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Who was the real “St. Patrick”?
APPEARANCE—Although lovely, the stained glass rendering (above) is surely not a reliable likeness of Patrick, nor would he have clothed himself in such regalia. He was a man of sincere HUMILITY and acknowledged that he was a repentant SINNER, and lived as a willing SLAVE of Christ, as should all true believers.
NOT IRISH—He was an British Celt who later became a missionary-evangelist to Ireland. Patrick was born to a family in ROMAN BRITAIN sometime in 373 A.D.[2]. Being dominated by the Roman Empire, he became conversant in Latin.
AN ATHEIST IN A CHRISTIAN FAMILY—Patrick descended from a Christian family that had been, for at least two generations, in Christ Jesus. His father, he tells us was “the deacon Calpurnius, son of the late Potitus, a presbyter, of the settlement of Bannaven Taburniae.” [1] However, as a rebellious youth, Patrick had no interest in Christ, living instead for fun, adventure and pleasure. He wrote, “I did not then believe in the living God, nor had I believed, since my infancy…”
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Then, God forcefully humbled teenaged Patrick, and turned his life upside down—taking away his pleasures, freedom, family, homeland, food, warm clothing, and more.
NOT A CATHOLIC—Patrick had virtually nothing to do with the Roman Catholic Church during his lifetime. His writings make no mention of such key Catholic Church’s beliefs as adoration of the Virgin Mary, prayer to the Saints, the Pope or his supposed infallibility, Purgatory, The Mass or Catholic sacraments and rituals. Neither did he teach celibacy in his time, church leaders were allowed to marry.
His converts resisted the Roman Catholic Church’s advances seeking to bring its beliefs and authority over Ireland’s believers.
NOT A “SAINT”—Patrick has never been a Saint in the Roman Catholic sense—never canonized by a Pope. However, he is most certainly a saint in the Biblical sense—a fully repentant sinner, spiritually born-again, a true believer, a humble and faithful follower of Christ—now enjoying eternal life with God.
MARCH 17 ? —Neither Patrick’s date of birth or death are known with any certainty. Tradition says that March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day) is one of those dates, but there is no documentation to prove it.
NO SNAKES CHASED from Ireland—The myth of Patrick banishing literal snakes from Ireland came after his death. Far more important and real, however, is the fact that Patrick, through God’s power, delivered the nation from that Old Serpent (the Devil and his demons) who so dominated the hearts and minds of the people.
COURAGE, BORN FROM ABSOLUTE TRUST IN GOD—Living in almost constant danger of being murdered, tortured or enslaved, Patrick fearlessly brought the true Gospel of Christ to the Irish—to the most powerful and brutal Druid chieftains, to commoners and slaves, alike—as a Christian missionary-evangelist.
The Real Story Of Saint Patrick
He was a British interloper named Maewyn Succat. He was never officially sanctified by the Catholic church. He likely never referred to green shamrocks, in fact, his commemorative color was blue. And his feast day originally meant abstinence from drink and certainly no parades. How did he become the symbol of Ireland, the namesake of some of the most raucous officially sanctioned celebrations around the world, and, above all, require even non-Irish people to wear green?
Without the Irish diaspora to the new world, Saint Patrick would likely have remained a minor religious figure with some special meaning for his adopted native land of Ireland, but very little significance elsewhere. But a combination of verifiable facts which Patrick recorded himself, legend which cropped up in the centuries after his March 17, 461 death, and the Irish tendency to stretch the truth just a bit has led Saint Patrick to become one of the best-known figures in Catholic church history.
From his writings, we learn that Patrick was kidnapped from his British home by Irish pirates and forced into servitude in Ireland when he was young. A message from God led to his rescue and made him return to the island of his captivity some years later, this time as a Catholic priest, to answer a call to tame the pagans and bring them to Catholicism. He claimed to have converted thousands of pagans and founded hundreds of churches before dying on March 17.
Not until years later did the Catholic church create a formal process for sainthood. Until then, beatification was a mostly local affair, and the Irish claimed Patrick a saint not long after his death. He was never formally canonized.
