Though he didn't chase the snakes out of Ireland and probably never really used a shamrock to explain the mystery of the Trinity, St. Patrick well deserves to be honored. And not just by the Irish (or those who want to be Irish…and you know who you are).
(Painting by Jane Duke)
Patrick is perhaps one of the most famous survivors of child trafficking. When he was only 16 he was kidnapped by Irish raiders from his home in Britain and brought to Ireland as a slave. He spent 6 years there in slavery, before escaping (by walking over 200 miles to the Irish coast) and returning to Britain on a ship.
After returning home he had a recurring dream that called him back to Ireland. A man Patrick knew in Ireland, appeared to him in this dream, holding letters, one of which he handed to Patrick. The letter was entitled "The Voice of the Irish." Upon reading just the title, he heard a multitude of voices crying out to him: "Holy boy, we beg you to come and walk among us once more." And you know the rest of the story.
Not surprisingly, Patrick’s own experience in captivity left him with an intense hatred of slavery, and he would later become one of the first human beings in history to speak out unequivocally against it.
Thomas Cahill in his book, “How the Irish Saved Civilization” writes; “The papacy did not condemn slavery as immoral until the end of the 19th century, but here is Patrick in the fifth century seeing it for what it is. I think that shows enormous insight and courage and a tremendous 'fellow feeling'—the ability to suffer with other people and to understand what other people's suffering is like.”
So…what if we did more than just lift a pint to honor the life and work of Saint Patrick? What if we also embraced his understanding of the intrinsic value and great worth of every human being, especially the broken and excluded? What if we had the same tenacity to bring about change? What if we went way beyond dressing in green and downing a Guinness, and decided to not only “understand what other people's suffering is like”, but to attempt to end that suffering as well?
Here’s to Saint Patrick!
Here’s to Abolition!
-Rob
President
Love146
Follow me on Twitter HERE
5th Century Abolitionist
Submitted by Daniel (not verified) on Thu, 03/17/2011 - 7:34am.
I had no idea he was kidnapped and a child slave. Thanks for sharing Rob.
Re:
Submitted by Hareton (not verified) on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 12:35am.
right, this holiday is getting more and more popular all over the world, but with all the celebrating going on, I would venture to say that most people do not know a lot about St. Patrick except for he was Irish (he wasn’t) and that he drove snakes from Ireland (he didn’t—a 400 A.D. urban legend). He didn’t find a pot of gold and he didn’t catch a leprechaun. I encourage you to find out more about him. He went from being a slave, escaping but developing such a profound love for these people, that, he went back as a bishop to minister to them. He was an remarkable servant of Christ. It is well worth imitating him as one who puts total trust in Jesus, even during very adverse times.
I had not idea either that he
Submitted by Jon (not verified) on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 6:27am.
I had not idea either that he was a slave. Thanks a lot Rob for a good and informative post Best Regards Jon from jak poderwac dziewczyne
Would you be believing that I
Submitted by Mushroom (not verified) on Sat, 03/17/2012 - 6:04am.
Would you be believing that I was trained to be Irish, having grown up in an Irish neighborhood, going to a Catholic grammar school where most of the nuns were from Ireland and the church where all the priests were from Ireland? "tis true. However, Saint Patrick, not only brought Christianity to Ireland, he and his followers destroyed the indigenous religion and committed atrocities to those who wouldn't convert. The snakes in the legend, were not God's slithery creatures, they were the Druids and others who refused to convert to Christianity. Jesus never set down a requirement that all other religions must be destroyed. It is too bad that so many Christians in history, felt that way. People are a mix of good and bad. And sometimes, when one becomes a zealot, he cannot tolerate other points of view. All that said,I am grateful that I was trained to be Irish, especially on St Patrick's day. Here’s to Saint Patrick! Here’s to Abolition!
The irish are very aware of
Submitted by Wth? (not verified) on Sun, 03/18/2012 - 12:21am.
The irish are very aware of nature, and worshipped it for centuries (if not millenia)- If he didn't use a shamrock, he most likely used something similar- as the number three was very sacred to the druids. Who the heck are your sources?! You obviously know very little of Irish history or culture. Yeah, he was a slave- and he noted the very harsh living conditions of the irish as a slave. You speak as if you are an authority on this matter and know very little about it. This (quite obviously) frustrates me :D
Yes, you have to research as
Submitted by Wth? (not verified) on Sun, 03/18/2012 - 12:56am.
Yes, you have to research as far as... wikipedia...to find that the "shamrock was seen as sacred in the pre christian days of Ireland. Due to it's green color and overall shape, many viewed it as representing rebirth and eternal life. Three was a sacred number in the pagan religion and there were a number of triple goddesses in ancient Ireland, including Brigid, Eiru, and Morrigan." And, St. Patrick was NOT trafficked. You make it sound like he was a sex slave- and he took care of sheep, for Christ's sake! I am offended on so many levels by this post. Here is a short, wikipedia article with some real information on St. Patrick (for anyone interested in learning about him and/or ancient Irish history) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick and while not the most sacred of animals to the pagan religion (that would either be the horse or pig) here is a little something written up on snakes and what they symbolized to the ancient celts: http://www.irishastrology.com/celtic-animals/celtic-symbols-serpent/celtic-symbols-serpents.html
Hi there. Actually, the
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 03/18/2012 - 5:07am.
Hi there. Actually, the latest historical research suggests that St. Patrick OWNED slaves. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/17/us-stpatrick-history-idUSBRE82G04720120317?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews
It is so sad when facts get
Submitted by CATHOLICMOM3 (not verified) on Sun, 03/18/2012 - 7:06am.
It is so sad when facts get in the way of your little history lesson on St Patrick. "To be deep into history is to cease being Protestant". Slave traffic victim and slave owner really?? Father forgive for they know what they do. St Patrick pray for us.
This has been a new trivia
Submitted by candy (not verified) on Tue, 06/05/2012 - 8:41pm.
This has been a new trivia for me, never had idea about the entire life of St Patrick, only just the day we celebrate on every March. ipad keyboard
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