Once again St. Patrick’s Day is upon us. For 24 hours each year on March 17th it seems like the whole world becomes a little bit Irish. Green clothing, plastic shamrocks, parades, and leprechauns seem to abound everywhere on this day as we celebrate Ireland’s favorite saint. But as widely as Patrick’s holiday is celebrated, most people actually know very little about who the man really was and why he matters. Here are 5 true facts about St. Patrick.
1. He Wasn’t Irish
Patrick was born around 385 and grew up in a middle class home in Roman colonized Britain. When he was 16 years old, Patrick was kidnapped by raiders and carried off to Ireland.
2. He Was A Slave
When Patrick was taken from his homeland he was forced into slavery and made to work as a shepherd in Northern Ireland. It was a life of poverty and isolation where hunger and nakedness were his constant companions.
3. He Became A Follower Of Christ While A Slave
Before he was kidnapped, Patrick did not have faith in God and found the priests in Britain to be foolish. The freezing nights in the darkness of Northern Ireland changed that. While shepherding the flocks of his captors, Patrick learned to pray and would cry out to God hundreds of times a night, “God save me! God save me! God save me!” Six years later God answered His prayer and led Patrick to a successful escape.
4. Patrick Was 40 Years Old Before He Started His Ministry In Ireland
Back in Britain in his early 20’s, Patrick felt a call to enter the clergy so he went to school, became a priest, and later a bishop. Many years later, at the age of 40, Patrick responded to a call of God on his life and went back to Ireland as a missionary.
5. Patrick Was One of the Most Successful Missionaries In History and One of the First Human Rights Activists
When Patrick arrived in Ireland, Christianity did not exist there in any established form. By the time Patrick died in 461, Ireland was in practice a Christian nation. Patrick baptized over 120,000 people in Ireland and founded over 300 churches there. Patrick’s courage, loyalty, and generosity were admired by the people of Ireland. As he gained influence, he became the first public figure to take a stand against slavery, imploring the Irish people to end its practice altogether.
FYI: I wrote this for the Gospel Music Association a few years back. If you would like to see it as it originally appeared on the GMA Dove Awards web site, you can see it here. GMA Web Site
While we’re on the subject of music, Christ The Lord (Christ Before), a song which I wrote with Eddie Kirkland based on St. Patrick’s Breastplate Prayer, is the first track on my album Hymns, Prayers, and Invitations.
Sheet Music: LIFEWAY WORSHIP
CCLI: Song Select
Stream it on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube
Master Tracks: Loop Community
5 Facts About St. Patrick and Why He Matters