Who Was St. Patrick?

Posted in Evangelism, holiday, Missions, witnessing by PCraig on March 14, 2013

This Sunday is St. Patricks day.  If you don’t know anything about this famous character, here’s a quick summary.

Yes, There Really Was a Saint Patrick (And He Wasn’t Even Irish :))

St. Patrick’s day is a celebration of clovers, green, and leprechauns.  But did you know there was a real guy named Patrick?

Saint Patrick wasn’t really Irish (he spoke Latin) and technically, he’s not even a saint.  But here’s more about this historical figure.

Patrick was born around 390 AD.  When he was 16 years old he was captured by pirates, taken to Ireland and sold into slavery.  He spent six years there taking care of sheep.  Though he came from a Christian family, he wasn’t overly religious.  But years in the wilderness gave him some time to pray.

In his 20s, Patrick walked 200 miles to a port city, where he took a ship and sailed for home.  He enrolled in seminary and became a pastor.  Years later, he returned to Ireland to preach and start churches.  The church had given up on the drunken, violent Celtic people, but Patrick saw himself as a missionary.

During his life, he trained more than 1,000 pastors and helped start 700 churches.  He took a public stand against slavery.  Some say he even used a 3-leaved shamrock to explain the Trinity.

Patrick is credited for bringing Christianity to Ireland.  He lived his life as a missionary pastor. You may have never been captured by pirates, and you might not think of yourself as a saint, but if you’re a Christian, you are a missionary in a foreign land, just like Patrick.

We get an opportunity this year to reach people for Christ on St. Patrick’s Day and just 2 weeks later for Easter!

1 person commented on this so far, read and add yours...