Yesterday the world celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day to commemorate the day of his death.

In recent history, Saint Patrick’s Day has been a celebration of Irish heritage, a day on which to wear the color green, or in other cases an excuse to consume copious amounts of alcohol.

But the story of Saint Patrick is one of the Christian faith radically entering and transforming Ireland, long considered a cultural backwater, and impacting the rest of Europe as a result.

As told in this viral video from Jamie Bambrick, a pastor from Northern Ireland, the boy Patrick was taken from his home in Britain by mercenaries and forced to serve as a slave in Ireland.

That is a rather difficult start in life.

Patrick worked as a herder for six years before making his escape, later having a dream that he must return to Ireland with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The cleric directly challenged the dark paganism which had long dominated the island, resulting in the rapid conversion of the people.