Pirates, Pagans and Patrick

Kidnapped by pirates in his native England, young Patrick was taken by ship to Ireland where he worked as a slave for several years.  While there, Patrick prayed to God everyday to give him strength to survive and hope to one day escape.  That opportunity eventually came and Patrick slipped aboard a ship bound for France.  There, he trained as a priest, vowing one day to return to Ireland, a pagan land, to spread the Gospel.  Patrick did just that, preaching, opening schools and churches, teaching the Irish about God and Jesus.  He explained that God is like a shamrock, composed of three elements:  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  Town by town, Ireland became Christian.  Patrick passed away on March 17 at the age of 73.  The Catholic church recommended sainthood for Patrick and the Irish people never forgot what he did for their country.

Source:  Veggietales' "The Story of St. Patrick" ("The Sumo of the Opera" DVD)