Fr. Stephen Rooney, native of Belfast, Ireland, sits down for exclusive audio interview with Detroit Catholic

DETROIT — Perhaps no saint in modern times captures the imagination quite like St. Patrick, the patron of the Irish people.

As millions in Metro Detroit and worldwide prepare to celebrate the great evangelizer of the Emerald Isle on March 17, it can be difficult to know what's history and what's legend regarding the fifth century British missionary whose faith inspired generations of devotion.

To sort through it all, Detroit Catholic sat down with Fr. Stephen Rooney, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Trenton and a native of Belfast, Ireland, to talk about the real St. Patrick, and how his story of following Christ can be a blueprint for the mission of unleashing the Gospel today.

Listen to the interview here: