Biography
Patrick was born in Roman Britain in the late fourth century, in a family of the Christian gentry. His father, Calpurnius, was a deacon and a local official, and his grandfather, Potitus, was a priest. The family owned a small estate near a place that he called Bannavem Taburniae, the exact location of which is not known. It may have been on the west coast of Britain. He said that he was not a believer in his youth, and that he did not know the true God. He was a careless boy who was uninterested in the faith of his family.
When he was about sixteen, Irish raiders attacked the coast. They carried off a number of young people as slaves, including Patrick. He was taken to Ireland and sold to a master, who set him to work as a herdsman, tending sheep. He spent six years as a slave, in the hills of the north of the island, probably in County Antrim or County Mayo. He suffered from hunger, cold and loneliness. In this hardship, he turned to God. He wrote in his Confession that he prayed a hundred times a day and almost as many at night. He said that the Spirit was burning within him. His faith grew in the loneliness.
After six years, he heard a voice in a dream, which told him that he would soon go to his own country and that his ship was ready. He ran away from his master and walked about two hundred miles to the coast. He found a ship and, after some difficulty, persuaded the crew to take him on. He made his way back to Britain, and after a few more adventures, he reached his home. His family was overjoyed to see him and begged him not to leave them again.
But he had another dream. He saw a man named Victoricus, who gave him a letter, on which was written The Voice of the Irish. As he read, he heard the voices of those who lived near the Wood of Foclut, near the western sea, crying out to him to come and walk among them again. He was moved to the heart. He felt that God was calling him back to Ireland. He studied for the priesthood, probably in Gaul, and he was ordained as a bishop. In about 432, he returned to Ireland as a missionary, to the land of his captivity.
He worked for about thirty years in Ireland. He traveled through the country, preaching to the people and baptizing converts. He faced danger. He was seized and imprisoned a number of times. He was in danger of death on a number of occasions. He faced the opposition of the druids and the kings. He also gained the protection of some chieftains. He founded churches and monasteries and trained clergy. He worked among the poor and the slaves. He also spoke out against the slave trade and against the abuse of Christian captives. He wrote a letter to the soldiers of a British chieftain, Coroticus, who had raided Ireland and killed or enslaved some of his converts. He condemned them in strong terms.
His own writings are the main source for his life. They are two short works, the Confession and the Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus, written in a rough Latin. The Confession is a defense of his mission and a record of his faith. It is a moving work, which shows his humility and his sense of calling. He wrote that he was a sinner and a simple man, who had no learning. He was criticized by some in Britain, who thought that he was unfit for the work. He wrote the Confession to answer them. The prayer called the Breastplate of St. Patrick is attributed to him, though it was probably written later.
Legends about him grew in later centuries. He is said to have driven the snakes out of Ireland and to have used the shamrock to explain the Trinity. These tales are not found in his own writings. What is clear is that he was a courageous missionary who brought the gospel to a people who had enslaved him. He died around 461, probably at Saul, in County Down. His life shows how a captive may become a messenger of grace to those who held him. The church in Ireland traces its origin to him.