Saint Patrick | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

fl. fifth century

British/Irish Clergyman

One of the best-known Catholic saints, Saint Patrick was sent by the Church to Ireland in the mid-fifth century to bring Christianity to the Irish. For over a half century, he traveled through Ireland, spreading the Christian religion among the Druids. He is largely credited with almost single-handedly converting much of Ireland to Christianity in a single lifetime. In so doing, he became the Irish patron saint and national apostle.

Patrick was born in Britain in the late fourth century or early fifth century. His parents wereRomanized Britons, and his father, Calpurnius, was an official in the local government and a deacon in the British Christian faith. Patrick was taken from his parents and sold into slavery by Irish raiders at the age of sixteen. Isolated by language, religion, and distance from everything familiar, Patrick turned to prayer and faith to see him through. After six years of servitude, Patrick escaped his master, begging his way aboard a ship to Britain. There, he was reunited with his family after nearly starving to death and being briefly recaptured. Around this time, too, he decided to devote himself to God, becoming a priest.

In Patrick's Confessio, his spiritual autobiography, he mentions having a vision in which he received a letter from the Irish begging him to return to them. He impressed his superiors sufficiently that they agreed to send him to Ireland, hoping he could succeed where his predecessor, Palladius, had failed. Although he was filled with doubts about his ability to adequately serve in Ireland, Patrick came into his own almost as soon as he stepped ashore, and rarely doubted again that he could succeed.

Patrick concentrated his efforts in the north and west of Ireland, never claiming to have converted all of Ireland, although his words and fame certainly spread throughout the island quickly. To achieve his aims, however, Patrick was forced to be as much politician as saint, because his goals were entirely contrary to those of Ireland's rulers.

In particular, Patrick was careful to visit local kings, bringing small gifts to them while refusing to take gifts himself. He was similarly careful with others whose influence was important in swaying the opinions of others. Like many other Christian evangelists, he realized that converting a king often led to converting the king's subjects, because many kings simply decreed the religion of their subjects. However, Patrick was willing to speak with, baptize, and convert all who came to him, king and commoner alike. It was this fundamental fairness that earned him the respect and admiration of so many of his followers.

In spite of this, Patrick was often arrested and was several times threatened with death during his work. Each time he was eventually released, and he returned to his preaching as soon as he could. Throughout, he never lost his faith or his confidence in his ability to complete his mission.

There are only two writings by St. Patrick that are known to exist. The most famous is his Confessio. Written as a response to British church officials, the Confessio details Patrick's spiritual growth and development through much of his career. Although his Latin is often rough and unpolished, many scholars have been impressed with the moral and spiritual greatness that is evident, as well as the simple strength of his faith. His other work, the Epistola, is a strong indictment of British treatment of the Irish Christians, even at this early stage in the countries' relationship.

By the end of his life, Patrick had traveled widely through Ireland, becoming a beloved clerical fixture in the process. It is said that his death shroud was made for him by St. Brigid, and St. Tassach administered his last sacraments. These facts, however, are not as important as what he accomplished during his career and his many travels through Ireland.

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