Chicago River dyed greenSt. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was actually born in Wales! At his birth in AD 385, he was given the name Maewyn. In his younger years St. Patrick was far from being a saint, in fact he considered himself a pagan.
At the age of 16 Patrick was sold into slavery by Irish bandits who pillaged his town. It was during his captivity that he became closer to God. After six years of slavery Patrick escaped and ended up in a monastery under the training of St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre.
Eventually Patrick returned to Ireland to convert many native pagans to Christianity. Patrick was quite successful at winning converts, setting up schools and establishing churches to aide the conversion of the Irish country to Christianity. This fact greatly upset the Celtic Druids who had Patrick arrested on a regular basis. He, however, managed to escape his captors each time!
Patrick’s mission in Ireland lasted about thirty years. He died on March 17 in AD 461. We have been commemorating St. Patrick's Day ever since.
Today most people celebrate the day with big parades, partying, the wearing of green and drinking of MUCH BEER… interesting.
Picture taken on the way to Irish Beach in Mendocino County
One traditional icon of the day is the "shamrock". The Irish tell of 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.
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