Memorial of St. Patrick, Bishop

"Saint Patrick’s Day"
 
It is by sheer happenstance that I get to write on my patron saint’s feast day. I couldn’t be happier.

As is the case with many of our venerable saints, hard facts about him are scarce, and legends abound. No one is sure about the date of his birth, except that it was probably at the end of the 4^th century or the beginning of the 5^th. Surprisingly, perhaps, he isn’t an “official saint,” having lived before the Church developed its formal canonization process.

Most commentators agree that Patrick – the personification of all things Irish – was not native-born. He is often described as Romano-British or Romano-Gallic. Either way, he was brought to Ireland as a slave and, during his six years of captivity, learned the Irish language. Remarkably, after becoming a priest, he voluntarily returned and spent the rest of his life serving the people who had taken him by force from his home.

Despite strong evidence of an earlier Christian presence in Ireland, he is generally credited with introducing the faith and he became the first bishop of Armagh [which, despite Dublin’s importance these days, is still the prelature.]

The most famous prayer attributed to him is St. Patrick’s Breastplate. Too long to cite in full, I want to share with you my favorite lines: