St. Patrick's Day

Everybody knows about the wearing o' the green and celebration of all things Irish on the Feast Day of that country's patron saint on March 17th. Morning Mass, parades, soda bread and potato soup, and especially beer are recognized as St. Patricks' Day customs. So many Irish came to the United States during the Potato Famine of the 1840s that the United States itself adopted this part of Irish culture. In fact, more people in the U.S. celebrate it than in Ireland.

St. Patrick was actually born in Scotland in the year 387 and died on March 17, 493 A.D. The son of a Roman officer, Patrick was captured by Irish pirates as a teen and sold into slavery. During that time, he learned the Celtic language and combated the Druid cult. There are two ancient sources that show St. Patrick existed, his Confession and his Letter to Coroticus. The Confession reveals his calling from Pope St. Celestine I to convert the Irish peoples, while Coroticus was a warlord that Patrick frequently corresponded with. Pious tradition says that he explained the nature of the Trinity -one God in three persons- by showing converts the three-leaf shamrock.