Did you know St. Patrick’s name actually wasn’t Patrick?
In a recent episode of The Catholic Talk Show, Ryan DellaCrosse, Ryan Scheel, and Fr. Rich Pagano discuss the fascinating history behind the amazing St. Patrick!
Scheel reveals that St. Patrick’s birth name was actually Maewyn Succat. He wasn’t even really Irish–he was Roman-British!
Listen the fascinating history below:
Kidnapped by Pirates & Became a Shepherd
When Maewyn (or St. Patrick) was 16 years old, Scheel explains that North Atlantic Pirates kidnapped him and took him to Ireland where they forced him to be a shepherd. Throughout this time, Maewyn wrote of his terrible loneliness.
Scheel then says that St. Patrick’s mother was a devout Christian, but he wasn’t.
“While he’s living in this exile against his will, spending countless hours of solitude out in these green hills, looking across the ocean and looking and longing for home and his family, God called him.
“In his loneliness and despair, he found his only solace in God,” Scheel said. “He was there for six years in forced captivity tending these sheep. One night, he had a dream…God said, ‘Wake up and run to the coast. There will be a boat waiting for you.’
Lo and behold, a ship headed back to Britain was on the coast waiting for him. He did escape and went back home. After seeing his parents again, he decided to enter the priesthood.
Where the Name ‘Patrick’ Came From
After becoming a priest, Maewyn Succat was known as Patrick. This name comes the Latin word
“Patricius,” which means “Father.”
Scheel adds, “It could have been that he was ‘Fr. Maewyn Succat’ and everyone just called him ‘Father,’ or ‘Patricius,’ or ‘Patricius Maewyn Succat’, and everyone just called him ‘Father.’
“Patrick is more of a title,” Scheel said. “That’s where the name Patrick comes from. It’s really more of a title than a proper name.
How cool! What do you think of the story?
Be sure to listen to the rest of The Catholic Talk Show for more of St. Patrick’s history!
[See also: Runaway Slave, Mystic, Miracle-Worker: The Real St. Patrick]
[See also: 15 of the Best St. Patrick’s Day Memes to Get You in the Festive Spirit]