(March 17, 2011 at 11:18 am)OnlyNatural Wrote:Horribly inaccurate.Quote:For most people, St. Patrick’s Day is a day of parades, parties, leprechauns and green beer. But just as Christmas is about more than commercialized fun, so is St. Patrick’s Day.
It began as a religious holiday honouring St. Patrick — a holy bishop sent to Ireland in 433 AD by Pope Celestine I to draw its people into the fold of Christ’s universal church. Upon his arrival at Ireland’s shores St. Patrick encountered many setbacks and persecutions by the superstitious Druids who had employed magicians to maintain their sway over the Irish race. Despite severe trials, St. Patrick was able to convert all of Ireland and conquer paganism. He is thus credited with driving the Celtic “snakes” out of Ireland.
Only two authentic letters accepted by historians from him survive today. These give an account that he either born in England or Wales and grew up near the settlement of Bannavem Taburniae (the problem is this name cannot be traced to any location on any old map of Britain). At 16, he was captured by Irish raiders and taken as a slave back to Ireland, he was NOT sent there by Pope Celestine I.
The idiot who wrote this article for the newspaper is confusing Palladius, the first Bishop of the Christians of Ireland, with Saint Patrick, who preceded him.
