St. Patrick – Missionary, Bishop and Patron Saint of Ireland

Rebroadcast of the long-running radio program, "The Ave Maria Hour," a presentation of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. www.AtonementFriars.org

St. Patrick of Ireland was born in Britain around the year 386. Around the age of fourteen, he was captured by pirates and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. Patrick's captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream in which God told him to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him back to Britain and was reunited with his family.

Patrick entered the priesthood and, inspired by a vision, he returned to Ireland, then a land of Druids and pagans. Patrick spent 40 years preaching the Gospel and converting people throughout Ireland. He built churches across the country, and many miracles were attributed to him. St. Patrick died on March 17, 461. We observe the Feast of St. Patrick on March 17.