History of St. Patrick

With less than 2 weeks until St. Patrick's Day, now is the perfect time to take a look at one of the most well known saints - St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Considering how loved and honored St. Patrick is, we know very little concrete facts about his life. It is thought that Patrick was born in 385 AD. He was born a Roman citizen in Britain (his Latin name was Magonius Sucatus Patricius). His grandfather was a priest (it was still common for priests to marry at this time), and his father was a deacon. However, most scholars believe that his father became a deacon for tax reasons, so there is no indication that Patrick was particularly religious at an early age.

When he was 16, he was captured by Irish raiders who were attacking his family estate, and he was sold into slavery in Ireland. During his 6 years of servitude working as a shepherd in County Mayo, he underwent a religious transformation. In 407, God came to Patrick in a dream and told him it was time for him to leave Ireland, so he walked 200 miles to the Irish coast and escaped by boat to Gaul. Although many like to believe that Patrick received his religious education in Britain, it was more likely that his education was received from monastic institutions in Gaul (modern day France). After 15 years of training, he was consecrated a bishop was was sent as a missionary to Ireland.

Tradition has it that St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, but this is not entirely true. Although he was the first successful missionary to Ireland, a man named Palladius went before him in 431. However, it is thought that he either died or went to Scotland, and there is no record of him in Ireland after 431.

There are many popular legends surrounding St. Patrick (such as the story of him driving the snakes out of Ireland), but there is little historical evidence to support any of the iconic stories. Our only definite information comes from 2 Latin letters that are generally accepted to be written by Patrick. They are the "Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus" and "Declaration". It is in "Declaration" that Patrick provides a bit of autobiographical information. So, Patrick remains one of the most well known and yet mysterious Saints in the Catholic Church. A fascinating character, St. Patrick will remain a favorite of the Irish and Catholics around the world.