St. Patrick

St. Patrick was born in Britain around 385 A.D. When Patrick was 16, raiders captured him, and sold him into slavery in Ireland. He spent six years herding sheep and praying 100 times a day. In a dream, God told him to escape. He returned home, where he had another vision in which the Irish people begged him to return and minister to them: "We ask thee, boy, come and walk among us once more," he recalls in the Confession. He studied for the priesthood in France, then made his way back to Ireland to start his life as a missionary.

He spent his last 30 years there, baptizing pagans, ordaining priests, and founding churches. His persuasive powers were remarkable: Ireland fully converted to Christianity within 200 years and was the only country in Europe to Christianize peacefully. Patrick's Christian conversion ended slavery, human sacrifice, and most intertribal warfare in Ireland.

It is believed that he used the traditional Shamrock plant to explain the trinity. The three leaves represent the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit; all connected by the same stem.

What is most inspiring about St. Patrick? He returned to the country where he had been a child slave, in order to bring the message of Christ.