Legends grew around the mysterious figure of Patrick. The claim that he drove all of the snakes out of the Emerald Isle was just patently false—the ice age and surrounding frigid waters actually did the trick. His traditional use of the shamrock, or three-leaf clover, to explain the Catholic belief of God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, separate but whole, sounds great but no evidence exists that it's true. When Patrick was depicted in the early days, he wore blue, not green—the green of Saint Patrick’s day and Ireland most likely derived either from the Shamrock myth, Irish emigrant memories of their lush green homeland, or both.
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Like many saints, Patrick’s death date became his feast day. Since he was the minor saint of a devout people, and his feast day usually occurs during the 40-day Lenten fast, his commemoration was originally a subdued, religious affair. Pubs were closed, and no meat was allowed to be eaten. Until the 1970s, Ireland never held Saint Patrick’s Day parades, and barely acknowledged the day at all, except to attend Mass.
Enter America, where nearly 1/3 of the Irish emigrated during the diaspora of the 1840s. The Irish in America were numerous, proud, and oppressed. They tended to concentrate in East Coast cities, and, if they were men, in the bars and pubs of those cities. Irish association with drinking in the popular culture had less to do with actual habits and more to do with the concern that the non-Irish ruling class had over the increasing political power of the Irish, which they consolidated by meeting in pubs, churches, and social clubs.
The commemoration of the patron saint of their home country of Ireland became a logical event for the American Irish diaspora to celebrate. As the celebrations grew more popular, local Lenten rules were relaxed for the American Irish so that they were given dispensation to drink and even eat meat like corned beef during the Lenten fast. This dispensation became a little like Mardis Gras’s “get out of jail free” card before the solemnity of Lent.
Thus was born the tradition of the Saint Patrick’s Day parade. The celebrations became so widespread that by the 1970s, they had been exported back to the mother country of Ireland herself, which now celebrates the feast day of her native son in much the same way as Americans.
This year, with so many celebrations canceled or reduced for the second year in a row, think of the original solemn feast of good old Maewyn Succat, who tamed the hordes and became a legend in the process. Maybe next year, we’ll all be able to wear the green, pop on a “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” button, and say Erin Go Bragh as we stumble down 5th Avenue arm in arm with our fellow (vaccinated) revelers. Faith and Begorroah, that would be a dream.
The Real History of St. Patrick’s Day
When you think of St. Patrick’s Day, you might think of green beer, shot glass necklaces that say “Kiss Me, I’m Irish,” and everyone suddenly talking about how Irish they are. That’s all well and good, but you might not know much about the holiday’s origins or the saint it celebrates. Well, take off that stupid hat, let’s get educated.
Who was Saint Patrick?
St. Patrick, considered the patron saint of Ireland , was actually born in Banna Venta Berniae, a town in Roman Britain, sometime in the late 300s AD. That’s right, Patrick wasn’t Irish—and his name wasn’t Patrick, either. It was Maewyn Succat, but he didn’t care for that so he chose to be known as Patricius down the line. He actually had many monikers throughout his life: he was known by many as Magonus, by others as Succetus, and to some as Cothirthiacus. But we’ll just call him Patrick since everybody else does.
His father, Calpurnius, was a deacon in the early Christian church, but Patrick wasn’t much of a believer himself. It wasn’t until he was captured by Irish pirates at the age of 16 and enslaved for six years as a shepherd that he chose to convert to Christianity. While in northeastern Ireland , Patrick learned the Irish language and culture before attempting to escape back to Britain. But Patrick wasn’t very good at escaping apparently, because he was captured again. This time by the French.
He was held in France where he learned all about monasticism before he was released and sent home to Britain where he continued to study Christianity well into his twenties. Eventually, Patrick claimed he had a vision that told him to bring Christianity to the Irish people, who were predominantly pagan and druidic at the time, so Patrick he made his way back to Ireland and brought a big ol’ bag of Christianity with him.
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When Patrick arrived back in Ireland, however, he and his preaching ways were not welcomed, so he had to leave and land on some small islands off the coast. There he began to gain followers, and he eventually moved to the mainland to spread Christian ideologies across Ireland for many years to come. During this time, Patrick baptized thousands of people (some say 100,000), ordained new priests, guided women to nunhood, converted the sons of kings in the region, and aided in the formation of over 300 churches.
