Saint Patrick

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17, the anniversary of his death

in the fifth century.

Patrick may be known as the patron saint of Ireland, but he was never actually

canonized by the Catholic Church. He was born in Great Britain—not Ireland.

When Patrick was about sixteen years old, he was captured and sold into slavery in

Ireland. He was put to work as a shepherd. He lived in Ireland for six years. During

this time, he turned to prayer.

One night, Patrick had a dream that a ship was waiting, and he knew it was the

answer to his prayers. Patrick ran away and found a ship that took him home to Britain.

But his dreams did not end there. In another dream, Patrick heard the voices of the

Irish people calling and begging him to come back and help them learn more about

Christianity. Patrick did not want to go back to Ireland but he trusted in God, and he

went anyway. As soon as Patrick got to Ireland, he knew he had made the right

decision.