March 17, 2023 – Saint Patrick

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today, we’re talking about the man behind the holiday. Saint Patrick was a missionary and bishop in Ireland in the 5th century and today is the primary patron saint of Ireland. However, he wasn’t Irish! He was born to Roman parents in Britain. When he was 16, he was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family’s estate. He spent 6 years in captivity in Ireland, working as a shepherd. During this time, he turned to his faith for solace and became a devout Christian. He’d eventually escape his captors, fleeing to a port 200 miles away, where he convinced the captain of a ship to take him back to Britain. Soon after returning home, he started his religious training and was ordained as a priest. He was sent back to Ireland to minister to the Christians living there and to convert the pagan Irish. The reason he’s associated with this day is that March 17 is believed to be the day of Saint Patrick’s death. According to Irish lore, Saint Patrick was responsible for driving all the snakes out of Ireland. However, Ireland has never been home to any snakes! The only native land reptile there is a lizard! Modern scholars thinks that the “snakes” were likely metaphorical. Learn more here.