The Confessions of St. Patrick

Patrick was the son of a Romano-British Christian who lived somewhere in the north of what is now England. At sixteen years old he, and many other of his people, were taken captive into Ireland. What follows is his own story of his realization of God's purpose for his life. In it, he gives interesting and valuable insights into the workings of his personal faith in Jesus Christ, as well as into life in the fifth century. It also may be that this document was written partly for the purpose of responding to charges made against him by unspecified persons, in his later years.

The date of Patrick's birth is not known, but it has been placed in the early years of the fifth century. His "saint's day" is celebrated on March 17th, but it is uncertain that this is the actual date of his birth. There are two extant writings, both believed to be genuine, which are attributed to Patrick; the "Confession," and a letter to the British king, Coroticus.

Patrick has been adopted, over the centuries, by Irish Catholics as one of their own, but the language of his "Confession" is free from any reference to Rome, the Pope, the Virgin Mary, church hierarchies or any of the other trappings of Roman Catholicism. Instead, it is a simple statement more consistent with a "New Testament-style," apostolic and evangelical Christianity.