Saint Patrick

His life

Patrick was born in Roman Britain in the late fourth century, probably near Dumbarton in modern Scotland. His father was a deacon and his grandfather a priest, yet as a youth he says he did not know the true God; his people had turned from God and would not listen to their priests (Confession 1; Daniel 9:5-6; see John 3:16-21).

At sixteen he was captured by Irish raiders and enslaved as a shepherd in pagan Ireland. There his faith deepened through prayer: he turned to the Lord with all his heart (Joel 2:12), who looked on his lowliness (Luke 1:48) (Confession 2). After a vision he escaped home. Another vision called him back: the Irish begged the "holy boy" to walk among them again (Confession 23).

Patrick was ordained deacon and priest and in time bishop, and returned to Ireland to preach, convert the Irish and further establish the Church that St. Palladius had begun. His mission was enormously successful; he baptized many thousands and built churches (Confession 14). Our knowledge of him comes mainly from his Confession and his Letter to Coroticus, which denounces British mistreatment of Irish Christians; both show his love of Scripture.

Traditions

• The shamrock: he is famously said to have used it to explain the Trinity, one God in three Persons.
• The snakes: historians regard the story that he drove out the snakes as symbolic of his removing pagan practices; there is no evidence Ireland ever had snakes. The annual July pilgrimage up Croagh Patrick recalls his forty-day fast on that mountain.

Was he Catholic?

Yes. He was a Catholic bishop and missionary, as he, the Church and history confirm.

The feast

His feast has been kept for over a thousand years; the Franciscan Luke Wadding helped add it to the Church's calendar. Originally a day of prayer, Mass and feasting, it became a celebration of Irish heritage, with parades in Dublin, New York, Chicago and elsewhere. Catholics are encouraged to celebrate in a way befitting St. Patrick and our Lord. He is believed to have died on March 17, 461 (some sources say the 490s) and is buried in Downpatrick.

St. Patrick's Breastplate

The Lorica, attributed to him, includes the famous lines: "Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me."