Saint Patrick was Irish by adoption, he was actually born in England in about 387 A.D. His father was a deacon in the English church of his youth, and his grandfather was a pastor. Although Patrick had grown up in church, like so many young people today, he became an unbeliever as a teenager, and he pronounced that he did not believe in Christ, and left his parents’ church. No one would ever have expected that this unbelieving young man would go on to be one of the greatest Christian missionaries of all time. Several Christian historians say that more than 120,000 people were converted to Christ as a result of Saint Patrick’s preaching. His impact on Ireland was so great that many legends about him sprang up after his death. The truth about Patrick is far more incredible than those legends. “Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me…Christ beneath me, Christ above me.” Patrick’s life and preaching were totally Christ-centered. He preached Christ crucified for our sins, and Christ resurrected from the dead to give us eternal life. He went from being a slave to preaching freedom through Christ.