St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. | Drew Beamer/Unsplash
In the secular world, St. Patrick's Day is marked by wearing green and decorating with shamrocks. In the Catholic Church, it has a greater significance, as St. Patrick is credited with spreading Christianity in Ireland.
The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee celebrated St. Patrick's Day on Thursday with a Facebook post mini-biography of St. Patrick.
"Happy St. Patrick's Day!" the post said. "Born in Britain in 389 AD, St. Patrick was captured by Irish raiders at age 16. As a slave, he shepherded pigs and sheep for six years before escaping and returning home, where he studied at monastic settlements in Italy and France."
While slaving as a shepherd, his loneliness led him to rely on his faith to get through tough times, a report on history.com said this week. At one point, God told him in a dream that it was time to escape back to Britain, and Patrick is said to have walked approximately 200 miles to achieve that goal. Once he was home in Britain, God instructed him to return to Ireland as a missionary.
"St. Patrick then returned to Ireland where he used his knowledge of Irish culture and symbols like the shamrock to teach and spread the faith," the Facebook post said, ending with the plea, "St. Patrick, please pray for us!"
Although Ireland was largely pagan at the time, Patrick didn't let that stand in his way, a report on Franciscan Media said. He dreamed that all the children of Ireland were reaching out their hands to him and realized the importance of his missionary work. Despite opposition from some of the pagans, Patrick converted many to Christianity. His calling led him to ordain priests, found monasteries and establish dioceses. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and of engineers.
Myths and legends abound in the history of St. Patrick, a report on Britannica said. One popular legend is that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland. He is also credited with raising 33 people from the dead.