St Patrick - father of the Irish church St Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick day is held on 17 March, in commemoration the date of his death (c. 385 – c. 461) He is of course regarded the father of the Irish church Saint Patrick was a part of the wonderful Christianization of the Celtic religion of the 5th Century - and a poet extraordinaire. He was a key figure in the creation of the early Church. Thanks to the Emperor Constantine the Romans had stopped persecuting Christians in c.313 when he issued the Edict of Milan - which accepted Christianity. Within 10 years it had become the official religion of the entire Roman Empire. Patrick was born in 385 (Maewyn Succat) to a wealthy Roman Britannia family in the modern-day town of Dumbarton, Scotland. His father was a Christian decurion and so a member of a city senate. St Patrick was therefore not Irish but from Scotland. He had a Christian background but as is the case of so many of us his faith was yet fully manifes