St. Patrick's Day: What's the Big Deal?
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Every year this holiday comes and goes, and I'm left scratching my head. I wonder: Who was this St. Patrick guy? Was he Irish? What did he do for the Irish people? Is he a cultural or religious hero? And what in the world does the shamrock have to do with anything? Thanks to the internet and a few easy clicks on my laptop keyboard, I've finally got some answers. And I couldn't help but share the wealth with you, my friend. Well, it turns out that St. Patrick, born around 387 A.D., is the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland. Interestingly, St. Patrick wasn't Irish at all. He was born to an aristocratic Christian family in Britain; his grandfather and father were deacons in the Christian church. At age sixteen, Patrick's life took a tragic turn when Irish raiders kidnapped him and took him to Ireland as a slave. During his years of slavery, he tended sheep and had a personal conversion to Christianity. ...