Separating fact from fiction
Folklore also tells of Patrick banishing all the snakes from Ireland, but as badass as that may sound, there were never actually any snakes on the island to begin with. But, Patrick may be the one responsible for popularizing the shamrock , or that three-leafed plant you’ll see plastered all over the place on days like St. Patrick’s Day.
According to legend, Patrick used it to teach the Irish the concept of the Christian Holy Trinity. They already had triple deities and regarded the number three highly, so Patrick’s use of the shamrock may have helped him win a great deal of favor with the Irish.
Why the holiday, and when did it start?
These days, Patricius is known to most as Saint Patrick. Though he’s not technically a canonized saint by the Catholic Church , he’s well-regarded throughout the Christian world. But why the holiday? Why always March 17? What’s with the green? And why do we think of a non-Irish, non-snake charmer as a symbol of Ireland?
St. Paddy’s Day started as a religious celebration in the 17th century to commemorate the life of Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. This “Feast Day” always took place on the anniversary of Patrick’s death, which was believed to be March 17, 461 AD. In the early 18th century, Irish immigrants brought the tradition over to the American colonies, and it was there that Saint Patrick started to become the symbol of Irish heritage and culture that he is today. As more Irish came across the Atlantic, the Feast Day celebration slowly grew in popularity. So much so, in fact, the first ever St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in Boston in 1737 .
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By the mid 19th century, the United States saw a massive influx of Irish immigrants hoping to escape the Great Famine . This transformed the relatively small-scale Feast Day observance into a full-blown celebration that people wanted to be a part of, whether they were Irish or not. In 1903, Feast Day became a national holiday in Ireland, and over time it transformed into what is now called St. Patrick’s Day .
The holiday has since been celebrated all over the world in countries like the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Russia, and even throughout Asia. As it happens, St. Paddy’s Day is so popular, it’s thought to be celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. What was once a fairly chill day of going to mass, watching a parade, and eating a hearty meal with family has transformed into the biggest party in the world.
Why does everyone wear green?
If you’re wondering why people are wearing green, there’s more to it than protection from pinching fingers. It goes back to the Irish Rebellion , when Irish soldiers wore green as they fought off the British in their trademark red. Until then, the color associated with St. Patrick and Feast Day was actually blue. The song soldiers sang during the war in 1798 , “ The Wearing of the Green ,” changed all of that and made green, the color of shamrocks, Ireland’s mainstay color.
From then on, people wore green on St. Patrick’s Day in solidarity. And when Chicago dyed their river green for the first time in 1962 , the practice of wearing and decorating in green became a part of pop culture. It’s now commonplace to bust out your best greens mid-March.
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Why all the drinking?
Okay, so why all the drinking then? It’s part historical subtext, part us succumbing to advertising, and part stereotyping. Originally, St. Patrick’s Day, or Feast Day, saw the lifting of Lent restrictions for the day , giving Christians a breather as they made their way to Easter. Basically, it was a day to eat and drink as much as you please in celebration, hence the traditional Irish meal of bacon and cabbage . But imbibing on whiskey and beer was not part of the equation. In fact, pubs in Ireland were forced by law to shut down for the holiday until later in the 20th century, and drinking alcohol on St. Patrick’s Day was greatly frowned upon until the late 1970s.
Then, a huge marketing push from Budweiser in the 80s convinced thirsty revelers that drinking beer and St. Patrick’s Day were one in the same. The rest is drunk history that few seem to remember, as it’s all been replaced in our heads with quotes from Boondock Saints. Much like Cinco de Mayo , many people now use the holiday as an excuse to binge drink, which fosters negative stereotypes by incorrectly associating the act of getting wasted with Irish culture. But, at least now you can take a swig of your Guinness in pride because you know the real story. Sláinte !
Update: This article originally linked Saint Patrick’s birthplace of Bannaventa with Banna Venta Berniae, in the Northamptonshire region of England. This is believed to be inaccurate , and the exact whereabouts of his birthplace are uncertain. This story was originally published in March 2017 and was updated to meet Lifehacker style guidelines.
Banishes the Snakes from Ireland
One of the most famous legends Saint Patrick is associated with his supposed banishing of all snakes from Ireland. According to the story, Patrick drove snakes into the sea after they attacked him during a 40-day fast that he was undertaking on top of a hill.
However, post-glacial Ireland never had snakes. Water has surrounded Ireland since the end of the last glacial period, preventing snakes from slithering over before that, it was blanketed in ice and too chilly for the cold-blooded creatures.
The legend of Saint Patrick and the snakes is rather an allegory for his eradication of Pagan ideology. When Patrick drives the snakes out of Ireland, it is symbolically saying that he cast out the old religion and brought in a new one.
An Image depicting St Patrick casting the snakes into the sea. Image source
The Real St. Patrick
'Tis the season for parades, green beer, shamrocks, and articles talking about why St. Patrick's day isn't all about parades, green beer, and shamrocks.
First, a few misconceptions about Patrick:
Patrick isn't really a Saint with a capital S, having never been officially canonized by Rome. And Patrick couldn't have driven the snakes out of Ireland because there were never any snakes there to begin with. He wasn't even the first evangelist to Ireland (Palladius had been sent in 431,about five years before Patrick went). Patrick isn't even Irish. He's from what's now Dumbarton, Scotland (just northwest of Glasgow).
Patrick was 16 years old in about the year 405, when he was captured in a raid and became a slave in what was still radically pagan Ireland. Far from home, he clung to the religion he had ignored as a teenager. Even though his grandfather had been a priest, and his father a town councilor, Patrick "knew not the true God." But forced to tend his master's sheep in Ireland, he spent his six years of bondage mainly in prayer. He escaped at the suggestion of a dream and returned home.
Patrick was in his mid-40s when he returned to Ireland. Palladius had not been very successful in his mission, and the returning former slave replaced him. Intimately familiar with the Irish clan system (his former master, Milchu, had been a chieftain), Patrick's strategy was to convert chiefs first, who would then convert their clans through their influence. Reportedly, Milchu was one of his earliest converts.
Though he was not solely responsible for converting the island, Patrick was quite successful. He made missionary journeys all over Ireland, and it soon became known as one of Europe's .
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St Patricks Day History for Elementary Students
While it’s nice to include some of the popular stories and legends as well, I’d rather they knew the facts about the holiday first. This post is a little bit of both things.
Keep reading to learn how you can explain the St Patricks Day history for elementary students and young children.
What is the history behind St. Patrick’s Day?
This day is the feast day of the patron saint of Ireland named St. Patrick. Patrick wasn’t born Irish. He was brought to Ireland as a slave after he was kidnapped.
He escaped back to Britain to be with his family. While there, a voice told him to go back to Ireland. He was ordained as a priest and spent the rest of his life working to bring Christianity to Ireland.
Some people claim that Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. However, science has proven that there never were any snakes in Ireland because of the cold climate.
It is thought that the word snakes in this legend actually represent driving out the pagan ways when he introduced Christianity.
Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day for kids?
St. Patrick’s Day is the national holiday of Ireland and we celebrate it each year on March 17 because this is the day he is rumored to have died. In the United States, many people of Irish descent celebrate this holiday because it plays an important part of their cultural history.
What brings you good luck on St. Patrick’s Day?
People search for four-leaf clovers which are very rare. Finding one is supposed to be very lucky.
A shamrock is actually a three-leaf clover-like plant. Legend has it that St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).
I’ve never actually found one but I still search for them.
What is the color of St. Patrick’s Day?
Traditionally, the color we wear on this day is green. Ireland is known for its green shades of grass and the shamrock is green as well.
However, historians say that his color was actually a light blue and it can be seen in their coat of arms.
When explaining the St Patricks Day history for elementary students, try to share both the legend and the real facts behind the holiday.
What is the legend behind St. Patrick’s Day?
Irish legend says that there is a small Irish fairy called the leprechaun. He wears pointed shoes, a hat, and a leather apron.
According to the legend, he’s very unfriendly and lives alone in the forest guarding his pots of gold. The story says that if you find a leprechaun, he will have to tell you where his gold is hidden.
If you look away for even one second, the leprechaun will disappear along with all his gold.
Legend has it that if you wear green on this holiday, the leprechaun cannot see you. If you don’t wear green, he can see you and will give you a pinch.
That’s why we pinch people who do not wear green on this day.
What types of Irish food should we eat?
Traditionally people eat corned beef and cabbage on this day although we enjoy it all year. You can also enjoy Irish Oatcakes, Or, you might want to try a Dublin Coddle.
Why not make these shamrock gummies while you explain about this holiday.
Now that you know the facts and legends of around this holiday, you can choose what you share in this St Patricks Day history for elementary students.
More holiday fun
Now that you’ve learned all about the St Patricks Day history for elementary students, you might want to read these for more holiday fun.
The history behind St. Patrick's Day
St. Patrick's Day is a global celebration that often involves beers and parades.
It is historically a religious day that was made popular by Irish American immigrants in the 1700s.
In the ྖs, the Irish government began promoting celebrations to increase tourism.
When you think of St. Patrick's Day, you probably think of a day-long party.
Particularly in the United States, March 17 is seen as an excuse to wear green and drink Irish beer.
The history of the day, however, dates back hundreds of years, and our modern iteration is vastly different from the St. Patrick's Day celebrations of yore.
The holiday honors Saint Patrick, a patron saint and missionary.
He lived a typical human life, but legends about the saint developed around the seventh century, three hundred years after he died.
One of the most famous legends about him involves a shamrock. The story goes that Saint Patrick used a shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — to a non-believer, according to Britannica.
In the 17th century, the church held an official feast day in honor of the saint.
Irish people began observing St. Patrick's day around the 10th century, but the first official feast day in the saint's honor took place in 1631.
The feast was held on March 17, which is believed to be St. Patrick's death date, according to History.com.
In addition, the celebration was more more religious than uproarious, with the law requiring Irish pubs to be closed.
St. Patrick's Day as we know it today took shape in the 1700s.
Because St. Patrick's Day occurs during Lent, the celebration was viewed as a break from the sobriety required during the weeks between Ash Wednesday and Easter, according to Time.
The first New York City parade in honor of St. Patrick's Day took place in 1762.
While New York City's parade is the largest today, the first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in 1601 in a Spanish colony that would today be Florida.
In 1762, Irish military members serving in the British army marched down the streets of New York. The parade made them feel connected to their Irish roots despite being far from home, and soon it became a tradition.
St. Patrick's Day celebrations got bigger in the United States as the Irish immigrant population grew.
When the Irish potato famine hit in 1845, mass amounts of people began migrating to the United States from Ireland.
Many of the Irish struggled to find work upon their arrival and were treated as outsiders, and the media often depicted them as drunk and violent during this period. St. Patrick's Day felt like an opportunity to reclaim their heritage, as History pointed out.
Public attitude toward Irish Americans became more positive in the early 1900s.
Irish Americans became an important voting block in the US, making public sentiment toward them more positive, according to History.
President Truman attended the 1948 New York St. Patrick's Day parade, as listed by the Census Bureau.
Chicago first dyed its river green for the holiday in 1962.
Chicago is known around the world for the tradition, as CNN noted.
According to Time, the color green wasn't officially associated with the holiday until 1798, the year of the Irish Rebellion. Before then, the color blue was often tied to St. Patrick's Day because it was featured in the royal court and on ancient Irish flags.
Irish soldiers chose to wear green in contrast to the red British uniforms, making it the color of Ireland and St. Patrick's Day.
The United States made March the official Irish American Heritage month in 1991.
March was picked as to coincide with St. Patrick's Day.
The official marking only made the celebrations of the holiday more exciting in the US.
St. Patrick's Day didn't become a non-religious celebration in Ireland until the late 20th century.
Pubs in Ireland still had to be closed on the holiday up until the 1970s, according to History.
But Ireland embraced the celebratory side of St. Patrick's Day in the ྖs to bring tourist revenue to the country.
The Ireland St. Patrick's Day Festival typically attracts over one million attendees.
St. Patrick's Day is now celebrated around the world.
New York City typically hosts the largest St. Patrick's Day celebration, with smaller events usually taking place in Dublin, Ireland Tokyo, Japan and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
You'll find people wearing green all over the world on March 17.
People are honoring the holiday with virtual or socially distant celebrations this year.
The large gatherings that usually take place on St. Patrick's Day can't happen this year, but people are still finding ways to celebrate.
New York livestreamed its smaller parade, and Tourism Ireland is airing a 90-minute special in honor of the holiday full of history, singing, and dancing.
Likewise, people are celebrating safely and outdoors together, with some going to baseball games in their best green ensembles.
St.Patrick's Day History
St. Patrick's Day History and Traditons
St Patrick is known as the patron saint of Ireland. True, he was not a born Irish. But he has become an integral part of the Irish heritage, mostly through his service across Ireland of the 5th century.
Patrick was born in the later half of the 4th century AD. There are differing views about the exact year and place of his birth. According to one school of opinion, he was born about 390 A.D., while the other school says it is about 373 AD. Again, his birth place is said to be in either Scotland or Roman England. His real name was probably Maewyn Succat. Though Patricius was his Romanicized name, he was later came to be familiar as Patrick.
Patrick was the son of Calpurnius, a Roman-British army officer. He was growing up as naturally as other kids in Britain. However, one day a band of pirates landed in south Wales and kidnapped this boy along with many others. Then they sold him into slavery in Ireland. He was there for 6 years, mostly imprisoned. This was when changes came to him. He dreamed of having seen God. Legend says, he was then dictated by God to escape with a getaway ship.
Finally, he did escape and went to Britain. And then to France. There he joined a monastery and studied under St. Germain, the bishop of Auxerre. He spent around 12 years in training. And when he became a bishop he dreamed that the Irish were calling him back to Ireland to tell them about God. The Confessio, Patrick's spiritual autobiography, is the most important document regarding this. It tells of a dream after his return to Britain, in which one Victoricus delivered him a letter headed "The Voice of the Irish."
So he set out for Ireland with the Pope's blessings. There he converted the Gaelic Irish, who were then mostly Pagans, to Christianity. He was confident in the Lord, he journeyed far and wide, baptizing and confirming with untiring zeal. And, in a diplomatic fashion he brought gifts to a kinglet here and a lawgiver there,but accepted none from any.
Indeed, Patrick was quite successful at winning converts. Through active preaching, he made important converts even among the royal families. And this fact upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times,but escaped each time. For 20 years he had traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion. He developed a native clergy, fostered the growth of monasticism, established dioceses, and held church councils.
Patrick's doctrine is considered orthodox and has been interpreted as anti-Pelagian. Although he is not particularly noted as a man of learning, a few of his writings remain extant: his Confession, a reply to his detractors, and several letters. The Lorica ("Breastplate"), a famous hymn attributed to Patrick, may date to a later period. By the end of the 7th century Patrick had become a legendary figure, and the legends have continued to grow since then. There are many legends associated with St Patrick. It is said that he used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the concept of the Trinity which refers to the combination of Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Hence its strong association with his day and name Legend also has that, Saint Patrick had put the curse of God on venomous snakes in Ireland. And he drove all the snakes into the sea where they drowned.
True, these are mostly legends. But, after some 1500 years, these legends have been inseparably combined with the facts. And together they have helped us know much about the Saint and the spirit behind celebration of the day. Patrick's mission in Ireland lasted for over 20 years. He died on March 17, AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since. The day's spirit is to celebrate the universal baptization of Ireland. Though originally a Catholic holy day, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday. Or, rather, 'be an Irish Day '. And the Irish has borne it as part of their national tradition in everywhere they populated and prospered. The Catholic feast day for this most loved of Irish saints has become a holiday in celebration of the Irish and Irish culture. The leprechaun, a Celtic fairy, has become entrenched as a chief symbol for this holiday, as is the shamrock, an ancient symbol for the triple goddess Brigit. It is fitting that this holiday should fall at the time of the year when the return of spring begins to seem at hand. But why the icons like the green color, the tri-leafed shamrock, the leprechaun, or the pot of gold and Blarney's stone- all came to be associated with the celebration of this Day? And what do they all mean? Click Here to learn
from Stephen Nichols Mar 17, 2021 Category: Articles
When it comes to Saint Patrick, the true story is even more exciting than the legend and the myth. The facts are far better than the fable. This day that belongs to St. Patrick has become about leprechauns, shamrocks, pots of gold, and green—green everywhere. Famously, the City of Chicago dumps forty pounds of its top-secret dye into the river. A green racing stripe courses through the city. But long before there was the St. Patrick of myth, there was the Patrick of history. Who was Patrick?
