Recommended For

Grade Level: Elementary

Subject: Religion, Apologetics, History of the Catholic Church , Saints

Learner: Traditional Classroom, Homeschooled Students, CCD/Parish-Based Education

Activity

1. Begin by having students stand and pray the Sign of the Cross.
2. Have students use crayons or colored pencils to decorate the shamrock on St. Patrick’s Shamrock.
3. While students are coloring, tell the story of St. Patrick:

Story Time

Patrick was born near the west coast of Britain, which is in Europe. He lived a long time ago: more than 1500 years ago!

When Patrick was only 16, he was carried off by Irish pirates and sold as a slave in Ireland! A slave is someone who is treated like property by a master. Slavery is very wrong!

Patrick worked as a shepherd for six years. During this time he became very religious. He spent long hours in prayer. Patrick finally escaped Ireland on a ship. He began to study to become a priest; then he spent 15 years in a monastery.

One day Patrick had a dream. In his dream, God called him to return to Ireland as a missionary. A missionary is someone who tells other people about Jesus. In the year 432 he was made a bishop and sent to preach the Gospel to the Irish people.

He went to places in Ireland that other Christian missionaries had not yet reached. Patrick had many obstacles to overcome. The Irish people were mostly pagan and did not welcome Patrick. An Irish chieftain tried to kill him, but Patrick converted the chieftain to Christianity. Patrick traveled all over Ireland and preached to people about God. He used a shamrock, a little plant that has three leaves from one stem, to help explain that the Blessed Trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are three Persons in one God.

St. Patrick is in heaven now. He is the patron saint of Ireland. That means he prays for the Irish people in a special way. We can ask Patrick to pray for us to become holy like God wants us to be. We want to go to heaven so we can be with God and all the saints when we die.