IN SEASON
According to Patrick’s writing, he was told
in a dream by a voice he believed to be God’s
telling him it was time to leave Ireland. He
escaped, reportedly walking 200 miles to the
Irish coast. Once back in Britain, he reported
having a second dream in which an angel told
him to go back to Ireland as a missionary.
Patrick studied religion for more than 15
years and, upon becoming an ordained priest,
returned to Ireland to both minister to
Christians there and to spread Christianity
in a largely pagan culture. Contradictory
to popular notion, he was not the first
person to bring Christianity to Ireland. He
was, however, very successful at growing
Christianity in Ireland.
According to the National Geographic,
until the 1970s, St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland
was a minor religious holiday. It was a day
of feasting, and families simply celebrated
with a big meal. The first St. Patrick’s Day
parade in America occurred during the
Revolutionary War. Irish soldiers fighting
for the British marched in New York City in
1762 and is now tradition. Leprechauns are
part of Irish folklore that have made their
way into the celebration somehow, though
they were reported to wear red, and not
green. They are said to be mischievous shoe
makers who, if caught, might grant you three
wishes for their freedom. They have nothing
to do with St. Patrick himself, or course.
31