St. Patrick’s Day Quiz

photo by Sarah Voigt, in Ireland

I’ve gotten behind in my writing goals this month, since I’ve been down with the flu. Today, we’re going to take a break from my Easter series, “The Tree that Loved Me,” to have a little St. Patrick’s Day fun. He was an amazing man of God, and whether you know a lot about his life, or nothing at all, I thought you would enjoy a little quiz to learn even more.
 

See how you do on the following ten questions (answers are at the bottom). Send the link to friends to see how well they do. You could even award a prize for the person who gets the most correct answers!

1    1. What country was St. Patrick from?

a.      Ireland

b.      Great Britain   

c.       Poland

d.      Africa

2    2.  Why do we remember him on March 17?

a.      He was born on that day

b.      He was baptized on that day

c.       He encountered a leprechaun on March 17

d.      He died on March 17

3     3. What kind of work did he do?

a.      Cleric

b.      Slave

c.       Shepherd

d.      Missionary

4     4. How old was he when he left home?

a.      16

b.      42

c.       36

d.      5

5     5. What was the main religion of Ireland during his lifetime?

6     6. How did he become a Christian?

7     7.Why did he return to Ireland?

8     8.What is his connection to the shamrock (three leaf clover)?

9     9.Which of these is a quote from St. Patrick:

a.      “He watched over me before I knew Him and before I learned sense or even distinguished between good and evil.”

b.       “Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.”

c.       Thou art the Hope of those who toil. Thou art the Comforter of those in sorrow. Thou art the Way to those who wander. Thou art Master to the nations.

d.       “Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.”

1       10.  How was he able to rid Ireland of snakes?

a.      He prayed and God caused all the snakes to drown themselves in the ocean.

b.      He asked the people to capture all the snakes and throw them in huge bonfires.

c.       He convinced people that snake meat was a delicacy and they eventually vanished.

d.      An angel appeared and turned all the snakes into pillars of salt for biting the people.

Answers:

1.       B. Great Britain   

2.      D. It is the traditional date of his death, in 461 A.D.

3.      A – D. Patrick did all of these jobs at different times of his life.

4.      A. He was sixteen when he was captured by pirates, taken to Ireland and sold as a slave.

5.      Druidism – a pagan religion

6.      Patrick’s father and grandfather were both believers, but Patrick didn’t give his life to Jesus until realizing his need for forgiveness during his years as a shepherd-slave in Ireland. After 6 years, Patrick heard a voice telling him to board a boat for home. He ran away, made it safely home, and devoted himself to learning more about God.

7.  Patrick heard a voice in a vision of the Irish people saying, “We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us.” In the year 405, when he was about 30, St. Patrick returned to the land of his captivity as a missionary to Ireland.

8.      The Irish people revered the shamrock as the symbol of new life and spring. Patrick used their love of nature to teach truths about God. The shamrock demonstrated how God can be three in one (the Trinity): Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

9.      A – D. All of these are quotes from his writings.

10.  None of these. There were none there to begin with.

I hope you’ve had some fun with this. I encourage you to do a bit of your own research and use this day to praise God for reaching a young prodigal, far from his homeland, with the hope of salvation. Instead of becoming bitter about his years of slavery and trials, Patrick turned around to bless the very ones who had caused his pain. 

Like Joseph from the Old Testament book of Genesis, he said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen. 50:20). What a tremendous lesson of forgiveness, humility, and mercy these men left us! Let’s go and do the same!

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