St Patrick’s 2016

Saint Patrick was never officially made a saint by the Catholic Church

A man dressed as St Patrick walks along the parade route as revellers line the street for St Patrick's Day festivities in Dublin on March 17, 2013. More than 100 parades are being held across Ireland to mark St Patrick's Day, the feast day of the patron saint of Ireland, with up to 650,000 spectators expected to attend the parade in Dublin. Ireland has high hopes that the festivities will bring a much-needed boost to the economy. AFP PHOTO/ PETER MUHLY (Photo credit should read PETER MUHLY/AFP/Getty Images)

HE IS celebrated by millions of people worldwide as Ireland’s patron saint on March 17 – but Saint Patrick is technically not a saint at all.

The British-born Irish bishop was never canonised by the Catholic Church, meaning he is not a saint by today's standards.

Canonisation is the final step in the process of sainthood carried out by the church – but St Patrick pre-dated the canonisation ceremonies which are a requirement today for sainthood.

This means, in effect, that St Patrick is a saint only in name.

To become a saint, the Catholic Church requires that a prospective candidate has proven their holiness during their lifetime.

This generally takes the form of two miracles – then they are beatified before their canonisation.

When a person is beatified, the Pope acknowledges their official ascension to the Kingdom of Heaven.

They must have performed one miracle – and they are canonised after a second miracle is acknowledged, making them an official saint.

Canonisation in the Roman Catholic Church was not introduced until after St Patrick’s death in the 5^th century – meaning he was never officially granted sainthood.

But St Patrick was dubbed a saint shortly after his death for his widespread work in bringing Christianity to Ireland.