St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He originally was from Scotland (born of Roman parents). He was captured by a tribe raiding from Ireland at the age of 13. After his escape, he returned to Britain, studied for and became a priest. Later, he was ordained a Bishop and was sent to Ireland to bring Christianity to the people there. He ministered there for about forty years and essentially converted the entire population to Christianity and is today beloved by the Irish and is their patron saint. There are many legends and stories about St. Patrick and his ministry.

When Ireland suffered from their famines in the 19th century, large numbers of the Irish emigrated to other lands and brought with them their celebrations of St. Patrick's Day. Today, several cities in the US and other countries have large celebrations of St. Patrick's Day, most of which have little, if anything, to do with the church and everything to do with being Irish. Most often, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in bars and pubs by people usually wearing bright green clothing and drinking green beer (regular lagers to which green food coloring has been added).

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you and have a few beers to celebrate it.