The name “St. Patrick” is commonly associated with green beer, shamrocks, and deeds such as casting the snakes out of Ireland.
But few know the incredible true story behind the indomitable man credited with singlehandedly bringing Christianity to Ireland.
Hitting theaters on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, the new docudrama “I Am Patrick: The Patron Saint of Ireland” sheds new light on the life, ministry, and incredible sacrifices of St. Patrick.
“By the end of the movie, you’re going to know Patrick. You’re going to know what his life was like, and you’re going to hear it in his own words,” Executive Producer Gordon Robertson told The Christian Post. “I want to change everyone’s perception of St. Patrick. I want them to meet the man behind the legend.”
“We’ve gotten lost in the shamrock; St. Patrick’s Day has become a cultural thing as opposed to, why do we celebrate this day on March 17? Most people don’t know that it was established to commemorate the day of Patrick’s death. It was originally a day to honor and to remember and to grieve a great man of God who had been taken. We’ve gotten away from that.”
Starring “Lord of the Rings” star John Rhys-Davies, “I am Patrick” digs past legend and myth to tell the story of the famed missionary using historical reenactments, expert interviews, and Patrick’s own letters and writings, including The Confession of St. Patrick and Letter to Coroticus.
Through a series of flashbacks, viewers meet Patrick in 5th century Britain, where he is living a comfortable life as the son of a government official. Despite being part of the Roman Catholic Church, his faith didn’t mean anything to him until he was kidnapped by pirates at the age of 16 and enslaved in Ireland.
For six years, Patrick was forced to work as a shepherd in perilous conditions. During this time, Patrick’s faith was strengthened, serving as a source of sustenance and encouragement. Through divine intervention, Patrick managed to escape slavery and was reunited with his family in Britain. However, it was there he experienced a prophetic dream calling him to take Christianity back to the land of his captivity.
Against the wishes of his family and the Church, Patrick returned as a missionary bishop to Ireland, where he converted thousands to Christianity.
“God spoke to him and told him to become a missionary to the very people who once enslaved him,” Robertson said. “I think the film really does a great job of portraying how hard it was for Patrick, based on what he wrote in the ‘Confession,’ to leave his mother, to leave his father, to leave his position, to leave all that he knew, to go back to the very people who had persecuted him.”
SOURCE: Christian Post, Leah MarieAnn Klett
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