It’s been said that everyone is at least a little Irish on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), but how much do you know about the saint behind this celebration and how you can carry the luck o’ the Irish forward past the day itself?
Patricus – the future Saint Patrick - was born around 390 in Cambria, England, the son of a deacon and grandson of a priest. When he was 14 or 16, he was captured by pirates and enslaved as a shepherd in Ireland, where he used his time in the fields to pray. After six years he escaped or was freed and made a 200-mile journey to a port, where he convinced some sailors to take him home to England. He trained for the priesthood, was ordained a bishop and then returned to Ireland. He made many missionary journeys and played a key role in converting what had been a country of pagans into a bastion of Christianity. Because of his stand against the Druids, he is often invoked against snakes and witchcraft. He died in 461 and is buried in County Down, Ireland.