The real story of St. Patrick

An essay series on the life and legend of a popular Irish saint.

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Damian Costello

Published March 17, 2021

There’s more to St. Patrick than shamrocks and beer

How a teen of Roman nobility became Ireland‘s ‘Holy Boy.’

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How St. Patrick changed Ireland—and the church

We tell the story of St. Patrick not because it’s historical, but because it contains truth.

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An Easter slave raid inspired this saint to pursue justice

St. Patrick spoke with fire on behalf of people who were oppressed.

Image: DonkeyHotey via Flickr, “Saint Patrick”, CC BY 2.0

TagsChurch holidays Saints

About the author

Damian Costello

Damian Costello is the author of Black Elk: Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism (Orbis Books). He is director of post-graduate studies at NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community and the American co-chair of the Indigenous Catholic Research Fellowship (ICRF).