Patrick was born in 385 in Roman Britannia in the modern-day town of Dumbarton, Scotland. Patrick opens his autobiographical St. Patrick’s Confession with these opening lines:
Patrick skips over much of his first sixteen years. But who can blame him? At sixteen and being captured by barbarian Irish pirates is a pretty exciting place to begin a story. When the pirates landed on the Irish coast, they took Patrick about 200 miles inland where he was a shepherd and farm laborer. Six years passed and Patrick had either a vivid dream or a vision in which he was shown an escape route. Emboldened, Patrick made his break from his captors, traveling back over the 200 miles to the shoreline. As he approached the docks, a British ship stood waiting. The sails unfurled and Patrick was home. But he didn’t stay long.
Before he was a prisoner, Patrick’s Christian faith meant little to him. That changed during his captivity. His previously ambivalent faith galvanized and served to buoy him through those long, dark days. Now that he was back in his homeland he committed to his faith in earnest. He became a priest and soon felt a tremendous burden for the people that had kidnapped him. So he returned to Ireland with a mission.
Patrick had no less of a goal than seeing pagan Ireland converted. These efforts did not set well with Loegaire (or Leoghaire), the pagan king of pagan Ireland. Patrick faced danger and even threats on his life. He took to carrying a dagger. Yet, despite these setbacks, Patrick persisted. Eventually the king converted and was baptized by Patrick and much of the people of Ireland followed suit. A later legend would have it that Patrick rid all of Ireland of snakes. Snakes were not native to Ireland at the time. Instead, Patrick rid Ireland of marauding ways and a cultural and civil barbarianism by bringing not only Christianity to Ireland, but by bringing a whole new ethic. It was not too long ago that a New York Times’ bestselling book argued that St. Patrick and his Ireland saved civilization.
Patrick would come to be known as the “Apostle of Ireland.” He planted churches, the first one likely at a place called Saul, in Northern Ireland, a bit inland from the coast and just below Belfast. Patrick planted more churches as he crisscrossed Ireland. The challenge with Patrick is sifting through the legend. Take the shamrock for instance. Some biographers claim definitively that Patrick used the shamrock as an object lesson to teach pagans about the Trinity, that God is one in essence and three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is no evidence, however, for such a claim.
Curiously, like most of his legend, St. Patrick is not even truly a saint. He has never been canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. Patrick himself told us he was a sinner, not a saint.
Legend further has it that Patrick died on March 17, 461. He likely died in Saul, where he planted his first church. A significant monument stands atop the hill overlooking the town. Panels depicting scenes from Patrick’s life surround the monument’s base.
What casts a far greater shadow than his monument, however, is St. Patrick’s Day. And that day in the middle of March raises a significant question: Should Christians celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? If you do, you might want to consider wearing orange. Orange? Here’s why. After 1798 the color of green was closely associated with Roman Catholicism and orange with Protestantism—after William of Orange, the Protestant king. The holiday is certainly not to be used as means for excessive partying and celebration. But wearing orange and trying to tell people who St. Patrick really was might be a good way to celebrate.
So we remember Patrick best not in the legends and fables and not in the ways his holiday tends to be celebrated. Perhaps we remember him best by reflecting on the “St. Patrick’s Breastplate,” which has traditionally been attributed to him. The word breastplate is a translation of the Latin word lorica, a prayer, especially for protection. These prayers would be written out and at times placed on shields of soldiers and knights as they went out to battle. St. Patrick’s Lorica points beyond himself and his adventurous life. It points to Christ, the one he proclaimed to the people who had taken him captive:
Dr. Stephen Nichols is president of Reformation Bible College, chief academic officer for Ligonier Ministries, and the host of the podcasts 5 Minutes in Church History and Open Book.