truly a gentleman.
