Today is St. Patrick’s Day, observing the death of St. Patrick. Saint Patrick was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, along with Saints Brigit of Kildare and Columba. What began as a religious feast day in the 17th century has evolved into a variety of festivals across the globe celebrating Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, and the color green.

Here are some interesting facts: St. Patrick was born in the year 385 AD in Britannia and died in 461 AD. He consecrated more than 350 bishops. At 16 years of age, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and sent to Ireland as a slave, eventually escaping 6 years later back to England, where he received religious instruction before returning to Ireland to serve as a missionary in the year 432 AD. St. Patrick saw remarkable success converting Irish citizens to Christianity, reportedly baptizing 12,000 in a single day near Killala. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in the United States on 17 March 1762, when Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City. There are over 34 million U.S. residents with Irish ancestry. That number is more than seven times the population of Ireland itself.