History Behind the Holiday: The Real St. Patrick

The real St. Patrick, a.k.a. the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales in the late 4th Century AD. His real name was probably Maewyn Succat, although Patricius was his Romanicized name, he later became known as Patrick. St. Patrick was an integral part of the Irish heritage, mostly through his service across Ireland in the 5th century.

Far from being a saint, until he was 16, he considered himself a pagan. At that age, he was sold into slavery by a group of Irish marauders that raided his village. During his captivity, he dreamed of having seen God. Legend says, he was then dictated by God to escape with a getaway ship. Finally, he did escape and went to Britain, then France.

He studied in the monastery under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre for a period of twelve years. During his training he became aware that his calling was to convert the pagans to Christianity. The Confessio, Patrick's spiritual autobiography, is the most importantdocument regarding this. It tells of a dream after his return to Britain, in which one Victoricus delivered him a letter headed "The Voice of the Irish." So he set out for Ireland with the Pope's blessings.

Patrick was quite successful at winning converts, upsetting the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries, schools and churches across the country which would aid his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity.

His mission in Ireland lasted for 30 years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.

One traditional icon of the day is the shamrock. And this stems from a more bona fide Irish tale that tells how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.

The St. Patrick's Day custom came to America in 1737, when it was publicly celebrated in Boston. Today, people celebrate the day with parades, wearing of the green, and drinking beer. One reason St. Patrick's Day might have become so popular is that it takes place just a few days before the first day of spring, perhaps that is why some call it the first green of spring.