We show you what saint is celebrated today, March 17as well as his history, and why he was declared a saint by the Catholic Church.
In today’s saints it is Saint Patrick of Ireland, which traditionally introduced Catholicism to Ireland, although this is historically known not to be the case. He is also credited with eliminating all the snakes in Ireland (there is not one on the island), but as we are going to see, science says otherwise.
March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, a national holiday in Ireland.although it is also celebrated in other countries, due to the large number of Irish emigrants.
What saints are celebrated today in Spain?
Next to Saint Patrick, March 17 The saint of Agricola, Atón, Deseado, Desiderato, Dionisio, Gabriel, Getrudis, Pablo, Patricio, Teodoro, Teódulo, and Witburga, among others, is celebrated.
Patrick It is a name of Latin origin, and means “of noble lineage.” It was the opposite of commoner.
In Spain there are 6,271 people named Patricio, according to Noome. His average age is 50 years, eight years above the average age in Spain, which is 42 years.
Patrick It is especially abundant in Madrid, Murcia, Barcelona, Valencia and Alicante.
Today’s Gospel March 17, 2024
In Saint Patrick, as in most saints, historical data and legend are mixed. The Irish are not even clear that there was only one Patrick, since some historians believe that there were two: one called Palladio, and another, the “authentic” one, named Maewyn Succat.
Both changed their names to Patricio when they became priests and, apparently, the achievements of both are attributed to a single Patricio.
The best-known Saint Patrick, Maewyn Succat, was born around the year 389 in England, what was previously the town of the Britons. His father’s name was Calpurnius, and he was a Roman decurion, a ruler who also acted as a Christian deacon.
At just 16 years old, Patrick was captured by pirates and taken to Irelandwhere he served several years as a slave, acting as a shepherd.
Then he had a vision that a ship would free him, so he ran away, walked 300 Kilometers, and actually found a ship that agreed to take him.
After returning to Britain, he went to study in Gaul. He was appointed priest by Saint Germain of Auxerre, and decided to travel to Ireland as a missionary.. A country dominated by several clans, who revered the beliefs of the druids.
Historically it is known that Isolated Christian groups already existed in Ireland before the arrival of Saint Patrickbut it is true that the saint founded several Christian communities, which coordinated among them, and was a key player in establishing Catholicism on the island.
Saint Patrick died of old age, around the year 461.
Curiosities of Saint Patrick
Almost all representations of the saint show him with a three-leaf clover in the hand, the national symbol of Ireland, next to the color green, the color of the clover.
It is a clover of the species Trifolium dubiumwhich in Ireland they call shamrock. It is associated with Saint Patrick, because He used it in his homilies to explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Three leaves (God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit), which are the same entity (the clover).
Legend also credits Saint Patrick with killing all the snakes in Ireland.an animal that in the Catholic religion is associated with the devil.
Indeed, there are no snakes in Ireland, but science tells us that this is because the island separated from Great Britain shortly after the end of the last Ice Age, when there were no snakes. Afterwards they could no longer reach it, being surrounded by the sea.
In today’s saints, he is Saint Patrick of Ireland. We have seen the saint of the day and his biography, as well as the rest of the saints who are commemorated on March 17. See you tomorrow!