Maewyn Succat was born in 385 AD in either Scotland or Wales. His given name does sound more Welsh than Scottish, but since he was born in Roman Britain one can never be sure. His father, Calpornius, was a deacon and a tax collector. The family were well-off and that is partly how Maewyn took the name Patrick which was from Patricus which means high-born.
Slavery
We know from his Confessio that Maewyn lived a very comfortable life until he was kidnapped at the age of 16 and sold into slavery. He spent the next 6 years in Ireland, possibly working as a shepherd. While he was imprisoned, Maewyn was converted and became a devout Christian. He managed to escape his captivity and return to his parents in Britain. He then decided to go to France to become a priest and studied at St. Martin of Tours' seminary. After many years, Maewyn, now Patrick, became a bishop.
Bishop
Once he became a bishop, Patrick wanted to return to Ireland and convert those who had held him prisoner. The Druids who basically ruled Ireland at that time did not like that and he was occasionally arrested and imprisoned. However, he did manage to convert a lot of the Irish. He founded over 300 hundred churches and was named Bishop of Ireland. When he died, Ireland was mainly a Christian nation. It is said that he used the three-leaf clover, or shamrock, to teach people about the Holy Trinity. While not proven, this story is possible. Another much repeated story is that Patrick put a curse on all snakes and drove them from Ireland completely; this seems to be more fiction than fact.
St. Patrick
Patrick died on March 17, 461 of natural causes. There is no record of when or if St. Patrick was officially canonized. However, he did become Patron Saint of Ireland and March 17th is the feast day for St. Patrick on the Roman Catholic calendar. While the Irish had celebrated St. Patrick’s Day for centuries, it did not become an official holiday until the 17th century. Since St. Patrick’s Day falls during Lent, the Irish were given special dispensation to celebrate the day. If St. Patrick’s Day falls during Holy Week, it is moved to April 3rd. St. Patrick’s Day is now a public holiday in Ireland and it is widely celebrated around the world. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade held outside of Ireland was held in Boston in the early 18th century.
St. Patrick's Day
For many, St. Patrick’s Day has become a totally secular holiday, much like Christmas. Suddenly, for one day, it seems that everyone in the world is Irish. Traditional Catholics in Ireland go to church on the morning of St. Patrick’s Day and then celebrate in the afternoon. The traditional meal to have on that day is Irish bacon and cabbage. Many of those not-so-traditional people celebrate by drinking green beer and dressing in green.
Susan Keeping - Susan has been writing online for over 10 years and is currently developing a website for women.
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