So, Just Who is This St. Patrick Guy?

Ok, we will all be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this weekend. There will be plenty of places to do just that. While you are celebrating ask yourself "Do I even know who St. Patrick was?"  Well, despite being somewhat of a celebrity Saint, St. Patrick really isn't that well known.

Most people have heard that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Well the stories of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland are false. Those stories were products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.

It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D.

There is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family although Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family’s estate at the age of 16. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity becoming a devout Christian.

Patrick finally escaped captivity and fled back to Britain but returned to Ireland as a missionary to introduce Christianity to the Irish people.

Now you know the real St. Patrick. Now you know why you are celebrating.