Better Than Green Beer and Shamrock Shakes: Ten Interesting Facts About Saint Patrick, the Master Evangelizer

(And many of us are fans of shamrock shakes [as I write this, I am enjoying one that my ever-thoughtful – and proudly Irish-American – wife picked up for me from our local McDonald’s while driving back from running an errand].)

Each March 17, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of Saint Patrick, a celebration more commonly known simply as “Saint Patrick’s Day.” Below are ten interesting facts about this holy man (some of which are humorous, some of which are serious, and none of which have anything to do with leprechauns or lucky charms [or pots of gold, for that matter – I am modestly employed as a teacher, after all]).

1) Saint Patrick was actually born in Scotland (those with Scottish heritage can now likewise commence their celebration if they have not already joined in the religious revelry; also, please contact me if you would like to learn more about the McClain family tartan).

2) According to the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, Patrick’s parents’ names were Calphurnius and Conchessa. Perhaps they had nicknames as alternative appellations.

3) Patrick’s father Calphurnius was a deacon. If literacy and postal mail had been features of mainstream British society in the fourth century AD, we can wonder if Conchessa would have minded receiving mail addressed to “Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Calphurnius…”

4) When Patrick was around sixteen years old, his family’s estate in Britain was raided by invaders from Ireland, who kidnapped Patrick and sold him into slavery in Ireland. Patrick remained enslaved there for the next six years.

5) During Patrick’s enslavement in Ireland, he worked as a shepherd. He was forced to live outside – and without shelter – for much of this time, in miserably cold and rainy conditions. During this trying time, Patrick sought refuge in the Catholic faith that his parents had instilled in him.

6) After Patrick escaped from his slavery in Ireland, he returned to Britain and began studying to be a priest. After his ordination as a priest, what missionary location became his assignment? You guessed it: Ireland.

7) There is a commonly held misconception that Patrick was the first figure to introduce Catholicism to Ireland. Actually, there were already a few Catholics living in Ireland, so Patrick’s responsibility was to minister to them while continuously evangelizing to the multiple other people of Ireland still living as pagans.

8) The round portion of the Celtic cross represents a sun that is superimposed behind the cross. This is because, while spreading the Gospel in Ireland, Patrick did not wish to turn off the pagan Celts by sweepingly eradicating all of their religious symbolism. Since the sun was already considered an important symbol for the Irish Celts, its incorporation into Christian imagery made it a welcome representation of faith for the Irish.

9) We have many words from Saint Patrick, including his most famous piece of writing, his Confessio. In fact, you can both read and learn about this work provided for free at the website Saint Patrick's Confessio.

10) Four-leaf clovers are much rarer than three-leaf clovers, but that turns out to be not such a bad thing when you consider that the three-leaf clover is the more “sanctified” variety: Patrick used it to explain the Trinity, as one God in three Persons, to the people of Ireland when he was evangelizing and ministering to them.

There are numerous other fascinating facts about Saint Patrick that we could enjoy, but a key consideration is that Saint Patrick was a master evangelizer. What the patron saint of Ireland contributed to Catholicism and the kingdom of God can hardly be exaggerated. In the midst of Patrick’s own personal hardships and trials, he kept the faith. Not only did he help to fortify the Catholic faith in Ireland, but it was later the Irish clergy, with a missionary mindset, who re-evangelized continental Europe at a time when the faith there had become rather debilitated and was under siege by worldly concerns. (Does any of this sound familiar in terms of our own twenty-first century circumstances?)

Saint Patrick was so effective at ministering to others and spreading the Gospel because he took seriously Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19-20 (with the totality of verses 16-20 commonly referred to as the “Great Commission”): “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” For over a decade now, the Catholic Church has been in the midst of what Saint Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis have deemed the “New Evangelization.” Let us gain wisdom and inspiration from learning more about the heroically virtuous life of Saint Patrick, especially in terms of how we must imitate him by spreading Christ’s Gospel with patience, with joy, and ultimately with Christian love, drawing others to love the Lord in turn, just as Saint Patrick did so long ago. As you enjoy your imminently-acquired shamrock shakes (while they last), may God inspire you to have a happily holy Saint Patrick’s Day. Saint Patrick of Ireland (and/or Scotland), pray for us!