March 17, 461
On this day in 461 A.D., Saint Patrick, Christian missionary, bishop
and apostle of Ireland, dies at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland.
Much of what is known about Patrick's legendary life comes from the
Confessio, a book he wrote during his last years. Born in Great
Britain, probably in Scotland, to a well-to-do Christian family of
Roman citizenship, Patrick was captured and enslaved at age 16 by
Irish marauders. For the next six years, he worked as a herder in
Ireland, turning to a deepening religious faith for comfort. Following
the counsel of a voice he heard in a dream one night, he escaped and
found passage on a ship to Britain, where he was eventually reunited
with his family.
According to the Confessio, in Britain Patrick had another dream, in
which an individual named Victoricus gave him a letter, entitled "The
Voice of the Irish." As he read it, Patrick seemed to hear the voices
of Irishmen pleading him to return to their country and walk among
them once more. After studying for the priesthood, Patrick was
ordained a bishop. He arrived in Ireland in 433 and began preaching
the Gospel, converting many thousands of Irish and building churches
around the country. After 40 years of living in poverty, teaching,
traveling and working tirelessly, Patrick died on March 17, 461 in
Saul, where he had built his first church.
Since that time, countless legends have grown up around Patrick. Made
the patron saint of Ireland, he is said to have baptized hundreds of
people on a single day, and to have used a three-leaf clover--the
famous shamrock--to describe the Holy Trinity. In art, he is often
portrayed trampling on snakes, in accordance with the belief that he
drove those reptiles out of Ireland. For thousands of years, the Irish
have observed the day of Saint Patrick's death as a religious holiday,
attending church in the morning and celebrating with food and drink in
the afternoon. The first St. Patrick's Day parade, though, took place
not in Ireland, but the United States, when Irish soldiers serving in
the English military marched through New York City in 1762. As the
years went on, the parades became a show of unity and strength for
persecuted Irish-American immigrants, and then a popular celebration
of Irish-American heritage. The party went global in 1995, when the
Irish government began a large-scale campaign to market St. Patrick's
Day as a way of driving tourism and showcasing Ireland's many charms
to the rest of the world. Today, March 17 is a day of international
celebration, as millions of people around the globe put on their best
green clothing to drink beer, watch parades and toast the luck of the
Irish.
So, hoist a green one and celebrate! And, if you're not Irish, I now declare you all honorary Irishmen!
Dawn
TDIH - St Patrick dies
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