What are some facts about St. Patrick for kids?
- St. Patrick was born around 385 AD in modern-day Scotland (not Ireland!) known as Roman Britain at the time.
- As a teenager, he was captured by raiders and taken to the pagan country of Ireland to herd sheep.
- After several years in captivity, St. Patrick had a dream where God told him to find a ship to escape in. Sure enough, when he traveled to the coast, a boat awaited him and he make his escape back to Scotland.
- St. Patrick was then ordained a bishop, and traveled back to Ireland to preach the Gospel to the pagan people.
- He used the shamrock to teach the people of Ireland about the Holy Trinity (see more below).
- He is the patron saint of Ireland, migrants, and engineers.
How to teach kids about St. Patrick
St. Patrick’s day is a wonderful day to celebrate with Catholic kids! To celebrate and learn about St. Patrick, you can:
Attend Mass
Attending Mass for feast days is always beautiful, fun, and holy! Try to find a nearby parish that is named for St. Patrick and consider making a mini pilgrimage to attend Mass there.
Pray the Divine Office
Find the Divine Office prayers for March 17 at divineoffice.org. Read the “About Today” section to your students, and consider praying part of the Office.
Pray or Sing the Lorica of St. Patrick (Breastplate Prayer)
Pray or sing the beautiful Lorica of St. Patrick for his feast day! This prayer is also known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate Prayer.
Have a St. Patrick’s Day Food
St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast
For breakfast, try these green cinnamon rolls from Catholic Icing. We also love this shamrock frittata or healthy shamrock shake.
St. Patrick’s Day Lunch and Dinner
You could make a Shepherd’s Pie since St. Patrick was a shepherd (a literal and spiritual one!). Irish Soda bread is always a classic! My favorite Cooking with the Saints cookbook has a couple of recipes for St. Patrick’s day as well.
Read a story about St. Patrick
There are many books and stories about St. Patrick. You may even have one sitting on your bookshelf at home! A favorite in our house is Patrick: Patron of Ireland by Tomie de Paola. It includes many legends about St. Patrick – some well-known and others that are less known.
The Shamrock: Explaining the Holy Trinity to Kids
Legend says that St. Patrick was known for teaching the pagans of Ireland about the Holy Trinity using the shamrock. Here is a quick video explaining how the shamrock can be a symbol for the Holy Trinity. Also, from the Catholic Dictionary on catholicculture.com:
“SHAMROCK
A symbol of the Trinity. Three leaflets on one stem representing three persons in one God. Said to have been used by St. Patrick in his sermon to Laoghaire, chief of the Irish clans, who came to seize the saint for daring to light the Easter fire on the Hill of Slane. For this reason and because Patrick generally used it to illustrate the Trinity, the shamrock has become an emblem of the Apostle of Ireland and a symbol of the Irish people everywhere.”
St. Patrick’s Day Crafts
- Learn how to draw and Three Leaf Clover while you learn about the Holy Trinity.
- Here is a fun Holy Trinity and St. Patrick’s craft bundle.
- Here is a whole blog post of St. Patrick’s crafts and recipe ideas! She has a free printable Breastplate Prayer and craft. I definitely recommend doing the hand motions with your little ones to help them remember and pray this beautiful prayer!
- This Holy Trinity origami bracelet from Cultivating Catholics would be enjoyable for older kids.
- This one is fun for all ages: a shamrock rosary craft from pipe cleaners and pony beads.
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