On March 25, 433, St. Patrick stepped onto the shores of Slane, Ireland and immediately gave a speech, which went something like this:
“Good people of the Emerald Isle! Henceforth on March 17th, or upon the weekend closest to that date, the rivers of at least one major city should be dyed green in my honor. People without the knowledge that the 3 leafed shamrock represents the Holy Trinity should wear them proudly, along with shiny green top hats. Many people will skip church in order to attend parades where green beads and cabbages will be thrown to the massive crowds who have gathered to celebrate the anniversary of my death. And children not wearing green shall be pinched unmercilessly. Ok, that’s it. Where’s the Guinness? Let’s all get sloshed!”
Ok, so it didn’t happen quite like that.
When St. Patrick was simply Patrick, he grew up in Banna Venta Berniae, which was in the west of Britain in present day Wales. While Romanized, his family was most likely Welsh. Sixteen year old Patrick was sixteen when he was kidnapped by pirates. He was taken to Ireland and sold into slavery in Ireland where he was forced to serve as a shepherd and caretaker of animals. During his six years of captivity, he gave his life to Jesus. He also learned the Gaelic language of the people and the customs of Ireland.
Years later, he escaped and returned to his family in England, where he began preparing for the priesthood. In Confessio, Patrick’s autobiography, he writes about a dream in which he heard the collective voice of the Irish people compelling him, “We beg you, holy boy, to come and walk among us again.” So, much to the chagrin of his parents, Patrick returned to Ireland in 433 and set about sharing the gospel with everyone he met. Legend has it that Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity to the local people, who had previously worshiped multiple gods.
Before Easter Sunday 433, the local Irish king, Logaire, issued a decree that no one may light any flame until the fires of a pagan spring festival were lit. Patrick, refusing to honor anyone but Jesus, lit the Easter candles anyway on the Hill of Slane. When the king heard about the devotion Patrick held to God, he was so impressed that he allowed him to continue his missionary work.
St. Patrick lived the life of a missionary and converted thousands, planting churches across the entire island and training priests and overseers to lead them. Even though he was very well known, he lived most of his life in poverty, passing away on March 17, 461.
- 300 years after St. Patrick’s death, Dallan Forgaill, an 8th century monk and poet, wrote the Gaelic poem “Rop tu mo Baile” honoring his devotion and unwavering commitment to God.
- In 1905, 1200 after it was penned, Mary E. Byrne, a university student, found a copy of the poem and translated it into English.
- In 1912, Eleanor Hull, an Irish woman, set the words of the translated poem to music. She chose the Irish tune SLANE because it was composed in honor of St. Patrick.
- In 1919, the song was introduced to the world in its first hymnal and gained instant popularity.
- In 2019, hymnologists celebrated the 100th anniversary of the modern version of the hymn now known as Be Thou My Vision.
- This morning, I listened to a recorded version of the song and thanked the Lord for the devotion of St. Patrick. Click here to check out this version by Shane and Shane.
May we all seek to obtain such a dynamic faith and undying devotion to the Lord as was displayed by St. Patrick.
*Image courtesy of Timothy Dykes
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