Commemoration of Saints (March 17)

Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration

• Patrick, bishop
• Joseph of Arimathea
• Agricola, bishop
• Gertrude of Nivelles, virgin
• Paul of Cyprus
• The Martyrs of Serapeum [1]

The feast of St. Patrick is celebrated as an Optional Memorial every March 17.

St. Patrick (385/390-461 A.D.) was born either on the island of Britain or in Gaul. Much of what is commonly known of St. Patrick has come from pious stories and from legends about his miracles.

Commonly believed is that Patrick was taken off by raiders and brought to slavery in Ireland, which was still pagan. It was there that he worked as a shepherd for six years until he was able to escape. It was during this captivity that he was able to experience a conversion - from being a thoughtless youth to one of deep faith in God. After his escape from those who held him captive, he returned home and began his studies in the monastery of Lerins. He was ordained in about the year 417 A.D.

Patrick saw his vocation as one of also being sent to bring the faith to the Irish people who held him captive. After being consecrated a bishop by St. Germanus in 423 A.D., Patrick went to Ireland to replace St. Paulinus who had died the previous year. Patrick preached throughout Ireland and overcame the opposition of many hostile chieftains and their subjects through miraculous means. St. Patrick accomplished much in structuring the Church in Ireland and was credited for bringing the Irish into closer relations with the Western Church.

After St. Patrick died, the Irish churches soon grew into a large number and developed their faith well to send numerous missionaries to northern Europe. These Irish missionaries have also brought the Christian faith to the United States, to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Asia. And, wherever there are communities of Irish people, they often build a church, and name it after their patron saint, St. Patrick [3][4].

It was not long after St. Patrick's influence over the development of faith in Ireland, that Irish Catholicism produced what is soon to be called as Celtic monasticism. Monasticism in Ireland had developed earlier than monasticism in mainland Europe (which was initiated later by St. Benedict of Nursia). Early developments of monasticism in Ireland can be credited for making individual confession as a familiar form of the Sacrament's practice among the people. Though private confession existed early in the Church, it was the Irish monks who popularized and formalized the practice of private confession and penance, and then spread it throughout continental Europe during the 7th century A.D. [5]

Learn more about Celtic Christianity and its Monastic Influence on the Church

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [March 17]

• Venerable father, Alexis [2]

References: Books, Websites & AI Search Results

• [1] Pocket Catholic Dictionary, John A. Hardon
• [2] Dictionary of Saints, John J. Delaney
• [3] Saints for Our Time, by Ed Ransom
• [4] Saints Behaving Badly, by Thomas J. Craughwell
• [5] AI Overview for the search query "is it true that it was the irish monks who practice individual and private confession and made it a common practice throughout the whole church?", Google.com