♣ Do you know who St. Patrick was ? ♣

[SUNSHINEGIRL_30]

                  Who Was St. Patrick?

 

Although it's not a national holiday in the United States, many communities across the country celebrate St. Patrick's Day with parades, festivals, and "wearing of the green." In fact, St. Patrick's Day parades are an American invention. The first parade honoring the day occurred in Boston in 1762. Over the years, parades and other celebrations on St. Patrick's Day became a way for Irish immigrants to remember their roots. Who was St. Patrick, and what is the meaning behind some well-known St. Patrick's Day legends?

While much of St. Patrick's life is clouded by legend, there are some generally agreed-upon facts. Most historians agree that he was born in Scotland or Wales around 370 A.D. and that his given name was Maewyn Succat. His parents, Calpurnius and Conchessa, were Romans living in Britain.

As a teenager, Maewyn was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland, where he worked as a shepherd. It was during that time he began to have religious visions and dreams. In one dream, he was shown a way to escape from Ireland — by going to the coast and getting on a ship. After a perilous journey of hundreds of miles, he arrived at the coast and discovered a ship bound to Britain.

Back in Britain, Maewyn's dreams continued. In his spiritual autobiography, the Confessio, he told of a dream about a man named Victoricus, who came to him with letters from Ireland. In this vision, Maewyn writes:

...as I read the beginning of the letter I thought that at the same moment I heard their voice...and this did they cry out as with one mouth: 'We ask thee, boy, come and walk among us once more.'

Although these visions moved him, Maewyn didn't feel himself worthy of returning to Ireland in his non-believer state. So, he journeyed to France where he entered a monastery and began studying for the priesthood. At this time he changed his name to Patrick (meaning "father of his people" in Latin).

It was only after finding his true spiritual self that Patrick felt he could answer the call to return to Ireland to "care and labour for the salvation of others." He returned as a bishop around 432 A.D., traveled throughout Ireland spreading the word of God, and built churches and schools.

Patrick's humility, engaging personality, and knowledge of the social structure in Ireland helped his mission succeed. Eventually he made his headquarters at Armagh (in present-day Northern Ireland). By the time of his death on March 17 between 461 A.D. and 490 A.D., Ireland was almost entirely Christian. St. Patrick is Ireland's patron saint.

Tags: ireland, united sates doesn't celebrate, others do, parades, who

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[AlohaWahine]

Mar. 9, 2009 at 2:41 PM