Good Morning

we begin our day in quiet so as to give one other time to pause our journey in God’s presence

He is one of the best known Christian saints

Parades will be held in cities and towns throughout the world

He is patron saint in Nigeria, Newfoundland, New York,

Monserrat,

and also here in Ireland

This week we look at his story and how it changed the history of Western Europe

St Patrick’s story starts somewhere near Liverpool

Patrick’s was born somewhere along the coast

we are not sure exactly where but he was brought up in a time when the Roman’s control of Britain was loosening

When he was 16 Patrick’s community was attacked

and he was carried off to be sold as a slave

The raiders were Irish and they carried him off to their home land

Patrick was sold to a chieftain named Milchiu

He was made to herd sheep on a distant mountain far from his own people

How do we know this? Much later Patrick wrote down his extraordinary story

He describes how as a young boy he had drifted away from God

but now cast adrift from everything he held dear he started to pray

and prayed up to a hundred times a day “through snow, through frost, through rain”

one night after several years he heard a voice telling him that he was going to be free

a ship was waiting for him ready to return him to his family

the ship was 200 miles away and Patrick still had to endure more risks

after several adventures Patrick was again united with his family

but the memory of his time in Ireland stuck with him and soon he was in for a surprise

what do you think so far? Patrick had a tough time

but what he did when he followed God’s call changed him forever

We pray using his own words and think what they mean to us

This day I call to me: God's strength to direct me, God's power to sustain me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's vision to light me,

God's ear to my hearing, God's word to my speaking, God's hand to uphold me, God's pathway before me, God's shield to protect me, God's legions to save me.

Patrick relied on God to guide him- what guidance would we need today?