Patricius (Patrick)
385 - 465 AD (?)Have you ever had a dream, only to have it shot down by the people around you? Maybe they're doubtful of your abilities, or think that the thing you want to accomplish is impossible. If so, maybe you'll be interested in how one man accomplished the impossible with the power of God, and changed the course of history...
Patrick (Patricius) was at least a third generation Christian, the son of a deacon and grandson of a priest. He was born in southwest Britain, likely in the 380s AD. Early in his life, however, he did not follow his parent's example. But when he was 16 years old, God got his attention.
Fierce Irish raiders broke through the now weak defenses of the Romans, and attacked Patrick's town. He was carried away as a slave, sold to a warrior chief, and was sent to work in Ireland caring for livestock. Suffering from constant hunger, cold and loneliness, he turned to God for strength, and from then on became a man of prayer.
When Patrick was about 22, he heard a voice saying, "You do well to fast. Soon you will return to your homeland." Soon the voice spoke again, "Come and see, your ship is waiting for you."
Taking this as his queue to escape, he fled 200 miles to a southeastern harbor, where he boarded a trade ship, and eventually made it back to Britain. At home, Patrick had a dream of Irish people calling to him - "Please, holy youth, come and walk with us again." Patrick's heart was moved for his former captors, and he decided to go.
He went to Gaul (France) to study at a church, and in time was ordained as a deacon. The church leaders were apparently not confident in Patrick's ability as a missionary, and at first sent another man. But after only a year the first worker passed away, and Patrick, now past 40, was at last allowed to go to Ireland.
Patrick's Mission
When Patrick arrived, aside from a few small churches, most of the Irish were pagans, worshiping everything from planets to plants. Magic and even human sacrifice was practised by the druids and priests. Patrick's strategy was not to take away people's beliefs in spirits, but to expose them as demons and show that God's power was greater.
Of course, he met with stiff opposition, and was constantly in danger of being murdered by the druids. Patrick, however, convinced a local king to tolerate Christianity, and when the king's brother was converted, Patrick was granted land on which to build a church.
Soon he moved on to other unreached areas. When there was a group of new Christians, he would build a church, and, if he had the support of a wealthy landowner, he would also build a monastery, as a centre of learning and missionary training centre. In only fifteen years' time he had evangelized across Ireland, and was now well known as a man of God. He planted some hundred churches and baptized perhaps a hundred thousand believers (compared to today's population, that's like 200 million converts!). All this in spite of the fact that he still felt he was uneducated compared to many he worked with, and was often very nervous to speak.
The Power of One
The Celtic churches and Celtic missionary movement was largely a part of Patrick's ministry. Women played a large role in the ministry, although Patrick himself was careful not to even accept gifts from women, to avoid any mark on his reputation. Patrick continued in ministry for 30 years, and it's said that Ireland became literate for the first time in his generation. He died in the 460s, in his 70s.
The learning and Christian heritage that Patrick left is still with us today, even in the area of law. Patrick was instrumental in laying the foundations of law in Ireland based on the ten commandments. More than 450 years later, the English monarch 'Alfred the Great' would make the ten commandments and the golden rule the basis of the code of law for England, which affected law and government around the world, most notably in Canada and the United States. Patrick was also among the first to speak out against slavery, with a passion that only a former slave could have had.
After Patrick's death, while chaos was sweeping across a fallen Roman Empire and the illiteracy was becoming the norm, the now literate Irish saved many of the classics of religious and secular literature that would have been lost. One missionary, in the power of God, made a remarkable difference in the course of history.
In the later years of his ministry, rumours about his past and suspicion about his methods were rumbling around in his homeland of Britain. He wrote his "Confession" to defend his ministry and give the credit to God. May all those in ministry be able to echo his words:
that no one should ever say that my ignorance accomplished any small thing that I did
in accordance with God's will;
judge, and let it be truly believed, that it was the gift of God.
And this is my confession before I die."
Note: This collection comes from a 2 part seminar on missions history. To contact me about sharing these with your class, church, or group, click here to go to our contact page.
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