Born of a well-to-do family, kidnapped and sold into bondage, St. Patrick is the most popular saint of Ireland and the United States. How this slave became a saint, is a story that captures the imagination.
St. Patrick was a Roman citizen born in Britain, of a fairly well-to-do family. When he was 16-years old. He was kidnapped by a group of Irish pirates and taken as a slave to Ireland where he spent six years tending sheep until he had an opportunity to escape and go home.
In St. Patrick’s writings “The Confession” he wrote how tending sheep, and his connection to nature brought him to a better understanding of God and helped him convert to Christianity.
According to legend, St. Patrick heard a voice telling him he would go home soon and that his ship was ready. He ran from his master, and traveled 200 miles to port where he found a ship and persuaded the captain to take him on board. After three days of sailing they landed in Britain where everyone left the ship.
After walking for 28 days in the wilderness, and becoming faint with hunger he ran into a herd of boars, where he killed one and ate and had enough energy to finally make it home. When he finally got home he dedicated himself to studying Christianity and then returned to Ireland as a missionary.