St. Patrick’s Day

We celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day each year on March 17th.

Saint Patrick’s name at birth was Maewyn Succat. He was born somewhere near the end of the fourth century.

St. Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland.

At the age of sixteen Maewyn Succat was kidnapped from Britain by a band pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. After six long years of slavery he escaped to Gaul. There, Maewyn became Patrick (a more christian name) and studied in the monastery. Patrick was about sixty years old when he arrived in Ireland and it is said that he had a winning personality that helped him win converts to Christianity.

St Patrick used the shamrock, which resembles a three-leafed clover, to help explain the Trinity - the three parts of God (father, son, holy spirit).

This year we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by wearing shamrocks, doing a leprechaun dance, singing some Irish songs and hearing some Irish poetry written by W. B. Yeats.