Will The Real St. Patrick........
Are you still looking at the world through green-colored eyes? If you're like most people, you turned Irish for a day on March 17, St. Patrick's Day. While chomping on that green bagel or taking a swig of green beer (which, by the way, is an American tradition, not an Irish one), I'll bet you sat pondering the legend of the real St. Patrick. No? Well, here's your opportunity.
Ireland's famed St. Patrick was actually born in Kilpatrick, Scotland in the year 387. And he wasn't born with the name Patrick; his given birth name was Maewyn Succat. The name Patrick was given to him by Pope Celestine much later in life. Adding to his non-Irish background, his parents were Calphurnius and Conchessa, members of a high-ranking Roman family.
Much like the land for which he was declared patron saint, the story of St. Patrick's life is riddled with fact and myth. It has been said that the myths about St. Patrick have been so intricately woven into the facts of his life, it's hard to tell where history ends and myth takes over.
The undisputed facts about St. Patrick are that at the age of sixteen, he was captured by Irish marauders and sold into slavery in Ireland. For six years he tended his master's sheep on a mountainside. During this time he developed a perfect command of the Celtic language and become familiar with all aspects of Druidism. He stated in his "Confessio" that during his captivity he said "as many as a hundred prayers" every day, and again the same amount every night. Finally he escaped from his master, traveling approximately 200 miles to the sea, and found a ship on which he could sail back to Scotland. He was now completely devoted to serving God.
Eventually he was ordained as a deacon, then a priest where he engaged in missionary work, and then a bishop. But he began longing for Ireland, and it was Pope Celestine who sent him on a mission to bring Christianity to Ireland. The Pope bestowed upon him spiritual gifts and relics, and gave him the name "Patercius" or "Patritius", meaning "the father of his people". He traveled widely in Celtic countries, which is evidenced by the fact that so many places in Brittany, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland are named after him.
It is at this point that myth and fact become almost as one.
There are dozens of legends of miracles and magical fights between St. Patrick and the druids. One states that a chieftain named Dichu tried to prevent his advance. Dichu drew his sword to kill St. Patrick, but his arm became as rigid as a statue and remained that way until he promised his loyalty to the saint. Amazed by the meekness of the saint as well as his miracles, Dichu made him a gift of a large barn. This barn became the first sanctuary dedicated by St. Patrick.
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