March 17 – Saint Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland, Nigeria

Posted on March 17, 2009. Filed under: All Posts, Patron Saints of the Camillian Task Force (CTF)/SOS DRS (SOS Doctors) |

Saint Patrick, Patron Saint of Nigeria (Feast Date:March 17)

Extract from St. Patrick: “Legends about Patrick abound; but truth is best served by our seeing two solid qualities in him: He was humble and he was courageous. The determination to accept suffering and success with equal indifference guided the life of God’s instrument for winning most of Ireland for Christ. . . . Patrick may have been born in Dunbarton, Scotland, Cumberland, England, or in northern Wales. He called himself both a Roman and a Briton. At 16, he and a large number of his father’s slaves and vassals were captured by Irish raiders and sold as slaves in Ireland. Forced to work as a shepherd, he suffered greatly from hunger and cold. After six years, Patrick escaped, probably to France, and later returned to Britain at the age of 22. His captivity had meant spiritual conversion. . . . His great desire was to proclaim the Good News to the Irish. In a dream vision it seemed “all the children of Ireland from their mothers’ wombs were stretching out their hands” to him. He understood the vision to be a call to do mission work in pagan Ireland. . . . Because of the island’s pagan background, Patrick was emphatic in encouraging widows to remain chaste and young women to consecrate their virginity to Christ.” See PICTURE of Saint Patrick. See also: Saint Patrick (Multilingual), San Patricio Patrón de Irlanda (SP), San Patrizio Vescovo (IT), Patrick d’Irlande (FR), Święty Patryk (PO). VIDEOS: Saint Patrick’s Day: celebrating a life of mission. St. Patrick. The PRAYER of St. Patrick.

Saint Patrick, Patron Saint of Nigeria (Feast Date:March 17)

Extract from Saint Patrick: “St. Patrick of Ireland born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 461. There are many legends and stories of St. Patrick, but this is his story. His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britian in charge of the colonies. As a boy of fourteen or so, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He learned the language and practices of the people who held him. During his captivity, he turned to God in prayer. He wrote. “The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same.” “I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain.”

Saint Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland (Feast Date:March 17)

Extract from Saint Patrick: “Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 461. Along with St. Nicholas and St. Valentine, the secular world shares our love of these saints. This is also a day when everyone’s Irish. Patrick was born around 385 in Scotland, probably Kilpatrick. His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britian in charge of the colonies. As a boy of fourteen or so, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He learned the language and practices of the people who held him. During his captivity, he turned to God in prayer. He wrote ‘The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same.’ “I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain.”Patrick’s captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him back to Britian, where he reunited with his family. “

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We, at the CTF/SOS DRS have prayed for the intercession of St. Patrick on behalf of those affected by the following catastrophes:

Violent Protests in Nigeria (January 2012) (Africa) See World Mission Rosary Intentions: January 16 – January 29, 2012.

Conflict in Nigeria (July, 2009) (Africa) See World Mission Rosary Intentions: August 3 – August 16, 2009.

Racism and Xenophobic attacks in Ireland (June 16, 2009) (Europe) See World Mission Rosary Intentions: June 22 – July 6, 2009.

That the Lord in His Divine Mercy – through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary – may build up His Kingdom, make these mysteries a reality in our lives, strengthen us in our common mission, and come to the aid of those for whom we pray.

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