St Patrick - The Shamrock Saint!
Guest Post By Rose M.
If you're interested in St Patrick then keep reading! Specifically, I'll be covering his feast day and a short history of his life. St Patrick's day is world famous, it is a day of pride and also a day of religious observance in Ireland (Catholics are obliged to attend Church as part of the celebrations). It has also become a day of entertainment and celebration across the globe. It is a special day for the Irish, their culture and their way of life for their worldwide and countless descendants.
When God said "Go forth and multiply" the Irish took this literally! A nation of 'saints and sinners,' the Irish have spread their good cheer, love of the 'craic' and their faith in God across all the continents.
A gifted, intelligent people of naturally modest dispositions, their tiny cradle of firm missionary beliefs from the emerald isle has reached places that not even armies could reach such as places in Africa in the 20's and Papua New Guinea even in the 50's.
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St Patrick I am sure, gazes with a twinkle of joy in his eyes on his adopted country on his feast day, March 17th, which has become by default, his adopted country's feast day. I am sure he casts over to St Bridget, the other patron saint of Ireland, a wee gaze of apology as she is forgotten mostly outside of Ireland, apart from her remarkable straw cross which you see above many a door even to this day.
St Patrick came to the Irish people voluntarily, as a Bishop (after first being dragged there first as a slave by raiders and managing to escape as a teen). He went back to set the religious world to rights for the Irish and to lead them directly and securely on their path towards Christianity and God.
St Patrick came to fertile ground on his travels as the Irish have a predisposition towards the mystical and the unseen. St Patrick knew he just needed to steer the people, his flock, in the right direction and his zeal in preaching the truth of God's Kingdom spread far and wide throughout the kingdom.
The use of the Irish three leafed shamrock proved his need to keep the new religion both practical and in tune with the mysteries of the Divinity as one God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The effects of St Patrick's almighty preaching and zeal are still felt throughout the globe to this day and there is barely a country in the world which doesn't have schools, universities and confraternities built by the dedicated and often heroic Irish immigrants and missionaries of yester year and often named after the man himself.
The land of Tara has indeed spread her faith, her song and her giftedness through the world following the natural wanderlust of the Irish. The modern phenomenon of Riverdance which took the world by storm from 1995 onwards shows how relevant and beautiful Irish culture steeped in elemental spirituality still is.
As for St Patrick (circa 387-493) himself there is little hard substantiated evidence of his life. As mentioned above, whilst a Roman citizen living in Great Britain, he was captured by raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland whereon he returned there again when free to lead the Irish to Christ.
Many places in Scotland and England claim St Patrick's birthplace as their heritage such as Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands, however no association has been linked categorically with any Church named after him.
Out of all the patron saints, St Patrick has done the best missionary work as far as Church attendance on his feast is concerned and also entertainment, he draws the crowds in.
The oldest surviving prayer to St Patrick's is the 'breastplate' prayer calling down divine protection and reminding us of the mystical divine presence of God in our midst.
For more information on who St Patrick is and a copy of his Confession, one of the only documents surviving from St Patrick's teaching go to http://www.saintpatrickcentre.com/saint_patrick.php.
For a copy of St Patrick's powerful prayer of protection-the breastplate prayer go to http://www.knowledgeofgodsperfectlove.com/p/st-patricks-powerful-prayer-breastplate.html.
Rose M McGee is an author and catechist who loves to share the knowledge of God's love with others.
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