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St. Patrick |
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 | Legend of Saint Patrick Good St. Patrick travelled far, to teach God's Holy Word |
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Saint Patrick was a Christian Missionary and is the Patron Saint of Ireland. Patrick's life became exaggerated over the centuries and the exact dates and details of his life are unclear, but some points are generally agreed:
He was born around 385 in Roman Britain, (Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410.) and isn’t even Irish. When he was about sixteen he was captured by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to what is now Northern Ireland Patrick worked there for six years then escaped and returned to his family. Around 432 he returned to Ireland as a missionary and succeeded in converting many of the island's tribes to Christianity. He is responsible for establishing the Christian church in Ireland. A popular folk tale says that St. Patrick chased all snakes from Ireland, but there is no historical basis for this story. It is believed that the snakes were likely a metaphor for the druidic religions, which eventually disappeared from Ireland in the centuries after St. Patrick planted the seeds of Christianity on the island. Another folk tale, that he used shamrocks to teach about the holy Trinity, is also generally agreed to be a myth but who really knows. But, I always say there is a grain of truth in every myth. He died around 461 supposedly on March 17th. By the eighth century he had become the patron saint of Ireland. |
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| sharnln@yahoo.com Last Updated 02-12-09 |
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