St. Patrick

St. Patrick was a British born man who progressed in life to become a Catholic missionary and the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick achieved so much in his lifetime that there is a much celebrated holiday named after him, St. Patrick’s Day. On this day, people celebrate and honour St. Patrick by wearing green and decorating with shamrocks (three leaf clovers).

ST. Patrick (http://www.catholic.org/photos/)

Although people all over the world enjoy celebrating Saint Patty's Day, many are not aware of what St. Patrick did to earn his title and the holiday named after him. The truth about Saint Patrick is that he was born in Britain and when he was about 14 years old he was captured by Irish raiders and brought to Ireland as a slave. Approximately six years after he was captured he was able to escape and return to his family. Until St. Patrick was sixteen he was considered a pagan, someone very far from being a saint. A pagan is a person who follows a polytheistic or pre-Christian religion. During his imprisonment Saint Patrick became closer to God and after he had escaped he went to a monastery to study under St. Germain, Bishop of Auxerre, for about twelve years. During this time he realized that in his lifetime he was meant to convert pagans to Christianity.

He wished to return to Ireland to convert pagans there, but his superiors instead appointed St. Palladius. Two years later, he left Palladius and was transferred to Scotland. St. Patrick was then appointed as second bishop to Ireland. St. Patrick was very good at converting people, which angered Irish druids at the time. As a result he was arrested several times, but was able to escape each time. During his conversion campaign, St. Patrick established schools, churches and monasteries.

Shamrock (Wikipedia)

Many people ask how the shamrock is related to St. Patrick. Because the shamrock has three leaves and they are found everywhere he preached, St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the about the holy trinity. It is also common to hear that St. Patrick expelled the snakes from Ireland, which is purely metaphorical because there are no snakes native to Ireland.

My class could honour my hero by celebrating St. Patrick’s Day for the hero, and not just the nation, as well as by respecting the virtues of love, happiness and peace that St. Patrick established all over Ireland.