(ROCKWALL, TX – March 17, 2017) Today is St. Patrick’s Day, and it wasn’t until yesterday that I even remembered the holiday was this week. It’s one of those holidays I tend to forget about, not on purpose though. I think the reason is because I really don’t know much behind its history or why it’s even celebrated. My curiosity got the better of me (as it often does) this morning, and I decided to search around the web for a history of St. Patrick’s Day. Specifically, I wanted to find out more about the man whose life is celebrated on this day – Saint Patrick.
Here’s a quick rundown of what I was able to find:
- He was born in Roman Britain in the second half of the fourth century, and his real name is believed to be Maewyn Succat. He later adopted the name Patrick during his religious journeys.
- In his memoir, Confessio, Saint Patrick describes himself as “the least of all believers,” despite his father being a deacon and his family’s involvement in the church.
- When he was a young teen he was kidnapped by Irish pirates and taken to Ireland as a slave. It was during his imprisonment that he found his faith in God. During captivity, a dream showed him a boat bound for Britain, and he was able to escape on that boat and eventually reunited with his family.
- During this time in Britain, he had a “vision in the night” about a man coming to him from Ireland. The man gave him a letter of the Irish people, and as he read the letter he heard the voice of the Irish people calling for his return to Ireland. The vision prompted him to begin his studies of the priesthood, and he eventually was ordained by St. Germain, the bishop of Auxerre.
- He later returned to Ireland preached the gospel throughout the land, converting many to Christianity in the process. Although he is often credited as bringing Christianity to Ireland, he wasn’t the first to have done so.
- Saint Patrick traveled all around Ireland preaching to the people and establishing churches and monasteries. He spent a great deal of time in prayer, and his favorite place to pray was Croagh Patrick (also known as St. Patrick’s Mountain).
- Saint Patrick used the native Irish clover called the shamrock in his teachings to explain the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit). He was able to convert entire kingdoms to Christianity with his message.
- Saint Patrick died on March 17, 461 A.D. in Saul, where he built the first Irish Church. He is believed to be buried in Down Cathedral, Downpatrick. Every year, March 17 is celebrated as Saint Patrick’s Day.
- During the mid-1700s, it is widely believed that many mistook the phrase “the wearing of the green” associated with St. Patrick’s Day to mean wear green garments on that day, and to this day many wear green during the holiday. However, “the wearing of the green” was a phrase meaning to wear a shamrock, the native Irish clover which Saint Patrick used in his teachings to explain the Holy Trinity, as a display of one’s faith.
- While Ireland has no official color, two hues of blue called St. Patrick’s Blue and Presidential Blue are widely used by the country’s government. Presidential Blue can be seen in the Irish Crest and St. Patrick’s Blue is found behind the gold harp on the ancient Irish flag.
Below is a list of the sites I browsed to gather the info above. They were very interesting reads and I highly recommend you check them out if you want to learn more about Saint Patrick’s life and the history behind St. Patrick’s Day.
–http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/history-of-st-patricks-day
–http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89
–http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/history-of-st-patrick.html
–https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Patrick
–http://www.confessio.ie/etexts/confessio_english#
–http://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/st-patrick.html
–http://www.destinationwestport.com/places-to-visit/natural-beauty/hills-and-mountains/croagh-patrick-reek/
–http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-for-your-home/colorful-holidays-occasions/st-patricks-color-blue-green-16611
Hope everyone has a fun and safe St. Patrick’s Day!
A brief history of Saint Patrick of Ireland added by Austin on
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