What Makes St. Patrick's Day Special?

America celebrates St. Patrick's Day with green beer and corned beef. People are dressing in green or else you will be pinched.

St. Patrick must be very influential to have a space in the commercial world. Who was he? What did he do? What makes him special?

Who is he? St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He was British. Yes, born in Britain around 385 A.D. Few facts are known about him. We know that at 16 years of age, he was captured into slavery and brought to Ireland. There seems to be nothing special about this fact. Well, he was known to have said that his captivity for six long years in Ireland made him reach out to God. He prayed daily.

What did he do? Remember that Ireland is a land of druids, people who do not believe in God. Yet, looking at the so called saying: "faith of the Irish", Ireland is a land with majority of Catholics. St. Patrick studied priesthood in France and later returned to Ireland with a zeal of a missionary. He consecrated 350 bishops, erected 700 churches, and ordained 5,000 priests. He converted thousands of pagans and erected monasteries and churches.

What makes him special? The feat of converting a once pagan country is not an easy task. In 200 years, Ireland converted to Catholicism in peace. Ireland is the sole nation in Europe to convert to Christianity without the typical bloodshed of those times. With the conversion of Ireland, human slavery also ended. Human sacrifice also stopped. Tribal wars also ceased. Peace reigned.

What makes St. Patrick famous in America? The Irish immigrant wanted to make a political statement. in 1762, Irish immigrants paraded in the streets to show their might in numbers.

St. Patrick's achievement in history is very significant. In his prophetic words "And let those who will, laugh and scorn-I shall not be silent; nor shall I hide the signs and wonders which the Lord has shown me many years before they came to pass, as He knows everything even before the times of the world."

Even with these wonders, St. Patrick's Day meaning has been twisted over the years. Protestants claim that he was anti-Catholic who established a "Celtic church". Protestants claim St. Patrick is an Irish hero and undermines the Catholic influence in his mission. Even the gays rights have used St. Patrick for their cause marching in St. Patrick's day parade in New York.

For me, St. Patrick is another Catholic Saint who undertook the challenge to bring God's people towards Heaven. Just like we are called each day of our lives, to bring the citizens of our family to God.

Sources:
David Plotz, "St. Patrick Revealed: The man behind the green bear and myth." , Slate.com
St. Patrick Bio, KNX 1070 News.com
Resurrection Miracles Performed by St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, Spirit Daily.com