It's that time of year again, where I like to remind everybody that
St. Patrick was NOT Irish. His parents were Roman, he wasn't born in
Ireland, and he didn't grow up in Ireland.


PATRICK (5th century). The enduring legends of St. Patrick are that
he
used a shamrock to explain the Trinity and that he banished all snakes
from Ireland. The true story of Patrick, however, survives not in his
myths but in his work. Patrick was responsible for converting the
people
of Ireland to Christianity.
Patrick was born to a Romanized family in Britain probably in the
first
half of the 5th century. At the age of 16 he was taken to Ireland by
pirates and sold into slavery. The young boy was sustained by his
faith
during his six years working as a herdsman. When Patrick escaped and
returned to Britain, he had a vision of the Irish beseeching him to
return
to Ireland to spread his faith. Patrick recorded this call to his
vocation
in the 'Confessio', his spiritual autobiography and one of his two
short
writings that have survived.
After studying in continental monasteries, Patrick returned to
Ireland
as a missionary. Despite a constant threat to his life, Patrick
traveled
widely, baptizing, confirming, and preaching and building churches,
schools,
and monasteries. Patrick succeeded in converting almost the entire
population of the island. His 'Epistola' pleads the case of the
Christian
Irish at the hands of their British conquerors. Patrick's writings
have
come to be appreciated for their simplicity and humility. St. Patrick
is
the patron saint of Ireland. His feast day is celebrated on March 17.





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