It is understood that Christianity was introduced to the Isle of Man by St. Patrick of Ireland who is considered to be an Equal to the Apostles, not just because of his works in Ireland, but also for his works on the Isle of Man. In Dr. Thomas Wilson's History of the Isle of Man, we are told that the Isle of Man was converted to the Christian faith by St. Patrick in the year 440. He also explains that Manx men were so devoted to St. Patrick so many generations after him, that the promontory which is located north-west of Mann, was named Insula Sancti Patritii, or St. Patrick's Island. Today of course, this isle is referred to as St Patrick’s Isle, which is adjacent to Peel.  Among the remains, there are the ruins of the saint’s church and a Celtic tower. This island is now connected to the main island even though it was not so in antiquity.  

 

In the life of St. Patrick composed by a monk of Furness, in the twelfth century, some particulars are given regarding the preaching of the saint in the Isle of Man. He tells us that "very many places in Britain still retain the memory of St. Patrick's miracles. But he, having summoned around him many well-instructed and religious men, brought them to Ireland, and of these, thirty were subsequently raised to the Episcopal dignity. Sailing towards Ireland he visited the islands of the sea, and Eubonia, i.e., the Isle of Man, then subject to Britain, was converted to Christ by his preaching and miracles. St. Patrick chose one of his disciples, by name Germanus, a wise and holy man, whom he consecrated to the Episcopate, and thus leader of the newly established Church.

St. Patrick, was born and lived in the village of Bannavem Taberniae, in a part of Britain now known as Wales, around the year 385. This was the time when Christian missionaries were sent to many parts of Europe, and the Church was slowly working in the isolated islands of the British Isles. His parents were among the few Christians in Britain, where pagan gods were widely worshipped. Patrick's father, Calpurnis, was a deacon and a Roman county decurion (tax official), and his grandfather, Portitus, was a priest.

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Patrick was not particularly religious or scholarly, but lived a quiet life. At the age of sixteen he was kidnapped by pirates from Ireland, who had been raiding the northern coast of Britain. He was taken to Ireland, sold as a slave, and spent six years working as a shepherd on a lonely mountain in Slemish, County Antrim. During this time St. Patrick not only learned the language of his captors, but used his solitude to find God and the faith of his youth, discovering that he was indeed not alone. 

 

During his captivity, St. Patrick had two visions. In his first, he was told he would soon be returning home. His second vision called to him that his ship was waiting to take him home. The man of God walked two hundred miles, until he came to the coast and a ship preparing to set sail. At first he was refused entry, but as he turned away, the captain miraculously changed his mind. He suddenly called to Patrick and told him that he was allowed to board. The trip took several weeks, and at one point there was no food. The captain, knowing that Patrick was a Christian, heckled the young man to pray to his God. Patrick did pray until, miraculously, a herd of pigs appeared and saved them from starvation. The ship then made way for Gaul (present day France). St. Patrick wandered until he came upon the island of Lerins. There he studied for several years in a monastery, taught by monks including St. Vincent and St. Honoratus. Eventually returning home to his family, the saint settled down to live quietly. This was not to last for long, for his second and final trip to Ireland was about to begin. 

 

Soon Patrick had another vision in which an angel came to him bearing several letters. He opened one inscribed, "The Voice of the Irish," and heard the people who were once his captors calling him back to them.   Seeking further instruction, St. Patrick returned to Gaul, where he studied under St. Germanus of Auxerre. During his fourteen years there, he was ordained a priest and eventually consecrated a bishop. Bishop Patrick knew his mission was to return to Ireland and help to fully establish the Church in the pagan countryside.  Bishop Patrick knew he would be following other missionaries who had gone before him, including St. Palladius, who had spent a year in the harsh land, attempting to plants the seeds of Christianity, arguing with pagans, and correcting false versions of Christian doctrines which were spreading across the land. Patrick was one of several missionaries who arrived around 432.   

 

The young bishop faced many disappointments and dangers as he endured hostility from people loyal to their pagan gods, especially a group known as Druids, pagan medicine men, who were suspicious of foreigners. St. Patrick worked through all of these obstacles, winning the approval of several kings and leaders, including the High-King Loigaire at Tara. He was able to convince people that the pagan leaders were not showing them the One True God. He confronted pagan priests with the truth, and one time actually toppled a pagan god's statue. 

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Never accepting gifts from kings or the wealthy, St. Patrick loved to talk to the common people, spending time with them and serving their spiritual and physical needs. Leprosy was an especially horrible disease of the skin and organs, leaving people terribly scarred and full of sores. Its victims were outcasts, compelled to live apart from others. The bishop embraced these suffering lepers, and invited them to live near him, so as to better minister to their needs. Often, he would go alone to Mt. Mis to meditate, pray, and fast for days at a time. 

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The holy bishop had to explain God and Christ's Holy Church in ways his simple people would understand. He used the three-leafed plant known as the shamrock, which grew in the emerald-green fields of Ireland, to illustrate the Holy Trinity to skeptical listeners. The three leaves, growing from a single stem, helped the Irish people see the mystery of the Holy Trinity. 

 

St. Patrick tirelessly prayed and continued his work, establishing churches and monasteries, including his episcopal See in Armagh in 444. His writings include several letters and confessions. He worked with countless young people, and bravely denounced a leader who had enslaved some members of the Christian community. He is perhaps best known for defeating the pagan leaders, ordaining priests and bishops to serve his people, and baptizing thousands. 

 

St. Patrick died on March 17, 461 (or 462), and was buried in an unknown location, by his own request. Tradition established by a later disciple, St. Columba of Iona, recorded that the beloved missionary was buried at Saul, the site of his first church. A granite monument was placed in Downpatrick, in 1899. 

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O holy hierarch of Christ, intercede in our behalf!

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