Saint Patrick (San Patricio)

The great evangelizer of the Irish, Saint Patrick was born in Britain, of Roman stock, in the year 387.  When he was 16 he was captured by pirates and sold as a slaved to a chief in Ireland.  For the next 6 years he worked as a herdsman and prayed constantly.  When he escaped he returned home and trained for the priesthood and returned to Ireland as a missionary. Saint Patrick performed many miracles and is known for using a green shamrock to teach about the Holy Trinity.  He is also known for expelling snakes from Ireland and is invoked by those frightened of snakes. His feast day is August 14th.