St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity’s most widely known figures. His life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, years of exaggerated story telling .It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. His father was a Christian deacon, there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family. At the age of 16, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family’s estate. They took him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity. After escaping , he return as a missionary.
St. Patrick taught the Irish about the doctrine, the Holy Trinity by showing people the shamrock ( the National flower of Ireland), using it to illustrate the Christian teaching of three persons in one God.
One of the three relics of Saint Patrick was a bell is described as "The Bell of the Testament". The other two are described as Patrick's goblet and "The Angels Gospel".
He is said to have been buried in Ulster, County Down, Ireland.For more than 1,000 years, the Irish have observed St. Patrick's Day as a religious holiday
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| closer of statue |
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| St Patrick's Statue |
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| St Patrick's Bell of Testament ( via Wikipedia) |
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| St Patrick's Grave |
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| engraving on stone |
Until next time I leave you with:
Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us every day, unseen, unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed and very dear.
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