PATRICK

Maewyn Succat is born to be Decurian and Deacon of Maglona and rejects these Roman-British ideals, but when his mischievous deeds cause the deaths of his two best friends, he allows himself to be kidnapped by pirates, a fitting penance, and sold into slavery. He falls in love with Annika, his Master’s favorite concubine, and rekindles his faith. The barbarians resist conversion, calling him a Pat Rick, a slur that means a crazy zealot or a faithful fool, and he accepts their derision and embraces the name. He is a faithful fool. He plans to escape and bring Annika with him to Briton.

In his letter of Confession, St. Patrick alludes to a great sin that placed him on trial and under threat of excommunication, but never states it directly. Scholars debate three possibilities: paganism, premarital sex, or murder. Why choose? My Patrick is no saint, he is a man dealing with the difficulties of life in the 5th century and struggling to save the people of Ireland just as Rome is about to fall.