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WHO
WAS ST PAT ?
Taken
Prisoner by Irish Raiders |
Guided By Visions | Bonfires
and Crosses
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St.
Patrick
St.
Patrick, the patron saint
of Ireland, is one of
Christianity's most widely
known figures. But for
all his celebrity, his
life remains somewhat
of a mystery. Many of
the stories traditionally
associated with St. Patrick,
including the famous account
of his banishing all the
snakes from Ireland, are
false, the products of
hundreds of years of exaggerated
storytelling.
Taken
Prisoner By Irish Raiders
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It
is known that St. Patrick was
born in Britain to wealthy parents
near the end of the fourth century.
He is believed to have died
on March 17, around 460 A.D.
Although his father was a Christian
deacon, it has been suggested
that he probably took on the
role because of tax incentives
and there is no evidence that
Patrick came from a particularly
religious family. At the age
of sixteen, Patrick was taken
prisoner by a group of Irish
raiders who were attacking his
family's estate. They transported
him to Ireland where he spent
six years in captivity. (There
is some dispute over where this
captivity took place. Although
many believe he was taken to
live in Mount Slemish in County
Antrim, it is more likely that
he was held in County Mayo near
Killala.) During this time,
he worked as a shepherd, outdoors
and away from people. Lonely
and afraid, he turned to his
religion for solace, becoming
a devout Christian. (It is also
believed that Patrick first
began to dream of converting
the Irish people to Christianity
during his captivity.)
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Guided
By Visions
After
more than six years as
a prisoner, Patrick escaped.
According to his writing,
a voice—which he
believed to be God's—spoke
to him in a dream, telling
him it was time to leave
Ireland. To do so, Patrick
walked nearly 200 miles
from County Mayo, where
it is believed he was
held, to the Irish coast.
After escaping to Britain,
Patrick reported that
he experienced a second
revelation—an angel
in a dream tells him to
return to Ireland as a
missionary. Soon after,
Patrick began religious
training, a course of
study that lasted more
than fifteen years. After
his ordination as a priest,
he was sent to Ireland
with a dual mission—to
minister to Christians
already living in Ireland
and to begin to convert
the Irish. (Interestingly,
this mission contradicts
the widely held notion
that Patrick introduced
Christianity to Ireland.)
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Bonfires
and Crosses
Familiar
with the Irish language
and culture, Patrick chose
to incorporate traditional
ritual into his lessons
of Christianity instead
of attempting to eradicate
native Irish beliefs.
For instance, he used
bonfires to celebrate
Easter since the Irish
were used to honoring
their gods with fire.
He also superimposed a
sun, a powerful Irish
symbol, onto the Christian
cross to create what is
now called a Celtic cross,
so that veneration of
the symbol would seem
more natural to the Irish.
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(Although
there were a small number of
Christians on the island when
Patrick arrived, most Irish
practiced a nature-based pagan
religion. The Irish culture
centered around a rich tradition
of oral legend and myth. When
this is considered, it is no
surprise that the story of Patrick's
life became exaggerated over
the centuries—spinning
exciting tales to remember history
has always been a part of the
Irish way of life. )
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