St. Patrick was born in Britain—not Ireland—to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D., thus the day we celebrate St. Paddy’s Day. Green beer, funny hats, bad sweaters, green rivers, leprechauns, whiskey, fights and possibly a visit to the local county jail for public disturbance is what Americans think of when the holiday approaches. Not really the real story behind the Saint, but certainly good for tourism. Although Saint Patrick’s father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family. At the age of 16, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family’s estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. Here’s where it gets interesting....he used the shamrock to teach the trinity, and preached christianity to his captors. Like good Irish folklore, he used symbolism of snakes, representing evil, and spoke of driving the evil out of Ireland . After many years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice—which he believed to be God’s—spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland. To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation—an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than 15 years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission: to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. (Interestingly, this mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.) A strong lad, noble one. My son’s namesake. Erin go bragh!