St. Patrick, himself

St. Patrick was born in Scotland or what historians call Roman Britain, somewhere around the year 387 A.D. His real name was Maewyn Succat. He took the name of Patrick when he became a priest.

He was kidnapped at the age of 16 by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. During his captivity, he began to have religious visions and found strength in his faith. He finally escaped after a voice in one of his visions told him he could, and went to France, where he became a priest and later a bishop. He finally went to Ireland and became a Christian missionary where he spent the rest of his life converting pagans, founding churches, and ordaining clergyman. In fact, he is designated as being the leader in the Christianizing of the pagan in Ireland.

He died on March 17 in 461 A.D., hence the reason St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on the seventeenth of March. St. Patrick was named the patron saint of Ireland.