Was St. Patrick Irish?

That was a question I used to ask my communication students each year. If anyone answered that he was British or Roman, he received extra credit for that day’s assignment. And I got to tell the rest of the class about St. Patrick’s Day since most Americans confuse him with a drunken leprechaun.

Until I read How The Irish Saved Civilization, I never thought about St. Patrick except to remember that I was descended from English and Irish immigrants. But Dr. Tom Cahill’s book opened my eyes to what an outstanding person he was and how his life has made a difference in the way we live today.

You see, it was the Irish who kidnapped the wealthy teenaged Patrick and sold him to a brutal slave master, Milchu, a Druid priest. For six long years, Patrick tended Milchu’s flocks, learned the Celtic language, studied the Druid religion, and developed in his own Christian faith.

He eventually escaped, studied for the priesthood, and then willingly returned to Ireland to pay Milchu the money for his own ransom. He did not demand apologies or reparations for the cruelties he had suffered in Ireland. Instead, he brought the gospel of Jesus Christ to an entire nation, saving the people from the barbarism of their pagan religion.

As he converted the Irish to the Christian faith, he created the atmosphere that fostered learning and literature. Later Irish monks carefully copied manuscripts of the Bible, Christian doctrine, and philosophy in both Greek and Latin. They preserved for all future generations the body of knowledge that would have otherwise been lost when barbarian hordes were burning and looting Europe.

May you be blessed with
warmth in your home,
love in your heart,
peace in your soul
and joy in your life.