Who Was Saint Patrick?

Saint Patrick was a citizen of Rome and grew up in occupied Britain in late fourth century A.D. The Barbarian Celtic tribes of Ireland often raided the coast of Britain and it is thought that Patrick was captured by them during his early adolescence and taken to Ireland as a slave around 400 A.D. Patrick was a Christian, and his faith grew as he labored in a country of pagan nature worshipers.

He eventually fled from Ireland after a divine dream showed him a coastal escape route. After his return to Britain, he had another dream in which the Celtic people begged him to return to the land where he was once a captive slave. Patrick became a priest and received the title of bishop in the church. He then returned to Ireland and preached the Gospel throughout the country, converting many to the Christian faith.

His teachings are immortalized in the shamrock, which he used to illustrate the Holy Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three in one. Legend also has it that he drove the snakes from Ireland. To this day, there are practically no snakes in Ireland. Saint Patrick is most often represented as a Bishop, holding his staff in one hand and a shamrock in the other, and beneath his feet, he is trampling a snake.