St. Patrick

Saint Patrick was born to wealthy Catholic parents about 385 in Britain. When he was 16, he was captured by slave raiders from Ireland, along with a large group of other slaves; he was then transported to the pagan island. He was sold into slavery in Ireland and put to work as a shepherd.
In the midst of harsh living conditions, Saint Patrick’s faith flourished as he turned to God in prayer.

After 6 years of slavery, according to his writing, he heard the voice of God in a dream telling him to go back home. He then took a 200 mile journey through unfamiliar territory in order to get to the shore and find a ship home. Once he got to the ship that God had sent him to, the captain of the ship denied him, but abruptly changed his mind.

From that point on, Saint Patrick was then dedicated to becoming a priest. His dream was to return to pagan Ireland and teach the Irish about Christianity.

Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish.

In his 30 years in Ireland, he founded more than 300 churches and baptized more than 120,000 Irish people.
Patrick died on March 17th in the year 461 at the age of 76. It is not known for sure where his remains were laid although Downpatrick in County Down in the North of Ireland is thought to be his final resting place.
March 17th is the annual holiday honoring his services to Ireland.


The Myth of Saint Patrick
By the end of the 7th century, many legends had developed about Saint Patrick. One, of course, says he charmed all the snakes in Ireland and led them to the sea to drown. Another, probably the most popular, is that Saint Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity to non-believers. This is probably why shamrocks, now Ireland's national flower, are worn by the Irish on St Patrick's Day.

The legend that St. Patrick drove all the snakes from Ireland isn’t literal. He drove paganism (symbolized by the snake) from the lands of Ireland; that is how the myth came about. However, it makes a good story and is still told to Irish children today.


St. Patrick’s Prayer
This prayer is also sometimes called "The Deer's Cry" or "The Lorica".


I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through the confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of demons,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.


SOURCES:
link [www.abitoblarney.com]
link [www.history.com]
link [www.ireland-information.com]

Saint Patrick was engineer, he was. He invented the electric light so engineers could study all night. He invented the calculus, and he handed it down for us to cuss. He invented the davenport (I had to google davenport), so engineers could have indoor sport.