Seven Things You Didn't Know About Saint Patrick (and Why He's Cooler Than I Ever Thought He Was)

Confession: Technically, I took this picture in Scotland. But that's okay. Saint

Patrick may have been from there...

No matter where you're from, or where you were born, today, you are Irish. What better way to celebrate one of the great saints in Christendom than with green beer?

But seriously, the more I learned about St. Patrick, the more I learned he was even more cool than I ever knew. Here are the top seven  things you probably didn't know about St. Pat. for #SaintPatricksDay 

1. He was loaded.

At least, his parents were. While St. Patrick may have become a priest and lived a more modest existence later, in his earlier life, his parents were very well-off, particularly by the standards of the time.

2. He wasn't Irish.

He was Scottish. Or English. Maybe Welsh. No one is 100 percent sure where he was from--tradition says his parents were Roman citizens who were most likely living in England. One thing is for certain: he wasn't Irish.

3. Blue is actually the color traditionally associated with St. Patrick -- not green. I'm not sure why. You can see a traditional artistic rendering of his icon here  (or as I call them - Christian Super Hero Trading Cards)

4. He was a slave.

Raiders took Patrick when he was a young man and sold him into salvery where he wokred in Ireland as a shepherd. Patrick leaned on his faith to help him through this difficult time.

5 After he was freed, an angelic vision told him to go back to Ireland.

Imagine going back to the people who enslaved you! Patrick, guided by God, returned. As a result of God working through him, many of the Irish converted to Christianity.

6. He used the shamrock as a teaching tool. 

Patrick had a heart for the souls of the dear Irish people. At the time, the pagan celts were worshipping the sun, moon and other parts of nature. used the shamrock to explain the Trinity--how three separate elements of Father , Son and Holy Spirit can be both three in one, both different, yet the same.

7. Your odds of finding a four-leaf clover?

This has nothing to do with Saint Patrick, but it's 1 in 10,000.

Happy St. Patrick's Day. #ErinGoBraugh!