Evangelizing with Saint Patrick
By Caitlin Bootsma
Consultant to the VIRTUS® Programs
I love Saint Patrick’s Day and not just because green is my favorite color and I have an excuse to make Irish scones. To my mind, one of the great things about Saint Patrick Day is that everyone, whether Irish or African American, Catholic or atheist, recognizes the holiday. Though wearing shamrock jewelry does not seem at first to have much to do with our Catholic faith, common knowledge of this holiday can be a launching point to share with other adults and youth some foundational points about our beliefs.
In Catholic circles, the story of Saint Patrick and the three-leaf clover is fairly well known. While many now see the four-leaf clover as a sign of good luck, Saint Patrick used the three-leaf clover to explain the Trinity. Explaining the Trinity to anyone—adults or children—is difficult; that is why it is known as one of the great mysteries of our Faith! But the three-leaf clover aided Saint Patrick in explaining the concept of Three Persons, but One God. He taught that God was like the three-leaf clover—as there is only One God, and yet, the clover has three leaves. In the same way, God is Three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All Three Persons of the Trinity are distinct, but yet they are the same God (analogously, the leaves are part of the same clover). I have definitely been known to use his same imagery with my religious education students and would certainly start with that explanation with those unfamiliar with the Faith.
Another curious thing about Saint Patrick’s Day is that most Americans celebrate it—even if they are not at all Irish! This seems sort of ridiculous at first, but even here there is a lesson. Did you know that Saint Patrick himself was not Irish? Saint Patrick was born in the late 4th century in what is now Scotland. His parents were actually Romans (Rome had control of Britain at the time). When he was 14 he was captured by raiders and enslaved in Ireland. He spent a number of years as a slave tending sheep until he escaped captivity and returned to Britain.
Why, then, is Saint Patrick the patron of Ireland if he returned to his homeland? Because, in response to a dream where the Irish people called out to him, he returned to the country of his enslavement to bring them the Gospel! Can you imagine being a former slave who willingly returns to the land of your captivity? Saint Patrick truly burned with a love for the Lord to the point where he lovingly evangelized those who had enslaved him. Just as we are all Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day, Saint Patrick is a model for all of us of what the love of Christ can compel us to do. There must be something fascinating about the Catholic faith if it could inspire Saint Patrick to take such an unusual journey back to Ireland.
Another witness to the world that Saint Patrick provides is the legacy left by his mission to Ireland. Even today, when many Westernized countries are becoming increasingly secular, 84 percent of the Irish identify themselves as Roman Catholics (2011 Irish Census). This is the fruit of Saint Patrick’s “yes” to the Lord’s call in his life. As children grow and mature they must decide whether or not to adopt the faith their parents have passed on to them. As they are making this decision, questions arise: Why does following a religion matter? Does God care about my life? What difference will loving God make in my life? Saint Patrick is a real life example of someone who was extraordinarily altered by a belief in God. Rather than harboring resentment over his enslavement or simply staying with his family in Britain, Saint Patrick chose to follow the Lord. In doing so, amazing things occurred—essentially an entire nation eventually converted to the Faith. God had great, unpredictable plans for Saint Patrick and He has wonderful plans for each one of us.
This Saint Patrick’s Day, maybe you will be able to make three leaf clovers with your children or perhaps your religious education class and talk to them about the Trinity. Perhaps you will read a short biography of Saint Patrick with your middle school son or daughter and discuss how a love for God changed the trajectory of Patrick’s life. Or maybe you will have an Irish-themed gathering with coworkers or friends to celebrate the holiday and will be able to share a bit about Saint Patrick’s legacy.
Saint Patrick’s Day should help us to remember that we too are called to evangelize to others a love of the Faith. And, like Saint Patrick, this evangelization can occur through elementary lessons using everyday objects like shamrocks or simply through the witness of our own lives. If God could use Saint Patrick, then he most certainly can use each one of us. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
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