Icon of St Patrick Greeting Card

Saint Patrick(Irish:ádraig) was a fifth-century– British Christian missionary and. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primarysaintIreland, along with saints of Kildare. 

According to Saint Patrick, at the age of sixteen, he was captured by a group of Irish pirates. They took him to Ireland where he was enslaved and held captive for six years. Patrick writes in the time he spent in captivity was critical to his spiritual development. He explains that the Lord had mercy on his youth and ignorance, and afforded him the opportunity to be forgiven of his sins and converted to Christianity. While in captivity, he worked as a shepherd and strengthened his relationship with God through prayer, eventually leading him to convert to Christianity.