Who was Saint Patrick?
Not a great deal is known for sure about our school saint! What we do know is that Saint Patrick was born a long time ago, about 385 AD in the United Kingdom. When he was 16 years old, he was kidnapped by a group of bad Irish raiders and forced to become a slave in Ireland. After six years being a shepherd, he finally escaped to France and became a priest, then later a bishop. When he was about 60 years old, Saint Patrick returned to Ireland to spread the Good News about God. He used the shamrock, which is on our school badge, as a symbol to explain the idea of God being three people in one-Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Saint Patrick was important, because it’s said he brought Christianity to the Irish people. Today, we ask that we too can be like Saint Patrick and spread God’s message of love and service to others. We pray Patrick’s special prayer:
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
We are part of the Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust. Blessed Nicholas Postgate was a Catholic priest who risked his life to carry out his ministry and bring Jesus to others. Of all the priests who worked in the north-east corner of Yorkshire during penal times the one remembered with the greatest affection is Father Nicholas Postgate. The exact year when Nicholas Postgate was born is uncertain; at the time of his arrest in 1679 he himself said that he was ‘about the age of four score years’ so his birth must have taken place around 1599. His parents were James and Margaret Postgate who lived in Egton Bridge, a small hamlet about ten miles inland from Whitby. He was arrested when baptising a baby in Sleights. His trial took place in March 1679, he was convicted of being a priest and sentenced to death. On 7th August that same day the sentence was carried on what is now the site of York racecourse.
