By Sandra Woodard, RAFT Membership & Green Room Associate St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in Ireland for over 1,000 years, but it was mostly a religious celebration of the Saint’s life and deeds. Today, many people of Irish ancestry in the U.S., and many others who consider themselves “Irish for the Day” spend March 17 th each year wearing green, watching parades and otherwise participating in this celebration of all things Irish. St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, brought Christianity to Ireland in about the early 5 th century. Patrick was from a wealthy family which lived in Roman Britain. He was brought to Ireland as a slave at about age 16. Having spent about half dozen years there he finally made his way to freedom, eventually entered the Church of Rome, and was sent to Ireland as a bishop. There, he is credited with performing many baptisms, and converting people to the Catholic Church. St. Patrick is said to have used the shamrock to explain