Most people, including myself until recently, know little to
nothing about St. Patrick’s Day, other than it is a day when
everyone must wear visible green or expect to get pinched all
day! But both the life of St. Patrick and the various traditions
surrounding his day are extremely interesting. The Story of St.
Patrick St. Patrick, although known as the patron saint of
Ireland, was not born there, nor was he of Irish nationality. He
was believed to have been born in Scotland to Roman parents. As
a teen, he was kidnapped by pirates and taken to Ireland, where
he was a slave, herding sheep for six years. During this time,
he became fluent in the Irish language, which was, at that time,
quite different from English, and turned to God for his strength
and support, developing a deep and strong prayer life. Patrick
had a vision from God telling him to run to the coast, where he
would find a ship that he could escape on. He did so, and
eventually made it to France, where his devotion to God led him
to study and beco