Facts About The Real Saint Patrick
Did you know that:
- He was born in Scotland around 388.
- His parents were Roman aristocrats and his real name was Maewyn Succat.
- After being forcefully brought to Ireland by marauders and living for several years as a slave, he escaped by walking over 200 miles to the coast, where a ship took him back to his home in Britain.
- When he returned to Ireland in 433, a chieftain immediately tried to kill him. Allegedly, he could not raise his arm to strike the holy missionary.
- Patrick has never been canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, and is therefore not officially a saint.
- St. Patricks Day is celebrated on the day of his death, March 17th.
- He never drove any snakes out of Ireland, because snakes have never lived in Ireland.
- The Christian church that Patrick helped found in Ireland did not recognize the religious authority of Rome until centuries after his death.
- He did not believe he could write well. This may have been due to his being taken captive as a youth and missing a large part of his education.