He travelled with a group. He wasn’t out on his own trying to take a village with the gospel. He entered an area with 10 or 12 trusted brothers and sisters. Some were priests, some students, some just lovers of Jesus. Their corporate mission was to manifest the life of Jesus to everyone they met.
Patrick would meet with the tribal king (there were many kings in Ireland in those days. We might call them chiefs or leaders today) He then would ask for permission for him and his team to camp adjacent to the tribe. With this close proximity, they always held a hope that they would convert many to Christ.
They would meet the local people, engage in conversation, pray for the sick and possessed, as well as councel and mediate conflicts. They would pray over the land, especially over the water. There is a story about a beautiful beach near where I live in the west of Ireland that Pattick is reported to have blessed and declared over it that no one would ever drown there. To this day, some 1500 years later, no one ever has!
Patrick and his team would preach openly using parables, stories, poetry, songs, visual symbols, art and drama. The well known Irish symbol of a shamrock is said to have been used by Patrick to teach the people about the Trinity.
The team would then welcome those who seemed receptibe to join them for a feast. They would invite the locals to break bread with them, then worship and pray together. They would spend weeks or even months in this simple welcoming ministry.
As converts were joined to them, they would sometimes build a small chapel, baptisizng the converts. There are still today, ruins of chapels reportedly built by Patrick and his teams. Also, there is a small stone lined pool near me that is named “Patrick’s Vat”and said to be a place where he baptised new believers. To add to the authenticity of this claim, the church there has been in continual operation since Patrick’s time.
When it was time to move to a new location, Patrick would ordain a priest to lead the newly formed congregation. He would also add a few young converts to his team as they ventured to the next camp and started the process again.
If you would like to learn more about St. Patrick’s Life, you can read my little book “The Supernatural Life of St. Patrick” available on Amazon.