St. Patrick’s Day celebrations seldom focus on the person known as St. Patrick. Beyond the wearin’ of the green and the Irish festivals, there was a British man who God called to bring the message of Christ to the unbelievers of Ireland.

The dean of the Columbia International University College of Intercultural Studies, Dr. Ed Smither, discusses the real St. Patrick in his paper titled, “St. Patrick: Bishop, Missionary, Monk or All of the Above?” and in his new book, “Missionary Monks.” A free excerpt of the book is available from Wipf and Stock Publishers.