Although his feastday is officially replaced by the Church’s celebration of the Fifth Sunday of Lent, we still celebrate today the life and death of St. Patrick, the fifth century bishop and patron of Ireland, whose holiness set the example for many of the Church’s future saints.
He is said to have been born around 389 AD in Britain. Captured by Irish raiders when he was about 16, St. Patrick was taken as a slave to Ireland where he lived for six years as a shepherd before escaping and returning to his home. There is a very long history leading to his calling from God to serve the Church, but when St. Patrick eventually returned to Ireland, he was able to use his knowledge of Irish culture which he gained during his years of captivity. Using the traditions and symbols of the Celtic people, he explained Christianity in a way that made sense to the Irish and was thus very successful in spreading the Gospel.
Although not the first missionary to Ireland, St. Patrick is widely regarded as the most successful. His life of sacrifice, prayer, and fasting has laid the foundation for the many saints who built on the success of his missionary work.
What St. Patrick can still teach us: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257099/what-st-patrick-can-still-teach-the-world
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Cada 17 de marzo, la Iglesia celebra la fiesta de San Patricio (ca. 389 – 461), obispo y misionero. Él, junto a Santa Brígida y San Columba, ostenta el patronazgo de Irlanda, nación cuya identidad e historia fueron forjadas al calor del catolicismo.
San Patricio, arzobispo de Armagh, llevó la Buena Nueva a tierras irlandesas en tiempos de la expansión del Evangelio en la Europa Insular. Ciertamente, el cristianismo ya estaba presente en la isla desde antes, pero no fue hasta la llegada de Patricio que la cultura cristiana pudo difundirse ampliamente y echar raíces. Por eso, este gran santo es llamado “el Apóstol de Irlanda.”
