Marker outside of St Patrick’s cathedral in Dublin where Patrick baptized some of the first Irish converts to the Christian faith.

St Patrick’s Day has become a wonderful opportunity to celebrate all things Irish and a good excuse to drink green beer, not something one can do everyday. But did you know that Patrick of Ireland is one of history’s great missionaries? Patrick was the first known missionary to carry the gospel outside the bounds of the Roman Empire. He returned to the people who had enslaved him as a young man, those pagan Irish, because God appeared to him in a vision and sent him back.

Patrick evangelized the entire island, stopping only when he reached the west coast of Ireland. He would have kept going if he could have walked on water and there were Irish in the sea!

This Friday, March 17, join me in celebrating St Patrick’s day. Celebrate all things Irish, but let’s also celebrate the cause of missions around the world and the many young people who are following in Patrick’s footsteps today.