He is the patron of annual parades in New York and Boston, and the name cited for the wearing of the green on March 17. To many, St. Patrick is known as a humble missionary to Ireland. It all started when he was carried off into slavery around 430. Patrick was the son of a Roman Brit who was a civil magistrate and tax collector. After being captured and spending six years in slavery to Irish warlords, Patrick escaped.
Scholars differ about what happened next.
Some believe he spent a period of training for ministry in Lerins, an island off the south of France. What Patrick's writing makes clear is that he was back in Britain with his family when he received a call to evangelize Ireland. His name was Victoricius, and he carried countless letters, one of which he handed over to me. I have cast myself into the hands of God almighty who rules everywhere. Concentrating the bulk of his efforts on the more than 100 tribal kings in Ireland, Patrick reasoned that if the king became a Christian, the people would, too.