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(In his own words)
I am Patrick, a sinner, the most rustic and least of all the faithful, the most contemptible in the eyes of a great many people. My father was Calpornius, a deacon, and the son of the presbyter Potitus. He came from the village of Bannavemtaburniæ; where he had a country residence nearby. It was there that I was taken captive.
I was almost sixteen at the time and I did not know the true God. I was taken into captivity to Ireland with many thousands of people. We deserved this fate because we had turned away from God; neither kept his commandments nor obeyed our priests who used to warn us about our salvation. The Lord’s fury bore down on us and he scattered us among many heathen people, even to the ends of the earth. This is where I now am, in all my insignificance, among strangers.
The Lord there made me aware of my unbelief that I might at last turn my attention to my sins and turn whole-heartedly to the Lord my God. He showed concern for my weakness, and pity for my youth and ignorance, he watched over me before I got to know him and before I was wise or distinguished good from evil. In fact he protected me and comforted me as a father would his son. I cannot be silent then, nor indeed should I, about the great benefits and grace that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in the land of my capacity. This is the way we praise his wonders before every nation under heaven
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