March 17th celebrates the death of Ireland’s beloved St. Patrick. Take a minute this year, between pinching the “ungreen” and decorating with shamrocks, to learn about this historic man…who wasn’t even Irish.
A Writer and An Activist
Patrick was born in the fifth century in Britain and he played a surprisingly deep role in history. His autobiography, The Confession, is one of the oldest writings from Ireland and one of the main reason’s we know about him. Originally, written in Latin, in it Patrick recounts how he was kidnapped as a 16-year-old by raiding Irish and sold into slavery to work as a shepherd for six years. Because of this difficult time, Patrick’s Christian faith began to grow and he also became one of the first notable people to ever speak out against slavery. He also spoke more highly of women than other men of his time.
“But greatest is the suffering of those women who live in slavery. All the time they have to endure terror and threats. But the Lord gave His grace to many of His maidens; for, though they are forbidden to do so, they follow Him bravely.” (From The Confession, translation attributed to Cecil Frances Alexander at Christian Classics Ethereal Library)
A Love Greater Than Hate
Patrick escaped from his master and made it home to his family. Now, you’d think he’d have every right to never want to see Ireland again. But the Irish were on his heart, even though he had be forced to live and work there. He decided to study theology, return to Ireland and to teach them Christ’s love. He studied at the monastery of Saint Martin of Tours in France for many years to repay with kindness the country that had stolen him from his homeland.
When Patrick arrived finally in Ireland, the people, especially the Druids, weren’t immediately won over by his love for them. It was only when they saw that he really understood them and their language that they began to change what they thought of this shepherd. Legend has it that he taught them the Trinity with a shamrock for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It seems that Patrick spent the rest of his life, some 30 years, with the Irish.
“Two things,” said Thomas Cahill, the author of How the Irish Saved Civilization, “really shine through his Confession: his humility and his strength. That strength is what has been missing in the earlier biographies and portraits of Patrick…The Patrick who came back to Ireland with the gospel was a real tough guy. He couldn’t have been anything else—only a very tough man could have hoped to survive those people. I don’t mean to say he wasn’t a saint—he was a great saint—but he was a very rough, vigorous man.”
I think we all need to have more heroes who think love is the best vengeance.
Resources to Know St. Patrick Better
For Children:
- Patrick Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaola
- St. Patrick’s Day by Gail Gibbons
- Crafts, Songs, Stories and more on Celebrating Holidays
For Teens and Adults:
- Audiobook on Librivox The Collected Works of St. Patrick.
- How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (The Hinges of History) by Thomas Cahill
- The Saint Patrick You Never Knew by Anita McSorley
