St. Patrick Novena - Day 9

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. St. Patrick, obtain for me grace to love God with my whole heart, to serve him with my whole strength, and to persevere in good purposes to the end. O faithful shepherd of the Irish flock, who would have laid down his life a thousand times to save one soul, take my soul, and the souls of my countrymen, under your special care. Grant that all hearts may share the blessed fruits of that Gospel that you planted and watered. (mention request here…) St. Patrick, thank you for your prayers for my intention in this novena. I trust that our Lord will answer them through your intercession. V. Pray for us, O glorious saint Patrick. R. And obtain for us the intention of this Novena. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Life of St. Patrick Saint Patrick lived in the fifth century in England and Ireland, which he converted to the Catholic Faith from paganism. Patrick was born in Britain around 387 AD. Britain at the time was part of the Roman Empire. His father was named Calpurnius and was a deacon of the Church, as well as a commander of cavalry in the Roman army. In spite of his father, Patrick did not actively practice his Catholic faith. St. Patrick Enslaved At age 16, he was kidnapped by pirates, who sold him into slavery in Ireland. During this difficult time, Patrick was given the grace of repentance, deep conversion, and prayer. He was a shepherd, which afforded him long hours every day to pray to God and meditate. After six years in slavery, God told him to start walking to the coast, which was a few hundred miles away, and there a ship would be waiting for him. Patrick obeyed without question, and when he arrived he found a ship in the port. The captain of the ship did not want to take him, but God miraculously intervened, and the captain relented and let Patrick onboard. When they arrived back in Britain, the crew and Patrick walked for 28 days through the British wilderness, eventually running out of provisions and growing weak with hunger. Patrick prayed, and God miraculously sent them a herd of wild pigs, saving their lives. St. Patrick Becomes a Missionary Patrick made it back to his own family after some period of time. But shortly thereafter, he received a vision to return to Ireland, this time as a missionary of Christ and His Church, to “walk among” the Irish people again. Patrick studied for the priesthood in Auxerre, in Europe, and St. Germanus of Auxerre ordained him a priest. He was eventually ordained a bishop as well. Patrick followed God’s call and returned to to Ireland as missionary. After some traveling, he met a chieftain who was willing to receive him and the Catholic Faith, and the first seed of Christianity took root in the pagan soil. Patrick’s converts grew into disciples, and these faithful became missionaries along with him to their Irish homeland. He ordained many priests, and whole families and tribes became converted to the Faith. The country of Ireland abandoned their Celtic paganism and embraced Catholicism. Saint Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17th, the date of his death. Children’s Book on St. Patrick Tomie dePaola, the prolific children’s book author, has a delightful book on St. Patrick’s life. I have read it to my children countless times, and they enjoy the pictures in the book as well. St. Patrick Animated Children’s Movie We also enjoy showing to our children the animated movie on St. Patrick, produced by CCC America. This company has many animated movies on Catholic saints, and every one of them that we have bought or watched are well done and faithful.