My Saint is St. Patrick, the famous yet often misunderstood patron Saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick was born in England, though because of his bravery and presence in Ireland, he is often thought to have been born there. He may not have driven the snakes out of Ireland, but he is still just as amazing as you might have once thought.
Patrick originally was more interested in a career than religion. But at the age of sixteen, he was captured by Irish pirates and taken to Ireland. After six years of work in Ireland, he turned to God to help him escape and return to Britain.
When Saint Patrick escaped Ireland and returned to Britain, he became a Priest. St. Patrick eventually decided to return to Ireland to be a missionary, and at 42, he became a bishop, and went to western Ireland to teach the Druid chief about Christ. It was said he used a shamrock to teach them that there is one God, but three divine people - the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
On the Druid’s spring festival, the same day of Easter Vigil celebration, Saint Patrick and his companions lit a fire on the pagan’s hill where they pray to represent Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. The Druids tried to extinguish the fire and kill Patrick, but to the amazement to the Druids, they were both kept from harm. Saint Patrick went on to make Ireland catholic and succeeded, and inspired everyone in Ireland to convert to Christianity. He is honoured on March 17, the supposed day he died.
Saint Patrick was the patron Saint in Ireland, and was responsible for bringing christianity to the pagan Ireland. People all over the world thank St. Patrick for bringing the power of God to Ireland, and without him, Ireland might still be pagan. The Irish people honour him for his amazing deeds, and his inspirational work in turning an entire nation Catholic in the name of the Lord for no reason other than he relates with the Irish people and he wants people to understand and love God.
St. Patrick related to Ireland and it's iconic bravery so well, and was responsible for making some symbols of Irish identity, like the shamrock. St. Patrick’s day is also a very popular holiday in which not only do we celebrate St. Patrick, but Ireland as well. People eat and drink and practice Irish tradition in the name of a simple man who helped shape the entire country. So whenever you think of Saint Patrick day, not only should you think of Saint Patrick, but Ireland as a fantastic Catholic country as well.
St. Patrick was such a brave and iconic Saint. He was the first person to preach the gospel in west Ireland, and worked to destroy paganism in Ireland. We can learn that bravery is one of the many tools God gifts us with, and if we can muster the power to wield it, we can be just as great as Saint Patrick. Even if we don’t make an entire country switch religions, we can use this bravery to stand up to problems ranging from bullying to climate change. That is why Saint Patrick is so inspirational, and is one of the most honoured Saints.
Resources:
Saint Patrick by Wikipedia Editors
Card 33, St. Patrick
Loyola University Press Copyright 1994
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