St Patrick
The Patron Saint
of Ireland
Customs and Traditions
The
person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales about AD 385. His given name was Maewyn,
and he almost didn't get the job of bishop of Ireland because he lacked the required scholarship.
Far from being a saint, until
he was 16, he considered himself a pagan. At that age, he was sold into slavery by a group of Irish marauders that raided
his village. During his captivity, he became closer to God.
He escaped from slavery after
six years and went to Gaul where he studied in the monastery under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre for a period of twelve years.
During his training he became aware that his calling was to convert the pagans to Christianity.
His wishes were to return to
Ireland, to convert the native pagans to Christianity. But his superiors instead appointed St. Palladius. But two years later,
Palladius transferred to Scotland. Patrick, having adopted that Christian name earlier, was then appointed as second bishop
to Ireland.
Patrick was quite successful
at winning converts. And this fact upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He
traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would
aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity.
His mission in Ireland lasted
for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated
as St. Patrick's Day ever since.
Much Irish folklore surrounds
St. Patrick's Day. Not much of it is actually substantiated.
Some of this lore includes the
belief that Patrick raised people from the dead. He also is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the
snakes from Ireland. Of course, no snakes were ever native to Ireland, and some people think this is a metaphor for the conversion
of the pagans. Though originally a Catholic holy day, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday.
One traditional icon of the day
is the shamrock. And this stems from a more bona fide Irish tale that tells how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to
explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as
separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.
The St. Patrick's
Day custom came to America in 1737. That was the first year St. Patrick's Day was publicly celebrated in this country, in
Boston.
