The Mission of St Patrick

Many legends, stories and traditions have grown up over the centuries regarding Ireland’s most famous saint. It is necessary, therefore, to separate the man from the myth by returning to St Patrick’s own writings, including what has become known as his Confession.

In a simple written account, Patrick’s trust in God and his gratitude towards him who had achieved so much through such a weak instrument, shine out. This in no way detracts from the unique light his Confession casts on this humble missionary of Christ who brought his Gospel of love to the Irish people. A great missionary looked back on his life and saw the labyrinthine pattern of God’s wonderful design.

As he reviews his life journey, which he admits was full of faults and shortcomings, and in the apparently haphazard events of his life, so inexplicable when they occurred, he now sees the hand of God at work in which his hidden plan for the salvation of the Irish is realised. No extraordinary wonders marked his progress throughout Ireland, nevertheless, he touched the hearts of young people who flocked to him and committed their lives to following Christ in the priesthood and religious life.

The essential knowledge about a saint lies not so much in dates and places, but rather in his holiness, his values, what inspired him and his spiritual wrestlings. On these points we are well informed. Patrick sets the record straight regarding his mission and underscores the role God had in it. Often misunderstood in the past, Patrick hoped that his readers would finally grasp how he regarded his long, arduous but ultimately successful mission. His story is one of God’s grace that leads to wonder and thanksgiving.

Maurice Hogan SSC, in the Preface to Aidan J. Larkin, The Spiritual Journey of Saint Patrick