St.+Patrick,+Apostle+to+the+Irish



Saint Patrick, who lived in the time period from c.396- c.459 and was born in England, had a great influence on Irish society of that time. His real name was Maewyn Succat. He was a Christian Briton who lived in his father's home until he was captured into slavery by a group of pirates at age sixteen, where he was sold into slavery to a sheep farmer. Saint Patrick's father's name was Calpurnius. Around c.418- 30 in Gaul, he studied for priesthood. Today Saint Patrick is remembered on March 17th, and his national symbol is the clover leaf.

During Saint Patrick's life, he converted the Irish people to Christianity and wrote two books called the "Epistle" and "Confessions". He was a slave and a Catholic saint, and was made a a bishop after Palladius died. He was a slave in Ireland for six years. Saint Patrick had a dream that told him to escape from slavery and return home. After that, he decided to return to Ireland as a missionary where he spent more than 30 years preaching to the Irish. Saint Patrick contributed many ideas of religion to the Irish society which is why he is remembered today.

**Works Cited**
 * “Patrick, Saint.” Historic World Leaders. N.p.: Gale, 1994. N. pag. Biography Resource Center. Web. 11 Mar. 2010.
 * “Patrick, St.” The Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. William Chester Jordan. Vol. 3. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1996. 204. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Mar. 2010.
 * Sicarr. “File:Saint Patrick(window).jpg.” Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Feb. 2009. Web. 6 Apr. 2010. .