St. Patrick was not Irish

St. Patrick was not Irish

Did you know …

In 387 AD, Maewyn Succat, who later became known as St. Patrick, was born to Roman parents in Kilpatrick, Scotland. Ireland was called Hibernia in those days.

Kidnapped

Raiders from Hibernia kidnapped Maewyn when he turned sixteen. Miliuc bought him as a slave to tend his sheep.

For six years, Maewyn lived a difficult life as a shepherd. He learned to speak Gaelic, the Irish language. He prayed to God many times. Sometimes he prayed all night. He became a strong Christian.

Maewyn escapes

One day a voice told him that he would soon return home. He walked 200 miles to the sea and boarded a ship. Eventually he went to France and became a priest. After he became a bishop, the pope gave him a new name, Patricius, Latin for Patrick.

united-kingdom-1428683_960_720Go back to Hibernia (Ireland)

Patrick knew the language in Ireland and returned there to teach the people about God and His Son, Jesus. 

Shamrock

To explain the trinity of God. Patrick plucked a shamrock from the ground. Using one stalk of clover with three leaves he explained how God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit made up one God. His listeners were familiar with the plants and understood Patrick’s example. 

st-patricks-day-1272034_960_720The shamrock is a symbol of St. Patrick’s Day.

Parades

We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on the anniversary of his death on March 17.

Irish soldiers in the English army marched through New York City to music for the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1762. Parades are still held on this day in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Savannah, and other cities.

 -Sandra Merville Hart

 

Resources

Landau, Elaine. Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, Enslow Publishers, 2012.

“St. Patrick’s Day,” history.com, 2014/01/15 http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day.

 “The History of St. Patrick,” IrishAbroad.com, 2014/01/15 http://www.irishabroad.com/stpatrick/life/history.asp.

 

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