St. Patrick is well-praised and celebrated for his missionary work in Ireland. He spent around forty years converting the native Irish who were entirely pagan and druidic prior to his arrival with his missionaries. This was his calling and his life’s greatest work, which was blessed by God. St. Patrick is clearly a model evangelist because of how he challenged the people of that time. He challenged their demons and their unholy traditions, and Christ ultimately won out the day.
Many legends are attributed to St. Patrick’s exploits in Ireland and, while the validity of some is debatable, one can be sure that before St. Patrick came to the island not a Christian was to be found there, and after he completed his missionary efforts the country’s population became Christian – down to this very day.
Many Roman Catholics are of Irish decent; therefore they have St. Patrick to thank for the conversion of their ancestors and, indirectly, their own Catholic faith. And how many others were evangelized through the missionary work of Irish Catholics around the world? The ripple effects of St. Patrick and his contemporary missionary saints in bringing people to God cannot be underestimated.
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