St. Patrick & the History of St. Patrick's Day

Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 493. His father Calphurnius belonged to a Roman family of high rank and held the office of decurio in Gaul or Britain.and Conchessa. His mother Conchessa was a near relative of the great patron of Gaul, Saint Martin of Tours.

Kilpatrick still retains many memorials of Saint Patrick, and frequent pilgrimages continued far into the Middle Ages. In his sixteenth year, Patrick was carried off by Irish marauders and sold as a slave to a chieftan named Milchu. For six years he tended his master's flocks.

He relates in his "Confessio" that during his captivity while tending the flocks he prayed many times in the day: "the love of God", he added,

"and His fear increased in me more and more, and the faith grew in me, and the spirit was roused, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers, and in the night nearly the same, so that whilst in the woods and on the mountain, even before the dawn, I was roused to prayer and felt no hurt from it, whether there was snow or ice or rain; nor was there any slothfulness in me, such as I see now, because the spirit was then fervent within me."

The six years of Patrick's captivity became preparation for his future work. He gained knowledge of the Celtic tongue and, since his master Milchu was a druidical high priest, he became familiar with the details of Druidism so that he had the knowledge to effectively teach against it and counter their claims, charms and arguments later.

After six years, instructed in a dream by an angel he fled his master and travelled about 200 miles to the west. His journey was probably towards Killala Bay and onwards to Westport. He found a ship ready to set sail and thought the sailors originally refused to accept him, he was eventually allowed to board.

In a few days he was reunited with his family in Britain, but his heart was slowly filled with the conviction that he should devote himself to the service of God. He travelled to Saint Martin's monastery at Tours, and later to the island sanctuary of Lerins which had widespread renown for learning and piety, seeking education and training towards becoming a priest.

Saint Germain of Auxerre was Patrick's tutor, spiritual director and guide for many years. It was at that great bishop's hands that Saint Patrick was ordained to the priesthood. Patrick's thoughts continued to turn towards Ireland, and from time to time he was favoured with visions of the children from Focluth, by the Western sea, who cried to him: "O holy youth, come back, and walk once more amongst us."

Pope Saint Celestine I entrusted Saint Patrick with the mission of gathering the Irish race into the one fold of Christ. Palladius had already received that commission, but terrified by the fierce opposition of a Wicklow chieftain had abandoned the sacred enterprise, and later died in France. Saint Germain, Bishop of Auxerre commended Patrick to the pope.

It was probably in the summer months of the year 433 that Patrick and his companions landed in Ireland. The Druids and chieftains were all against him, but Patrick was undeterred. He set out first to visit his old master, to pay his ransom, and stayed in that area for some time to preach the Gospel to his former fellow slaves and captors. He performed his first miracle on Irish soil to confirm the honor due to the Blessed Virgin, and the Divine birth of our Saviour. A chieftain, named Dichu, drew his sword against the saint, but his arm became rigid as a statue and continued so until he declared himself obedient to Patrick. Overcome by the saint's meekness and miracles, Dichu asked for instruction and made a gift of a large barn. This was the first sanctuary dedicated by Saint Patrick in Ireland. It became in later years a chosen retreat of the saint.

Saint Patrick learned from Dichu that the chieftains had been summoned to celebrate a special feast at Tara by Leoghaire, who was the Supreme Monarch of Ireland. Patrick saw this as a great opportunity; he would present himself before the assembly, to strike a decisive blow against the Druidism that held the nation captive, and to secure freedom for the glad tidings of Redemption.

It was on 26 March, Easter Sunday, in 433, that the kingdom was to meet at Tara. A royal decree went forth that fires throughout the kingdom were to be extinguished until a signal blaze was kindled at the royal mansion. Saint Patrick arrived at the hill of Slane (pronounced Slay-ne), at the opposite extremity of the valley from Tara, on Easter Eve, and on the summit of the hill kindled the Paschal fire. The druids at once told the king. "O King, live for ever; this fire, which has been lighted in defiance of the royal edict, will blaze for ever in this land unless it be this very night extinguished."

Repeated attempts were made to extinguish the blessed fire and to punish with death the intruder who had disobeyed the royal command. But the kings and druid's efforts were in vain. The fire was not extinguished and Patrick shielded by the Divine power. On Easter Day the missionary band proceeded in processional order to Tara.

It was on this occasion that Saint Patrick picked a shamrock, to explain by its triple leaf and single stem, in some rough way, to the assembled chieftains, the great doctrine of the Blessed Trinity. On that bright Easter Day, the triumph of religion at Tara was complete. The Ard-Righ granted permission to Patrick to preach the Faith throughout the length and breadth of Erin, and the druidical prophecy like the words of Balaam of old would be fulfilled: the sacred fire now kindled by the saint would never be extinguished.

Saint Patrick remained during Easter week at Slane and Tara, teaching everyone gathered in the area lessons of Divine truth. Meanwhile the national games were being celebrated a few miles