Saint Patrick

St. Patrick, the great apostle and patron of Ireland, was the son of Calpurnius, a Roman Senator in Brittany. At 16, he was carried off by some Irish pirates into captivity, where he spent the next six years as a shepherd. In his Confession, in which he tells the experience of those years, he writes, "Love for God and His fear grew in me, and so faith. In a single day, I recited one hundred prayers, and at night, almost as many. I prayed in the woods and mountains, even before the dawn. Neither the snow, nor the ice, nor the rain seemed to touch me." After six years of imprisonment, he crept aboard a ship bound for Britain, where he could embrace his family once again.

For the next 20 years, Patrick studied in France and England. At age 43, he became a bishop, and Pope Celestine called him "Patricius," which means "father of the citizens." In a dream, he felt God's call to return to Ireland. Patrick said "yes" to God and sailed back to Ireland. He was at first driven back to his ship by the Druids, but landing further north, he converted the chieftain Dichu by a miracle and dedicated the first Christian sanctuary at a place called Saul. When all the chiefs had assembled at the hill of Slane near Tara some years later, Patrick seized the opportunity to expound the faith boldly, using the "shamrock" to illustrate the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. One stem, three leaves; one nature, three persons, was the core of his preaching. 

The enraged Druid priests demonstrated their demoniacal powers by levitation. When Patrick's prayer brought them to naught, King Leoghaire permitted him to teach Christianity throughout Ireland. Patrick and his companions were imprisoned numerous times and even threatened with death, but his success was astounding in the end. Within ten years of his landing, he had been called upon to aid in revising Ireland's laws on a Christian basis. Humble yet courageous, Patrick's determination to accept suffering and success with equal candor guided him in winning most of Ireland for Christ. Indeed, by the time he died at Saul in 461, he had established the Church in Ireland on a truly solid foundation. 

St. Patrick's Prayer for the Faithful

As I arise today,

may the strength of God pilot me,

the power of God uphold me,

the wisdom of God guide me.

May the eye of God look before me,

the ear of God hear me,

the word of God speak for me.

May the hand of God protect me,

the way of God lie before me,

the shield of God defend me,

the host of God save me.

May Christ shield me today.

Christ with me, Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit,

Christ, when I stand,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

May Your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.

Amen.

Prepared and updated by:

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,

Penampang, Sabah Malaysia.