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We celebrate Saint
Patrick's Day each year on March 17th. The festive holiday
has everyone wearing green (so they don't get pinched) and
chatting of four leaf clovers, shamrocks, lucky leprechauns, and
kissing some big rock called a blarney stone. Does it all sound
a bit strange? It did to me too but after a bit of research it
all made sense. Here's what I found out.
Did you know that Saint Patrick's name at birth was Maewyn
Succat? He was born somewhere near the end of the fourth
century and took on the name Patrick or Patricus, after he
became a priest, much later in his life. At the age of sixteen
Maewyn Succat was kidnapped from his native land of Britain, by
a band pirates, and sold into slavery in Ireland. Maewyn worked
as a shepherd and turned to religion for solace. After six long
years of slavery he escaped to the northern coast of Gaul.
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In
Gaul, Maewyn became Patrick (a more christian
name) and studied in the monastery under St. Germain,
bishop of Auxerre for twelve years. He came to
believe that it was his calling to convert the pagans of
Ireland to Christianity. St. Palladius was appointed to
go to Ireland first but transferred to Scotland two
years later opening up the door for Patrick. Patrick was
about sixty years old when he arrived in Ireland and it
is said that he had a winning personality that helped
him win converts. He used the shamrock, which resembles
a three-leafed clover, to help explain the concept of
the Trinity (father, son, holy spirit).
Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each
time. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing
monasteries and setting up schools and churches to aid
in converting the Irish country to Christianity. Legend
has it that Saint Patrick drove all the snakes out of
Ireland. |
Evidently, they
all went into the sea and drowned. The snake is a pagan symbol
and perhaps this is a figurative tale explaining that he drove
paganism out of Ireland.
Patrick's mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. He then
retired to County Down and died on March 17 in 461 AD. That day
has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since. The first
year St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in this country was 1737
in Boston, Massachusetts. As the saying goes, on this day
"everybody is Irish!" Over 100 U.S. cities now hold
Saint Patrick's Day parades.
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