Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Luke (10: 1-12, 17-20) in which Jesus appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.

Fr Paul says Patrick was born in Roman Britain around the end of the 4th century, and died in Ireland about the middle of the 5th century. As a missionary bishop, he endured many hardships and faced opposition even from his friends and fellow Christians. Nevertheless, he worked hard to conciliate, to evangelize, and to educate local chieftains and their families. He is remembered for his simplicity and pastoral care, for his humble trust in God, and for his fearless preaching of the gospel to the very people who had enslaved him in his youth.

As we celebrate St Patrick’s feast today, Fr Paul says we might ask that St Patrick, Pray for us