New video series aims to bring St Patrick’s life story to a new generation

A new video series about St Patrick’s life was recently launched. The Way of St Patrick is a three-part series made by Scripture Union Ireland in partnership with Jesus Film Project.

The series shows St Patrick as “a real person who faced real suffering, and how life can be a lot like that and the resilience of what it means to say yes to God in challenging times and why his journey still matters today,” explained Hannah Clarke, Design & Marketing Co-Ordinator for Scripture Union Ireland (NUA Films).

The series aims to rekindle faith among young adults in Ireland and beyond, Ms Clarke said. “I think that there’s a real move going on in Ireland and beyond Ireland that young people are curious and open to something more and we’re seeing that in bible sales skyrocketing, we’re seeing that in what people are searching for online,” she said.

“I guess our hope would be that maybe in a curiosity to learn about St Patrick and learn a little bit about our heritage, that they would watch this video series and then they would learn about St Patrick, but they would also learn about Jesus and about what it means to be a Christian.”

The series was officially launched at an event that brought together many of those involved in its production, alongside a panel discussion about its aims and development. Among those involved in the project was Irish historian Dr Alex O’Hara, who assisted with script research and historical formation.

The videos are designed as a resource for schools, youth groups and parishes, with accompanying discussion materials available. They follow three presenters retracing St Patrick’s journey while dramatisations depict key moments from his life from his escape from captivity to his return to Ireland and the lighting of the Paschal fire on the Hill of Slane.

Those interested in using this to spark discussion in their own gatherings can access nuafilms.com and access the resources for free.