By Mary O’KEEFE

On St. Patrick’s Day there is a lot of talk about going to the pub and having a pint, but it is important to remember who Patrick was and why he has become the patron saint of Ireland, even though he has not officially been canonized by the Catholic Church.

The celebration of St. Patrick’s Day began in Ireland as a religious feast in the 17th century. When the Irish Catholics emigrated en mass to America during the Great Potato Famine in 1845, they brought their celebration with them. St. Patrick’s Day was not welcomed by Americans in the day and instead was ridiculed by newspapers portraying the recent immigrants in cartoons as drunks and violent monkeys. But the newly arrived Irish soon learned there was strength in numbers – political strength as they organized and created a voting block known as the “green machine.” Politicians took notice and suddenly the annual St. Patrick’s Day parades became a show of strength for the Irish Americans, according to History.com.

Regardless of politics, or a pint or two, the day recognizes a man who forgave his captors and changed a country.

Patrick was born to a wealthy Roman-British family near the end of the fourth century. Though his father and grandfather were Christian, Patrick was not a particularly religious person. At 16 years old, he was taken prisoner by Irish raiders. They took him to Ireland where he was held in captivity for six years.

During these years he worked as a shepherd spending a lot of time alone outdoors. In this solitude he turned to God, becoming a devout Christian.

According to his journal, Patrick had a dream in which he heard God’s voice telling him to leave Ireland. After more than six years, Patrick left, walking almost 200 miles to the Irish coast and to his freedom. Once he returned to Britain, he began his religious studies that lasted for over 15 years. Then he had another dream in which God told him to go back to Ireland as a missionary.

Though Christianity had a foothold in Ireland, there were still many who followed the ancient pagan and Druid religion. Patrick knew the Irish language and culture. He approached his teachings in a way that incorporated the Celtic beliefs with Christianity. For example, he superimposed one of Ireland’s symbols, the sun, onto a Christian cross, creating the Celtic cross. It was with this approach that he was able to convert the Celtic pagans to Christianity – not by telling the pagans that their beliefs were wrong but incorporating them into the teachings of Christ.

The legend of the shamrock is another example of how he used the pagan power of three to teach the Holy Trinity. Centuries later the Irish began to wear this green shamrock symbol, which evolved into the wearing of the green for St. Patrick’s Day.

So this year when you sit down with your corned beef and cabbage, and beverage of choice, take time to remember what this day is really celebrating – a man who devoted his life to forgiveness and understanding and to serving his God.

  Mary Okeefe