Apostle St. Patrick's Apostolic Mission

St. Patrick is one of history’s great examples of a successful apostolic mission. At 16, he was abducted from his home in Britain by Irish raiders and enslaved in Ireland. While tending sheep, he prayed constantly and encountered God in a life-changing way.

After escaping back to his home, Patrick later received a call from God to return to Ireland—not as a slave, but as a messenger of the Gospel. Despite numerous attempts on his life, he courageously preached Christ across the land. Tradition says he found Ireland largely pagan and left it largely Christian when he died around A.D. 461.

Patrick’s life reminds us that apostolic faith is not about comfort—it is about being sent and doing the work God calls us to do.

Patrick wrote the famous prayer The Breastplate. His prayer (condensed here) still captures that spirit:

Christ with me,
Christ within me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ beside me—always. 

The Kingdom advances when believers obey God’s call.