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St. Patrick
Before St. Patrick became the figurehead for a day of Irish national pride, he was a local hero who fought against human trafficking, championed evangelism, and engaged in discipleship. As a teenage boy, he was taken from Wales by Irish raiders and sold into slavery. He eventually escaped and returned to his family, but instead of returning to a normal life, he joined the church and returned to Ireland as a bishop. In his Letter, one of two surviving works by Patrick, he explains the reason for his return: “I live among barbarous tribes, a stranger and exile for the love of God.”
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But if we are to choose a social issue for March 17, what would it be?
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Despite the mythmaking, there's a wealth of Christian truth and devotion worth recovering.
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He wasn't the first to bring Christianity to Ireland, but he was a pivotal figure.
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- Ending Human SacrificeHow Patrick may have convinced the Celts to turn from ritual killings to the one who died for all.Thomas Cahill|
- Patrick the SaintBehind the fanciful legends of the fifth-century British missionary stands a man worthy of embellishment.Mary Cagney|
- St. Patrick and Celtic Christianity: Did You Know?For a culture so reputedly bloodthirsty and 'barbarian,' the Celts were surpringsly winsome.Ted Olsen|
- The Celtic Way: From Patrick to CuthbertThey were a long and steady line of scholar saints who by their missionary zeal brought life to the people of God in Britain.James Atkinson|
- The Politics of PatrickIn the field of Irish history, every turn of phrase hints at the author's spin.Elesha Coffman|