The leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland has expressed concern that Scots do not know who their patron saint is.

Speaking on the eve of Scotland’s official national holiday today, Cardinal Keith O’Brien said St Andrew’s Day was being turned into a secular event with its Christian significance ignored.

His comments came as thousands of Scots across the country were taking part in celebrations to mark the end of the Scottish Government’s Year of Homecoming.

However, a poll found more than one-quarter of those aged between 16 and 24 could not name St Andrew as their patron saint and one in five aged between 25 and 34 did not know who he was. Cardinal O’Brien said the results were “nothing short of alarming” and called for school-children to receive lessons about their country’s patron saint.

He said: “To turn our national day into a secular event would only be to eviscerate it completely.

“If we are truly to endorse a curriculum for excellence in our schools it must impart information about our patron to all Scotland’s children.”

The year-long Homecoming event has generated millions of pounds for the Scottish tourist industry, despite larger celebrations failing to spark the level of interest the Government had hoped for.

First Minister Alex Salmond said yesterday: “Homecoming 2009 has been a great success story for Scotland.”