Aleteia logoAleteia logoAleteia
Friday 22 November |
Saint of the Day: St. Cecilia
Aleteia logo
Spirituality
separateurCreated with Sketch.

Did you know St. Patrick’s sister is also a saint?

SAINT PATRICK

Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. | Flickr CC by NC ND 2.0

Philip Kosloski - published on 03/17/19 - updated on 03/11/21

According to local traditions, St. Darerca was a holy woman who had her own role in evangelizing Ireland.

While St. Patrick is often credited as single-handedly converting the entire nation of Ireland, he actually received some help from his own relatives. In addition to his nephew, Patrick was also accompanied by his sisters, who did what they could to help establish Christianity on the island.


SAINT PATRICK
Read more:
How St. Patrick’s nephew became a saint

St. Darerca

Local traditions identify one of St. Patrick’s holy sisters as “Darerca,” who may have been among those kidnapped and taken into slavery earlier on in the siblings’ life. It is said that Darerca became the mother of many children (some traditions say 17 children total); most of them were boys.

These boys eventually became influential in establishing the Church in Ireland as they became bishops throughout the country. Furthermore, many of these bishops are regarded as saints, such as Saint Mel of Ardagh, Saint Rioc of Inisboffin, Saint Muinis of Forgney, and Saint Maelchu.

The Catholic Encyclopedia also states “St. Darerca had two daughters, St. Eiche of Kilglass and St. Lalloc of Senlis. Her first husband was Restitutus the Lombard, after whose death she married Chonas the Briton.”

According to these traditions, the evangelization of Ireland was a “family affair” and the great Apostle of Ireland received much help from his own relatives.


ALL SAINTS
Read more:
Meet the family and their friends that gave the Church at least a dozen saints

However, little is definitely known about his sisters (there is also a St. Lupita who is recorded as his sister), and many traditions diverge as to the exact details of who they were and what they did. Whatever the truth may be, the Irish people passed down to each generation stories of St. Patrick’s sisters and regarded them as holy women. They made a lasting impact on the island, one that endures to this day.


IRELAND,CROSS
Read more:
Ireland: The land of saints, scholars and martyrs


St.-Patrick-painting-in-church-Basilica-di-Santa-Maria-Ausiliatrice-shutterstock
Read more:
Did St. Patrick expel snakes from Ireland?

Tags:
IrelandSaints
Enjoying your time on Aleteia?

Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you.

Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more.

2025-Aleteia-Pilgrimage-300×250-1.png
Daily prayer
And today we celebrate...




Top 10
See More
Newsletter
Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. Subscribe here.