Here are 10 facts you may or may not have known about the man behind the upcoming holiday:

1. He was English born by the name, Maewyn Succat. He chose the name “Patricius” or “Patrick” after becoming a priest as it means “Father.”
2. He was caught and enslaved as a young teenager. His master took him to Ireland, and he cared for sheep and other livestock. 
3. He eventually escaped and returned to the UK where he joined a monastery just outside of France and eventually became a Bishop.
4. He returned to Ireland in 432 as a missionary, where he played a major role in converting the Irish to Christianity. After his death, he was named Ireland’s patron saint.
5. Legend has it that he chased all the snakes out of Ireland, BUT there were never any snakes to chase out. It is possible that it became a metaphor for chasing out paganism from Ireland.
6. His original color was BLUE not green, but green is a significant color in Ireland so it eventually switched for the holiday as it became more culturally focused than person focused.
7. There are two written works in Latin that are generally accepted as having been written by St. Patrick. The first is called ‘Confessio’ or ‘The Declaration’ in English. This piece was an autobiographical work about his life and his missionary work. This is where we get most of our information about St. Patrick from today. The second piece is called ‘Epistola’ or ‘Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus’, which also includes facts about his life, but in a less biographical form.
8. St. Patrick utilized the SHAMROCK as an example of the Holy Trinity and popularized it as a symbol of Ireland.
9. We celebrate him on the day of his death, March 17.
10. He has a very famous prayer called The Breastplate: A Prayer of Protection

Why do we need to know these things? First of all, it’s important to give honor where honor is due. We are losing the art of respecting and celebrating those who go before us. Hebrews 11 is the ultimate hall of honor and faith. Not only do we need to honor those who have paved the way for our works to flourish, we have to remember them so that we are in turn encouraged to keep moving forward. God constantly challenges his children to remember, to pass on the stories, and to never forget so that they stay focused on him and choose his ways. This need to remember is still true today. Finally, stories like St. Patrick encourage us to choose obedience and sacrifice for the glory of God. Not only did he serve God, he went back to his place of slavery to tell the people who harmed him about the love and grace of Jesus! This is the kind of Christian I long to be!

Let’s wrap up today’s thoughts with the final paragraph of St. Patrick’s prayer: “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 down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man 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.”

Kim Jewell