Kidnapped. Enslaved. Liberated.
St. Patrick had every reason to never set foot in Ireland again. He’d been torn from his family, forced into labor, and plunged into a foreign land. But when God called him to return to the Emerald Isle to share the Gospel, he answered. In the years that followed, St. Patrick would establish a framework of Christian churches that would change Ireland forever. Today, he is recognized around the world and known as the patron saint of Ireland.
As we celebrate the feast day of St. Patrick on March 17, we invite you to learn five fun facts about his life and ministry!
1. He wasn’t born in Ireland.
The son of a Roman civil servant living in Britain, Patrick is believed to have been born sometime around 390 A.D.
2. He was kidnapped by pirates as a teen and sold into slavery.
At the age of 16, Patrick was kidnapped by pirates and sold as a slave in Ireland. There, he was forced to work as an unpaid shepherd. As he wandered the hills with his flocks, he filled his hours with prayer and contemplation, developing a devout Christian faith.
3. He returned to Ireland to share the Gospel even after escaping slavery.
After spending six years in captivity, Patrick managed to escape Ireland aboard a ship and travel back to his family. From there, he studied for the priesthood in Gaul, living in a monastery for 15 years. However, his business in Ireland was far from finished; he experienced repeated dreams that made it clear he needed to return to Ireland. In one such vision, the Irish people begged him, “Come back and walk with us once more.”
4. Throughout his lifetime, he baptized thousands of individuals, ordained hundreds of clergy, and founded multiple monasteries.
By 432, only a handful of individuals in Ireland were Christians. Saint Patrick and his fellow missionaries faced an uphill battle, as many pagan druids opposed their efforts. Patrick traveled to the most remote parts of the island, proclaiming the Gospel where it had never been heard before. The framework of Christian churches put in place by Patrick helped Ireland eventually become one of the most Catholic countries in the world.
5. He is the patron saint of engineers, Nigeria, and Ireland.
You can find him portrayed in the Basilica in the Northern Façade, the Ave Maria Chapel, the St. Brigid of Ireland Chapel, and Mary Queen of Ireland oratory.
Sources:
Butler’s Lives of the Saints, ed. by Bernard Bangley.
“Saint Patrick,” Franciscan Media.
The Way of Saints, Tom Cowan.
