Who was St. Patrick?
In the Catholic Church, St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Since so many Irish people immigrated to the United States and celebrated St. Patrick’s Day after they arrived, St. Patrick’s Day has been assimilated (become a part of) American culture and lots of people do special things for this holiday. St. Patrick lived in the fourth century A.D. It’s hard to know exactly when he was born so long ago but it is known that he was born in Britain and that his parents were wealthy. When Patrick was sixteen his family estate was attacked by Irish robbers and they took Patrick back to Ireland as a prisoner where he stayed in captivity for six years. During this time Patrick worked as a shepherd and it is reported that he became a devout Christian. He claimed that God told him to leave Ireland and managed to escape his captors. Patrick made his way back to Britain.
After returning to Britain, Patrick believed that an angel appeared to him in a dream to tell him to become a missionary in Ireland. After fifteen years of study, he became a priest and then returned to Ireland to convert people to Christianity. Other stories about St. Patrick call him a bishop and say that he built schools, churches and monasteries. Without good written records, it’s hard to know some of the exact details but legends abound. It’s believed that St. Patrick died on March 17 which is why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on that date.
