The Truth Behind the Green

St. Paddy’s day is just around the corner – it’s time to get out the green or get pinched! So many traditions and celebrations surround this feast day, that it might be good to look back at the real reason for the feast – St Patrick converted Ireland!

The early years

St Patrick was a young boy from a small town on the coast of Great Britain in the 400s. At the time the pirates from Ireland were a big threat to the Britons, their shore being very open to attack and plunder from the pirates. these pirates captured him at the age of 16, and took him to Ireland as a slave. There they sold him to one of the lords and assigned him as a shepherd to tend the lord’s flocks.

In his time spent alone in the hills he grew close to God and spent hours in conversation with Him. A local lady, secretly a Christian, instructed him further in the faith. One day he had a dream that he was to leave and go straight to the shore where a ship would take him back to Britain. Patrick obeyed, and indeed, made it back to England. 

Conquering Druids and Demons – Bringing the Faith

Patrick went back home and reunited with his family. However, he wanted more. Over his years there, he had grown to love Ireland, and longed to bring to it the joys of the Faith. He felt called to become a priest and to go convert the pagan land of his slavery. After years in the seminary, he was ordained and consecrated a bishop with the permission to go convert the Irish. Patrick went, with the grace of God and a heart full of zeal and courage.

The religion in Ireland was that of a pagan gods (who were really demons). The Druids (their priests) held a lot of power at court and over the people. Mostly they used fear to control the majority. Patrick would have to battle these and their demon gods to plant the seed of Christianity in Ireland. Close upon arriving, he battled with one of the most powerful Druids of the High King.

The Fight to Plant the Seed of Christianity

One of the greatest feast of the Druids took place around this time. By royal decree, no fires could be lit until the first fire of sacrificial rite was lit by the druid priest. This feast coincided with Easter that year and to reach the high king to try to speak to him of the Faith, Patrick lit a huge paschal fire. This certainly got the attention of the priest and king. They confronted him and when he began to speak of Christianity, the druid cursed the God of Patrick. Immediately, God struck him down and he died. In the face of such power, the high king gave him permission to preach throughout Ireland.

Later on, he went to battle the most powerful of the Druid demons – Crom Cruach. The giant idol of silver and gold had had hundreds of children sacrificed to it. With the strength of God, Patrick defeated it and it sank into the ground. If you want to hear the complete story in an amazing audio book, check it out at Augustine Institute.

The Conversion of the Irish

Patrick went on to convert the Irish and left this earth with the legacy of Catholic Ireland. Catholics everywhere, and especially the Irish love and honor him as the the father of the faith in Ireland. As a testimony to that, they have built these magnificent churches, and many more.

St. Patrick in 2024

Now a days, people from all around the world love and honor St Patrick. We celebrate him here in America, too . People see and wear a lot of green, take out the decor and leprechaun costumes, get ready for parades, and have a lot of drinks. We love to celebrate him. But unfortunately, our culture has deteriorated the value of the day. The main thought for St. Paddy’s day is the parties and the drinking, when St. Patrick was about so much more than that.

He was the father of Christianity for an entire nation – he brought the Emerald Isle the true Faith, and has been an standard of hope and inspiration for Catholics and Irish around the world for centuries. Patrick had true courage – for love of his God, and rooted in his faith, he faced the druids and demons of the shamanic religion and brought a nation to its knees in the worship of the one true God. Patrick is about so much more than drinking and making merry.

For sure, he is something to celebrate – a part of our culture – but we must remember the more important things about him. First and foremost he was a man of God. Let’s pray to him on his feast day, and thank God for giving us such a great saint. Party! But remember WHY we party – in remembrance of a holy man – Patrick who converted Ireland. He definitely wouldn’t want us to get drunk! So drink responsibly, and keep this saint in mind during the merry making!