Apostle of Ireland, he converted an entire country with his tireless evangelization

Today, we celebrate the great "Apostle of Ireland" (386-461). He single-handedly converted a whole nation from paganism to the Catholic Faith. He first came to Ireland as a captive teenage slave from Roman Britain, and he came very much alone; some years later, following priestly and episcopal ordination, he returned to the people that had enslaved him, deeply desiring to capture them for Christ, and once again he came completely alone. —Perhaps by the “fewness” of the laborers Jesus may also be referring to a personal lack of sanctity: Christ doesn't require multitudes to convert the world: He requires saints!