St. Patrick

The Church celebrates the feast of St. Patrick on March 17th.

Saint Patrick (Latin: Patricius) was a Christian missionary to Ireland, the son of Calpornius and Conchessa. It is possible that he was born in AD 387, and died in AD 493, although the exact dating of his life is uncertain. Nonetheless, evidence suggests Patrick was active as a missionary in Ireland during the latter half of the fifth century. He was born to a family of high rank in Roman Britain. At 16, Patrick was captured by Irish raiders, and was taken to Ireland as a slave. While there, he learned the Celtic language. After six years, he escaped, and returned to his family in Britain, where he entered the Church, and eventually became a bishop, having been ordained by St. Germanus, bishop of Auxerre. Patrick later returned to Ireland as a missionary, working in the northern and western areas of the country. As a missionary, Patrick baptized thousands, ordained many priests, and converted wealthy men and women who became monks and nuns. He is often associated with St. Brigid, another patron of Ireland, who was possibly an Irish abbess. He set up an Episcopal administration (bishops, priests, and deacons) in Ireland, and led a monastic lifestyle. Although not a martyr or confessor, St. Patrick nonetheless encountered great hostility and was often held a prisoner for his deeds in Ireland. At one point some of his enemies decreed his death, but the sentence was never carried out. Perhaps because of these incidents, he is honored as a martyr in a few ancient martyrologies. The popular Breastplate of Saint Patrick, an old Irish hymn, is attributed to Saint Patrick, although scholars date it to the 8th century on linguistic grounds. For the words to this beautiful hymn, visit our Saint Patrick's Day Prayers page.

Many scholars believe that much of the life and actions of Saint Palladius have been subsumed into the legend of Saint Patrick. Palladius was a Roman deacon who persuaded Pope Celestine I to send St. Germanus to stamp out the Pelagian heresy in Britain. Later, according to fifth century writer Saint Prosper of Aquitaine, Pope Celestine sent Palladius to be the first bishop of the Irish, before Patrick arrived as a bishop. Seventh century accounts of Saint Patrick portray Palladius as an unsuccessful missionary, who abandoned his task (or perhaps died), paving the way for the work of Saint Patrick. Whatever the role of Saint Palladius in spreading Christianity to Ireland, Saint Patrick apparently made a deeper impression upon the Irish people than did Palladius, and some of the acts of Palladius became conflated with those of Saint Patrick in later historical accounts. However, even if this is true, it does not cast doubt upon the saintliness of Patrick, whose life and actions have been approved by the Church.

From ChurchYear.Net

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