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Who is This St. Patrick? - March 17 |
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Written by Michael McCann
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Who is This St. Patrick?
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St. Patrick's Day is celebrated yearly on March 17 to honor the patron Saint of Ireland, Patrick. Businesses in Ireland, with the exception of restaurants and pubs, close on this holiday. Being a religious holiday, many attend mass. This holiday is the traditional day for offering prayers for missionaries throughout the world. Following consideration of missions worldwide, "throw caution to the wind" and party with whatever is green.
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So who is this St. Patrick? Historical sources report that he was born around 373 A.D. in either Scotland or in Roman Britain. His real name is believed to be Succat ("warlike") and changed his name to Patrick (or Patricus, meaning "noble") after he became a priest (editors note: sounds like Patrick was preparing to go to Hollywood, Ireland with a "stage name").
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Patrick was kidnapped at the age of 16 by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. He worked as a shepherd during his six-year captivity. This is the time Patrick reportedly began to see religious visions. One of Patrick's religious visions revealed how to escape from Ireland on a ship headed for France, where he subsequently became a priest (later a bishop).
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Close to his 60th birthday, St. Patrick returned to Ireland to spread the gospel. Legend has it that Patrick had a magnetic personality, helping him to convert many pagans to Christianity.
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The shamrock, resembling a three-leafed clover, was used to communicate the concept of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) to Patrick's listeners. Today, the shamrock is widely worn in Ireland and America to celebrate Irish heritage. Several million shamrocks are grown in County Cork, Ireland and shipped worldwide just for the March 17 celebration annually.
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Another legend attached to St. Patrick gives him credit for driving all the snakes from land into the sea around Ireland around 455 A.D. The snakes were a revered pagan symbol giving substance to the belief that Patrick drove paganism out of Ireland.
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Legend has it that Patrick died on March 17, 493 A.D., after bringing the Christian faith to Ireland. This date is not confirmed, but who needs an excuse to drink green beer and be social?
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An Irish folksinger named Gerry Farrelly says that observance of St. Patrick's Day in Ireland differs from American customs by being much more of a somber day. There, it is a religious holiday, almost like a Sunday. The taverns are not even open all day. Large-scale holiday celebrations of St. Patrick's Day as practiced in America are unfamiliar in Ireland, he adds. There is really only one parade there, held in Dublin, mostly a military affair, nothing as big as the one in New York. On St. Patrick's Day, Irish songs are sung and Irish pubs are crowded.
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Speaking for myself, I'll be wearing something green, just in case. If you have interesting St. Patrick stories to tell, e-mail me, Mike McCann.
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