Who was St. Patrick?

Patrick was born into a Christian family in Roman Britain about A.D. 420. Then at age 16, Irish pirates pillaged the British coast and carried Patrick back with them. Patrick was then sold into slavery in Ireland.

While in Ireland, Patrick herded pigs as a slave. Then after six years in captivity, he escaped toward the sea. He then went with some sailors into France. In France, he became a monk, a priest and later a bishop.

Surprisingly, he returned to Ireland. He came back because he wanted to set his captors free from their slavery to idolatry. For the rest of his life Patrick preached and taught the one true Christian faith with a missionary zeal. He dedicated his attention to western and northern Ireland, where the Gospel had not been preached. Patrick is most known for his orthodox confession of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

Like Martin Luther centuries later, Patrick also taught the Christian faith through song. One of the hymns attributed to him is “I bind unto myself today.”

“I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three.” (LSB 604:1)

The hymn as a whole presents the power of God, which is evident through the incarnation, Baptism, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and final return of Christ. Patrick died on March 17, 490.

Let us all be like Patrick as we show our Christian faith to others as the salt of the earth and the light of the world!