The Story St. Patrick

Ireland's patron saint, Patrick (389 AD - 460 AD), was a real man of legendary proportion.

Much of what we know of him is myth; however, through his writings, the "Confessio" in particular, we come to learn that from a tragic childhood he rose up to be the celebrated figure that we honor on St. Patrick's Day. 

"Confessio", written in Latin around 450 AD, is basically an autobiography and self-deprecating confession of how Patrick was kidnapped at 16, an act which he attributed to his lack of faith in God.

He was then sold into slavery, and eventually escaped. Patrick wanted to share with all how he found the power to pick himself up by the bootstraps and overcome his fear of men criticizing him for a lack of education. A burning spirit fueled by a prophetic dream brought him back to the Emerald Isle in 432 AD as a missionary.

Ordained as a priest and then as a bishop, St. Patrick is widely accepted as one of the first to bring Christianity to Ireland. The famous tale of St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland is considered to be allegorical to how he converted the pagans into Christians.

Historians suggest that the snakes represent serpents or evil, which many relate to the paganism of the time. However, the fable goes that St. Patrick stood on a hill with a wooden staff, which he used to drive the snakes into the sea and forever away from the isle.

St. Patrick was a well-traveled and wise man who preached the gospel throughout numerous countries and was loved by many. It is believed that St. Patrick died around 460 AD on March 17, which is why we honor his memory on this date.

St. Patrick's creative use of the shamrock as a visual correlation to the Trinity during sermons has made the wee clover famous. The shamrock, appearing in everything from shaped cookies to emblems on flags, is the holiday's main symbol.

The first American observance of St. Patrick's Day on record was in 1737 in Boston, Massachusetts. Today most major cities host a big parade with the events at the New York and Chicago pageants making national news headlines. A joyous celebration that exalts a wonderful man, his day is full of so much merriment it has all seeing green!