St. Patrick

He was a Roman who was taken from his home in Scotland at 16 to be a slave in
Ireland and his service was to be a humble Shepherd. Later he would shepherd a
whole people and train over 350 Shepherds of God's flock. I am sure by now you
have guessed his name: Patrick. The exact dates of his life are not certain, but
one historian has it that he was born 387 and died March 17, 493. His day has
been memorialized as a Feast Day, March 17. And of course he is the Patron of
Ireland and the Irish, whose symbols are the cross, harp, serpent, baptismal
font, demons, and the shamrock. All of these have significance in his biography.

The Collect for the Day from the Book of Common Prayer (1928)
O ALMIGHTY God, who in thy providence didst choose thy servant Patrick to be an
apostle to the people of Ireland, to bring those who were wandering in darkness
and error to the true light and knowledge of thee: Grant us so to walk in that
light, that we may come at last to the light of everlasting life; through the
merits of Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.